Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-12-11

the total receipts nfihe Stale from her canals III lo4
To the immense aggregate Of S3.442,906. Ihe eS
pentures upon these works during the year: accoro
iug 10 The report of The Canal Commissioners. wer
S6S5,SO3 which left melt profit of S2,757 lo2 iro'
tie YEARS operations. The Comptroller reports tia
ON the 30lh of September. lS49. The entire cost
the New Y York canals, including the sum of $l4'oa4
74S expended in enargng The main work. had pee
S33. 2l4.l5S; that this enlargement being Inc"m
pele, lad as vet effected no augmentation OF the all
nual receipts; but that nevertheless, the nell averaS
annual income of the State from these canals, duflI'
the five preceding years. had been equal TO acapl'a
Of S39.5l5.279. al SIX per cent interest and mat lh
nell income Tor the year lS49. taken separately, re
presented capital of S45,95l,7ll.
The report of lIle comptroller for lS49 shewsih
upu ard freight (loward the lakes) upon Iiese canal
To have been l.3l47S5 Ions, valued at S923oo.I64
and the downward freight towards lhe Hims"n) II
have been 1879 946 tons valued al S52355.52l
maklngan aggregate freight of 2S9l732 '"nS worll
Gl44732 2S5, " hicI was an increase ol 9S.5O2I"nS
aud of S4646 2S upon The operations "l The Prrced
ug wear. The same report shews The value oi com
mprce upon The New J "rk canals la have been twelve
millions of dollars more Than The oal value OF lh'
exports of the United States Of their grow lh,pro
duce and manuariure, during that year; The latte
having heen Sl32 ,666,955. similar comparison
exhibits like result for several preceding years
In 1916 the value of produce brought I" ihe hudson
was S3l l05,256 in 1919 it was 5237o,52l. max
ing an increase, after three years. ol S2l.2O2oo
The produce brought to New Orleans down ihe Mis-
slssippi river, in Is 6. was worth S77.l93464. il
1919 IT was worh SSl.9S9692 making all increase
alter three years, Of only 4796.22S being less iha'
oue-lourth oi the ncrease.upon the New "rk calias
When we consider the immense extent oi country
tributary tohe Mississippi aud lis arreachng hranch
eS,compared with that which art has rendered sulJer
to the New York canals, we can require no more
overwhelming proof OF The value ol thls means OF
transportation than This fact affords. 1t must bt
remembered. too, that these were The operations 4"
canals which are closed bv ice for an average peIl"t
of l43 days per annum-a period exceeding any pos
she soppage of navigation upon our own canal when
completed, even supp"Slig It's summit ieVei W or
dried up for three months IN The year.
II is snnposed by some that The New York canals
are not able To support competition with The lateral
conDpliuu railroads that traverse that State But ihe
fact is otherwise lwentvlwo out of The thirty rail-
roads in that State he reports of The remainder pre-
sent no statistics freghl) shew an aggregate freight
of 53l 1863 tons in 1919. or only about one-flllh ol
the tonnage upon The canals. YET these thirty roaGs
exceed the canals in length than three hundred
mieSand cost 549604 GIG; whereas the canals cost
with the E,e enlargement, bul $3.50 Eleven
of these roads pay the caua fluid he same rate "l
,ulls AS is charged upon similar freight gong over
,he canals. and have had since 1917, the privilege ol
CARRYING freight during the whole year. ! MS Toll Is
h,ropd fnr lhe reason that these roads are the prop
er,v nf fprlvnp companies, and take away revenue
from the canal funds, which are Sale property pro-
por,lnnpdu the quantity ul freight passing over 'ht'
|, Is imposed upon the prnrlple ana as measure
ofIaXailnn rather for The purpose ol preserving he
Sale revenues intact aud uniform than I" protecting
her canals from railway compeIliIoI. l"t amount
of ions that passed these roads upon Nlcii these
TOLLS were paid was bul 1l4,600 IN lS49, when,
compared with the 2S49,732 tons that passed over
the canals. exhibits bur feeble competitions Bul a
more conclusive proof that n does not ieaI TO ad-
mil these works inlo competition with her canals Is
the fact that she imposes charge OF tolls hp"h be
Err railroad, winch raverSeS her o"nlhe'h o"fuer'
and is,o tap the Lake trade al Dn klk, some us
lnure South of Buffalo Running parallel % lhe
Erle Canal and inlerpnseng iSelI between 'ha' ""IN
aud The great mass of Western trade that supports II,
# ever there was case n( real competition between
= ra;lrnsd aud canal, this work would present II.
Yp, New York, fearless of the result has gwen So,
100000 to secure the completion ol his p"SS'oe
rival. She has found that her line o cheap cahal
Transformation has attracted such inressan floods oI
commerce from the West as 10 impose upon hef We
necessity Of multiply ing her means an" MODES "'
ye\ me it, Hence she is constituting ii ralF""" up
o, The banks of the luds"n,,o arcmm"daie lih' I"e
during the spvrnW-fve days III the year "' zee III
that river; and hence also has she b''i' "e giea'
Erie Railroad la accommodate the necSssilieS" "l hpr
immense " ESTEEM trade for the i've months during
when her canals are closed.
The average cost per mike of the New I OK rail-
roads has been $4,000; while that oI her canalS'
exclusive of The Ere enlargement, has been nul W.
1877. ornrlnslve of that expenditure S4S ooo hat
,f ,nr own canal To Buchanan, exclusive "iIaleral
works,has been S36,2lS per mile. lhe r"sl r OF all
The Massachusetts railroads has been S4S,UOO per
milo and ,hu of the Baltimore and ON" Railroad
e54 2S3 The railroads Of Great Britain have cost
S145 600; of France. $4,000; OF Germany, $50
doc. Of Belgium. $4,000; and of other European
countries, from S25O00 To 100000 per mile In
oeneru NAV he SAID, that wherever railroa's nave
6.en constructed for the purpose OF competing !'i'
canals, or CARRYING The same species OF lFauP WIN
,ben. ,hev have cost al least much per mile as
those works. The cost of completing our wafer
line. therefore, will he less than will be required J."
construct railroad over the central r"nle, caPao'e
of Transporting its heavy trade. he '"lal c'sl :"
In. Massachusetts raiIroads.a The close ol lc4o S44
miles in length. was $40. l25 76S; ami he'r nelI III
come for lha, year wa, S2S50.9Sl; being 6l-2 pei
cent upon their cost The total cost OF the na,,n' MeM
York canals, 1855 miles long at he same Perl"'
had been. as before stated. 332lll59 dollars nn gn,
their nett income exclusive OF railroad tolls 9S I''
44S, or 1928 per cent. upon their cost ESc'""'''s
the cost ul the Erie enlargement. which Is yel u"P'"
ductive) The nett income was IA per cent upon '''
cost of construction.
The total quantity Of Indian corn that enlere" VIZ
NV York canals. al their western lrTmlEa'i"l' i""
other States III 1919 was 35S3,l03 bushels VI ''''S
oo04l3 bushS came from the direction o Ca''a""''"'
9 3O2. 500 bushS from rheSiales souhWeS'oI Oan"'"
Of Ihis latter amount 2.579,535 bushels came ir"" ,
IN @ two canals o' OIo, " 'lch ter nj la'e az
ledn and Cleveland reduction ol the tons "I''
this article, SO l-3 per cent. upon the EF'e '"''
produced an increase in quantity entering ih' w no
:, u q, l., alone duriup ihat season, al l.l4UOO