Regret C.N.R. move and believe error of judgment made.

Mayor and President of Toronto Board of Trade much disappointed.

Giving loyal support

Mayor Maguire and A. O. Hogg, President of the Board of Trade, expressed deep regret last night that the headquarters of the Canadian National Railways were to be moved from Toronto to Montréal. Mayor Maguire expressed the conviction that the decision was a bad one for the National Railway System in many ways, and intimated that this decision had been made weeks ago. He claimed that the site for the headquarters in Montréal had been purchased last December.

Mr. Hogg was gratified that Toronto was to be headquarters for a greatly extended central operating division [the Central Region], and both he and Mayor Maguire expressed the opinion that the people of Ontario would not let this decision interfere with their support of and loyalty to the National Railway.

Not altogether a surprise.

I regret to hear it, but I am not altogether surprised. A prominent Toronto man, a member of one of our largest publication organizations, told me some time ago that he had been in Montréal on business, and while there had been taken and shown the site which had been purchased for the Canadian National Railway. This was Mayor Maguire's first comment on being informed by The globe last night that it had been officially announced that the National Railway headquarters would be moved from Toronto to Montréal

The Mayor expressed the opinion that the location had not been selected with a view to economy or efficiency of operation, or with regard to its proximity to the best-paying territory, or in the best interests of the National lines or Canada as a whole. It shows once more that Montréal is all powerful, said the Mayor.

Believe mistake made.

I regret this decision very much, said the Mayor, although, as I told you, it is not altogether a surprise. I am convinced that the new location was not selected from the economic standpoint. We pointed out to Sir Henry Thornton the other day that Toronto was economical and logical location for the headquarters. Ontario alone contributes 41 per cent. of the revenue of the Grand Trunk. It is the heart of the railway system of Canada. The directing force—the brain, if you like—should be located here also. The information given me about the purchase of the site I regard as accurate, and it shows when and how the decision was made. That man saw the site during the last elections—before Sir Henry made his announcement about the proposed electrification of the lines.

The people of Ontario and Western Canada cannot fail to feel re-

(Continued on Page 12, Column 4.)

Railways: C.N.Rys.

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