PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
________________________With Which Is Amalgamated the Prince George Leader
VOL. 0, NO.
PRINCE  GEORGE,  B.C.,   THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1023.
Railway Head Talks to
Board of Trade Members
igSUIlES THE PEOPLE OF PRINCE GEORGE THAT THE PROBLEMS OF SMALLER SETTLEMENTS HAVE EQUAL CONSIDERATION WITH THOSE OP LARGER? CENTERS�RAIL CONNECTION WITH THE PEACE RIVER WILL BE I/OOKED INTO.
Tho diniiiRroom of the Alexandra hotol was filial to capacity last evening �<> welcome Sir Homy Thornton, president of tho Canadian Na-Ijonnl I tail ways, uiM>n the occawion of his first visit through this section ()f ,(�. province; In addition to tlie president, the. official party was made Up of J. �!� Darlyinple, vice-president in charge of traffic; Colonel Talbot, the <^i<'lMk<" i"eprc8�ntatlve on tho directorate; E. L. DcCary, the Montreal representative; F. G. DawHon, the It.. O. representative; H. E. Warren, �rrncrnl manager of wewt�*rii lino**; H. IVfelanscn, general passenger traffic malinger; IU Creelman, general passenger nianager; W. G. Manders, general freight traffic manger; J, M. Home, general freight agent; George A. McVicholl, general pasKenger agent; H. A. Dixon, chief engineer; J. H, fanirro'n, lussistant general manager; and N. B. Walton, assistant general superintendent,                                   ^railways,  in view of the announced
BltXKST JONES, president of the board of trade, welcomed the visitors cm behalf of the members of the board, in a few well chosen remarks. lit- added that there were a number of matters the board desired to bring to t!ic attention of the railway man-agcment, and upon which different members would be called upon to make brief remarks. He then brought to f.ie attention of Sir Henry, and the members of the direc-torate, the resolutions of the board dealing with the settlement upon tie contracts, and the necessity of making provision for a loading platform while the matter of the construction of the freight sheds was under way. MAYOR JOHNSON welcomed the visitors on behalf of the citizens generally. He said the people of Prince George had not much  to ask     from
the railway management, so there was nothing to detract from'the welcome they desired to extend. He ili:1 think there was a matter of freight sheds, but he had reason to believe his friend Mr. Warren, the pericral nianager of western lines, had beaten him to the freight sheds, and was already asking for tenders tor the work. There was one other thing which, to his mind, was even more important than the freight sheds. He realized that Prince George was a very small community, but Its people would like to think they enjoyed the good fellowship and ro-ojiprtition of the rtien hi charge of the    national     railway     system.
SpeAking for the people of the city, he assured the visitors they already enjoyed their confidence and could rouiU upon their co-operation, and hp was glad to have the visitors in the city even for a short while, and t!if only regret he had was that time did not permit an opportunity of showing them' about, so that they muld see. something of the agricultural development which was going nn.
HOX. T. 1). PATTULtX), minister (if lands, in welcoming the visitors, said the district was fortunate in having them present: The people of the northern portion of the province had Kreat faith In their country. The statement had been made, and could !�� substantiated, that in the country served by the G. T. P., in British Columbia, there were greater and mnre varied resources than in all that portion of the province served b.v the C, P. R. and C. N. It. systems combined. The people of the north would-simply ask the visitors to look alone the line of the railway as they Pass through the province, and wherever they saw an opportunity for development, and for the production of traffic for the line, to reach out and take It. While not finding fault with the railway management, he did not hesitate to #ay that he would prefer to see the G. T. P. under private ownership. If the railway were in private hands, i*1 believed the management would leave no stone unturned, and would rixarh out into every possible avenue tn Ret business. He was aware that conditions had changed since the railway was flrBt planned, but the Poopi,. or the north would like to S(1" tho original policy of the rail-w�v carried out as far as possible.
W. P. OQILVIE spoke to the matter of tho establishment of an experimental farm in the vicinity of Prince ^eorge. He said that, while efforts nnd been made for a number or Jeara to bring about the agricultural "evelopment of the country served ">' the line of railway, he was convinced that the visitors, in passing '"r"�iKh. must be struck with the "TV emhryotic condition in which "f^eiopment stood.    One reason for
'is was the absence of an    experi-ntal farm in which the people of
""district could have the problems
1   heir Roils worked out for them.
��""�r  than  follow   the  very     slow I'ocesa of finding their own     solu-�    Although generally admitted, �   ''Establishment of an experimental, inn would very greatly assist the a r' ,, ural development,  there was M    '"llnK In  some  quarters  that     it ], piv 2   a matter which should pro-the ,       l)rouKl>t to the attention of m:inagement    of    the    national
policy of keeping the railway free from political control. With this view he did not agree, and he would appeal to Sir Henry, and the members of his board, upon a purely business basis, to assist the district so far as they could in securing an experimental farm, for the reason it would mean greater development, a greater influx of settlers, and the greater development would mean greater business for the railway. In concluding his remarks, Mr. Ogilvie expressed regret that the stay . of the visitors was so short it would not he possible to introduce them to the great fishing possibilities of the district, which were conceded to be equal to any in the world.
H.