Regret C.N.R. move; believe error made.

(Continued from Page 11, Column 8).

gret at this decision. If the situation was reversed, and Québec and the Montréal district furnished revenue which is drawn from Ontario, neither I nor anyone else here would object to the headquarters being moved. But, however much they may regret this, I am sure the people of Toronto and Ontario will remain loyal to the National Railway and to their public ownership principles.

I regret this more than I can tell you, said the Mayor, in conclusion.

Prior to pointing out the advantage to Toronto of the extension of the Central Division [Region] from Brockville to Rivière du Loup, Mr. Hogg detailed the results of the interview he and the other Toronto representatives had had with Sir Henry Thornton on Tuesday. He made it clear that he was giving merely his own opinions and not speaking as the President of the Board of Trade.

Mayor Maguire, with Mr. D. A. Cameron, Past President of the Board of Trade, and myself had an interview of an hour and a half's duration with Sir Henry Thornton at Ottawa on Tuesday, when he gave us a very courteous hearing. Gerard Ruel, Vice-President of the C.N.R., and R. P. Gough, a director, where also present, he said.

Sir Henry outlined to us very frankly his own views as to the most efficient plan for the operation of the national lines. This as the announcement states, involved the setting up of three grand operating divisions [regions]—the Eastern, with headquarters at Moncton, N.B., extending from the Atlantic to Brockville, Ont.; the Central, with headquarters at Toronto, extending from Brockville to Port Arthur, and including all lines in the U.S.; and the Western, at Winnipeg, extending from Port Arthur to the Pacific Coast, with a General Manager at each of the three operating points.

Sir Henry assured us that the creation of these operating divisions [regions], as outlined, would leave a great many more Canadian National employees in Toronto than would be the case if the headquarters remained here and the operating centre of the Central Division [Region] were placed elsewhere.

He did not make any promise that the head office would be at Toronto but rather suggested Montréal or Ottawa. We all presented Toronto's advantages as forcibly as we knew how, pointing out, among other things, that 30 per cent. of the mileage was in Ontario and that 48 per cent of the freight traffic originated and passed through this Province.

I believe that Mr. Gough did his level best to retain the head office at Toronto and, although not successful in this, that he undoubtedly succeeded in extending the Central Division [Region] from Brockville to Rivière du Loup, a distance of approximately 400 miles, thus adding the cities of Montréal and Québec to the Central Division [Region] operating from Toronto. This will entail the retention of a large staff in Toronto.

While we could not have all that we wanted, there are compensating features in that Toronto, being the operating centre of the large Central Division [Region], with a General Manager here, will still be a very important centre of the National business. I see no reason why obstacles should be placed in the way of our own National Railway making good, particularly in this public ownership city.

Railways: C.N.Rys.

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