The Daily Morning Astorian

CONFIRMATORY PROOF.

In the New Year's issue of The Astorian, in discussing the progress and prosperity of Oregon's seaport, speaking of necessary improvement of the bar, we said that Portland cared to have no vessel enter the Columbia of a draught that would prevent its reaching that pleasant inland city. In yesterday's Oregonian appears abundant proof of the truth of that assertion. In an attempt to demonstrate that wheat can be loaded cheaper at Portland than at Astoria "Exporter" groups seventeen vessels with total cargoes of 28,437 tons, as illustrative of the alleged facts. That is, "Exporter" would have it appear that vessels capable of carrying no more than 1675 tons each are in every way suitable for carrying the wheat of the northwest to England. Carrying his argument one step further it would appear that to insure the greatest benefits to all concerned no vessel of more than 800 tons burthen, capable of carrying 1,100-1,200 tons of wheat should come to the Columbia. How unfavorably this narrow policy compares with that more liberal idea that would so improve the bar that vessels loading 2,600 tons at far less proportionate expense could load at Astoria wharves with cargoes worthy of the name!

Farther on "Exporter" thinks it "strange" that the Astoria Transportation Company should have sold their barge after demonstrating that lighterage from Portland to this place could be carried on at a profit of fifty cents per ton. 'Tis indeed passing strange. Probably it will not, however, appear so strange to "Exporter" when we tell him that the main reason was the crawfishing on the part of Portland exporters who promised business to the projectors of that enterprise "in the interest of the producer," but backed out when they saw the project was about to succeed and refused to furnish grain for transportation.