Pacific War

When, last week, the Canadian Pacific Railway announced a proposed expenditure of $50,000 for northern extensions of its lines in Saskatchewan, alarm was felt by the Canadian National Railroad and also by leaders of the King government. For if the Canadian Pacific builds new lines north from Saskatoon and Prince Albert, it will be running through territory hitherto regarded as belonging to the Canadian National. Rural districts in the affected territory are supporting the Canadian National; towns and cities are in favor of the Canadian Pacific. Should the threatened railroad war materialize and become a political as well as an economic issue, six Parliamentary seats, including that occupied by Prime Minister King would be drawn into the conflict. So Minister of Railways Charles Avery Dunning has appealed to both roads for some amicable compromise.

A few years ago a conflict between the Canadian Pacific and the Canadian National would have seemed like a battle between the strong and the weak; the prosperous and the poverty-stricken, the lion and the lamb. President Edward Wentworth Beatty of the Canadian Pacific heads one of the world's famed transportation systems. Travelers can journey from Liverpool to Yokohama on Canadian Pacific liners and trains and stop en route at Canadian Pacific hotels. The company also operates its own express, telegraph and news services.

The Canadian National, however, a government-owned railroad formed from the merger of several Canadian railroads, was in an extremely bad way. Trackage was far out of proportion to traffic; service was often unreliable; profits were nonexistent. Today, however, Canadian National is a worthy rival to Canadian Pacific; since 1922 has steadily risen in performance, in prestige. For in that year came U. S.-born Englishman Sir Henry Thornton to change Canadian National from liability to asset.

Henry Worth (Hank) Thornton was born in Logansport, Ind., in 1871, went to St. Paul's, then to the University of Pennsylvania. At St. Paul's he met James McCrea, whose father was then president of the Pennsylvania railroad. At Pennsylvania, Student Thornton won fame as a line-plunger, helped Penn beat Princeton (1892) and after graduating became football coach at Vanderbilt. He then (1894) entered the Pennsylvania Railroad offices as a draftsman, remained to become (1911) superintendent of the Long Island Railroad.

In 1914 England's famed Great Eastern Railroad needed a new president, desired to incorporate U. S. railroading methods, picked Superintendent Thornton for the job. Then came the War and with it new responsibilities, new titles for Mr. Thornton. He was Deputy Director of Waterways and Docks, Assistant Director General of Movements and Railways, Inspector General of Transportation. In 1916 he gave up his U. S. citizenship, became a British subject; in 1919 was made Sir Henry Thornton, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1922 he came to Canada; took over direction of the woebegone Canadian National; moved politics out and efficiency in.