New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-27
THE CANALS.


THE CANALS.
We yesterds, gave to our readers the able aud
elaborate Repols Of Mr.. Batchford, in favor OF
imposing tolls on freight passing over the great
lines Of railroad in this State. According to that
document, there was, at the end of the last fiscal
year, q treasury deficit of nearly two hundred
thoursnd dollars; this year, another deficit must
occur of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
And this deficiency, supposiDg the revenues to re
main at their present figure, muss subsequently
increase till it exceeds million. In these circum
stancer the necessity of the treasurys urgent and
imperative, and in some way must be met.
That this deficit 10 caused by the diversion from
the canals, by the railroads, Of heavy freight,
which migbtressonably be expected to prefer the
former mode Of transportation, no one who has
perused the Report can deny. We are assured
that the railroads thus make their competition
felt by reducing their charges bslow any fair re-
muDsrative rate; but though they are thus repre-
sented as doing losing business the Report holds
out no hope of their abandoning the practice, and
there is th,h no reason to expect that the de-
fciency will be made up by return Of this
freight 10 its old channel. Accordingly, the
means Of repairing II must be sought elsewhere.
Ofsucb means Mr.. Blaschford discusses three,
namely: direct tax on the people, q tax on cor
pOrations, and the imposition of tolls on railroad
tonnage. We need not repeat bis arguments, for
we have no deposition here to dispute his concu.
zion that If one of these measures must be adopted
the taxation of heavy freight on railroads il the
best. In some respects too, the people will be
inclined to sustain that measure, for q good deal
ofjealousy 10 felt toward these enormous railroad
corporations; still, the imposition Of such tolls
must meet with strong opposition, especially in
the southern counties, where discomfort at
higher rates Of freight on the products Of the
earth will far exceed any sense of obligation to
the State for the three millions spent on the Erie
Railroad. At any rate, the plan seems to us one
which should only be tried when all better means
have been exhausted.
The public should understand that this
deficit is not caused BY any enormous wasteful-
ness Of the State Government nor by proaigality
in the present administration Of the canals
over the preceding. Indeed, we believe there il
more economy now than during the term of
Gov. Seymour, and that this economy is TO DO
increased. The present cost Of canal repairs is
81 200, 900, and Mr.. Blstchford proposes to
reduce it to 100000. We think that IL
might be reduced still further, and that, by q
rigid application of the contract system this item
could be brought down to $3.50, 900, or $780,
at the outside, and this would go good way
toward covering the deficit. But It 10 not at this
point that the enormous gap Of million an
nually is mainly created. The cause of it is
elsewhere; and We have sought in vain In Mr..
Blatchford's Report for An indication Of where it
may be found, and radically remedied.
The real difhculty lies In the absurd financial
friends forced into the Constitution of ls46. That
policy, denounced a. preposterous and pernicious
at the time, il only bearing ito legitimate fruits
and now that it, consequences are appearing a.
We zee them, in an oppressive and troublesome
manner, It seems to Us proper occasion to aban.
don 1t. We can see no reason for such
idolatry of Mr.. Hoffman o. would make the people
suffer under burdens because they are derived
from his financial theories, when 1t IL perfectly
safe and easy TO abandon his doctrine, and remove
the burdens altogether. The leading idea of the
Hoffman school, and Of our Constitution, is that
public debt must Be paid in eighteen years, and
that the moment you begin to contracts debt, you
must begin to pay it, On this principle, though
the canal enlargement is' Lot completed, and
though the loan authorized for It is not all raised
nor the benefit Of ito expenditure realized, we are
already beginning to pay of that loan. Common
serse would seem to dictate that when money 10
borrowed for . public work, the time to CON-
mence Its repayment Is when the work is done,
and begins to be productive. Soch, however, is
not the policy under which our affairs are man.
aged. We not only begin to pay for work with
one hand, while the other hand 10 still busy bor-
rowing money to complete II, but We pay of our
debt in eighteen years, no matter at what public
Inconvenience, and no matter though . much
longer term would be equally safe, economical,
and acceptable to the public creditor.
Hero Il the real cause of the deficit In order
to pay Oh the canal debt in eighteen years We sp.
propriate from the canal revenues 81, zoo, 900
yearly. 1fthstsrm of payment were thirty years
IN 1t 10 with the Creton Aqueduct debt, for OF.
ample-halfs million year would sufses for the
sinking fund. leaving ~, with the present amount
Of income from the canals, and with due economy
A. A. .