James Bay Railway.

Every route except via Parry Sound condemned by the North Star.

The Parry Sound North Star says:—"It is pleasing to learn that the business men of Toronto are waking up to the necessity of the hour, and that they have grasped the true idea in the matter of railway projection to the north. At a meeting of prominent business men held in the city of Friday last it was broadly laid down that a line of railway from Toronto to Parry Sound and Sudbury was of primary importance to the city as well as to Central and Western Ontario. The extension from Sudbury to James Bay was not in any way belittled, but the main and first object to be striven for was a railway east of Lake Simcoe and west of the Muskoka lakes to Parry Sound and Sudbury. Some there were in the meeting who would fain have the city pledged to nothing but an extension of existing lines in the direction of James Bay, and the routes spoken of were from North Bay, from Mattawa, and even from the Sault. Any person who knows anything about railways must know that the modern tendency is to construct lines by the shortest and most direct route, and to advocate reaching James Bay by either of these routes is nonsense. A straight line drawn almost due north from Toronto by way of Parry Sound and Sudbury will be easily seen to be the shortest line. But the building of an independent line which will tap the Canadian Pacific railway at a point as far west as possible without departing from a straight line is what Toronto and Ontario wants. Then, too, this must be done if Toronto and Hamilton would hold the trade of Parry Sound district and the north country. The further east that line runs the easier will it be for Ottawa and Montréal to detrack trade and turn it in their direction. As was pointed out time and again, a grave mistake was made in the building of the Northern Pacific Junction railway to North Bay. At that time we tried in vain to convince the projectors that the proper route to be taken was west of the Muskoka lakes. We believe that the North Bay route was chosen because of pressure from Québec, but thoughtful men who know something of the local geography of Northern Ontario now admit the blunder then made, and are anxious to rectify it. Fortunately there is plenty of room in Northern Ontario for two railways, and it is in no spirit of hostility that we refer to the building of the Northern and Pacific Junction railway as a mistake. It has opened up a good section of our country, has built up some new towns and villages, and served a good purpose as a colonization railway, as well as being the only line connecting Southern and Western Ontario with the Canadian Pacific railway/ The new proposed line to Parry Sound and Sudbury will open up an equally good territory at present sparsely settled, it will enable the cities of Toronto and Hamilton to hold the northern trade, get a share of the lumber and grain trade at Parry Sound, and of the nickel ore at Sudbury."

Railways: C.P.Ry., J.B.Ry., N. & P.J.Ry.

Stations: Parry Sound, Sudbury

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