Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-12-16

New York enjoys most Of all ether States, the
advantages of this species of improvement. and
reaps more fully than any other the benefit of an
early, wise and energetic policy respecting them
The tolls upon the Erie canal in 1926, the first
year during which it was opened, amounted t.
1892, 664. In l649 they reached $4,000, 1872
During the twenty-five years of this canals opera
ion, that State has, encouraged by the result of
this leading experiment. constructed the Cham
plain, the Oswego, the Cayuga, and Seneca, the
Chenung, the Genessee Valley and the Oneida
Lake canals, the Seneca river towing-path. the
Oneida river improvement, and the Cayuga inlet
She is also constructing 205 additional miles of
canals, and enlarging the main Erie trunk at
cost considerably exceeding that Of its original
construction. The income from these lateral
works swelled the total receipts Of the State from
her canals in 1919, to the immense aggregate of
$3,442,905. The expenditures upon these works
during the year, according tie the report of the
canal commissioners, were $6S5,SQ3, which, left
nett profit of $2.757, l02 from the years opera
tons. The comptroller reports that on tho 3oti,
of September 1919, the entire cost of the New
York canals, including the sum of $l4 ,624 74S,
expended in charging The main work, had been
S33, III ,l5o; that this enlargement being incom-
plete, had as yet effected no augmentation Of the
annual receipts; but that, nevertheless, the nett
average annual income of the State from these
canals, during the five preceding years, had been
equal to capital of $39, ,279, at six per cent
interest and that the nett income for the year
lo49, taken separately, represented a capital of
$45, 95l Ill. The report of the comptroller for
Say shews the upward freight towards the
Lakes) upon these canals 10 have been | ,314785
tons, valued at S92, ,764; and the downward
freight towards the Hudson) to have been $40.
GAG tons, valued at $50, 1878, 52l making an ag-
rrp treinht nf > SQt 100
2o5, which was an increase of 9S, 5O2 tons, and
of "a ,646, l2S. upon the operation of the preced-
ing year. The same report shows the value of
commerce upou the New York canals to have been
twelve millions of dollars more than the total val
ne of the exports of the United States of their
own growth, produce and manufacture, duriuu
that year the latter having been 1872, 666 ,955.
similar comparison exhibits like result for sew
era preceding years. In 1876 the value of pro-
duce brought to the Hudson was $3l los ,256 in
lS49 it was 1876, 52l, making an increase,
after three years, of $2l ,265. The produce
brought to New Orleans down the Mississippi
river, in 1876 was worth SIT 1893 ,464. IN
l849 it was worth s8l, $50, 692, making an
increase, after three years, of only $4,796 ,22S,
being less than onefourth of the increase upon the
New York canals. When we consider the i'm
mense extent OF country tributary Il, the Misss-
slppl and its far-reaching branches, compared
with that which art has rendered subject to the
New York canals, we can require no more over
whelming proof Of the value of this me ans Of
transportation than this fact affords. 1t must be
remembered too, that these We're the operations
OF canals which are eiesed by ice for an average.
period OF AS days per antum-a period exceeding
any possible stoppage of navigation upon our own
canal when completed, even surprising its summit
level to be dried up for three months in the wear.
| 1t is supposed by some that the New York ca
mails are not able to support competition with the
lateral competing railroads that traverse that State
But the TACT is otherwise: twenty-five out of the
thirty railroads in that State (the reports of the
remainder present no statistics of freght) shew an
aggregate freight of 53l 1860 tons in l84o. or
only about oneflth of the tonnage upon the canals.
Yet these thirty roads exceed the canals in LENGTH
more than three hundred miles, and cost SAC ,6O4-
81 f; whereas the canals cost, with the Erie en-
largement but 1888 PA, 158. Eleven of these
roads pay the canal fund the same rate of tolls as
is charged upon similar freight going over the
canals, and have had, since l647, the privilege
of carrying freight during the whole year. This
toll IS charged tor the reason thar these roads are
the property private companies, and take away
revenue from the canal funds, which are State
property, proportioned to the quantity Of freight
passing over them. 1t is imposed upon the prin-
clple, and as measure of taxation rather for the
purpose of preserving the State revenues intact
and uniform than of protecting her canals from
railway competitions. The amount of tons that
passed over these roads upon which these tolls
were paid was but 600 in lS49, which com.
pared with the 2,S94,732 tons that passed over
the canals, exhibits but feeble competition
But more conclusive proof that New York does
not fear to admit these works into competition
with her canals, is the fact that she imposes no
charge OF tolls upon the Erie railroad, which ira
verses her southern border and is to tap the AXE
trade at Dunkirk, some distance south of Buffalo.
Running parallel to the Erie canal, and interpos-
| ing itself between that work and the great mass
OF western trade that supports it, if ever there
was a case OF real competition between railroad
and canal this work would present it. Yet
N. York, fearless of the result has given S3. 600
900 to the completion of this possible rival.
She has found that her line of cheap canal trans
portation has attracted such incessant floods of
| commerce from the West as to impose upon her
the necessity of multiplying her means and modes
| OF conveying it, Hence she is constructing a rail.
way upon the banks of the Hudson to accommo-
date that trade during the seventy five dsys
in the year of ice in that river and hence, also
has she built the great Erie railroad to accommo-
date the necessities of her great western trade for
the five months during which her canals are
closed.
| The average cost per mile of the New York
railroads has been S44 900; while that of her
canals. exclusive of the Erie enlargement, has been
but S27 ,l31 or inclusive of that expenditure S4S-
SUI. That OF our own caual to Buchanan, ex,
elusive of lateral works, has been S36,2lS per
mile. The costs Of all the Massachusetts railroads
has been $1o,O 900 per mile, and that of the Bal
timore and Ohio railroad $54 1888. The railroads
OF Great Britain have cost Sl45 700; of France.
Sllu,0UV; OF Germany, $4,000; of Belgium.
$4,000; and of other European countries, from
$25 600 to 5000 per mile. In general it may
be said, that wherever railroads have been con-
structed for the purpose of competing with canals
or carrying the same species of trade with them
they have cost at least much per mile as those
works The cost of completing our water line, will
oeiess than VIII be required to construct railroad
over the central route capable of transporting its
heavy trade. The total cost of the Massachusetts
railroads at the close of l849 (944 miles in lengthy
Was 45,l25.76S; and their nett income for thal
year was S2,S5O,9 8l; being Ga per cent upon
their cost. Ihe total costs of the New Yorl,
canals, (6s5 miles longl at the same period has