The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-01-11


the marks of skill and economy. The ex-
penses on The Allegheny Portage road have
been largely reduced, and the business bet
Ter regulated than at any former perioi As
a whole, feel constrained 10 say, that the
condition OF the public works has been i'm
proved during the last year; in no other
particular, 10 so valuable an extent, as in
The matter OF contracting debts, which II
seems has been almosl entirely avoided
The officers on the respective hnes report
tha! they have paid all expenses and some
OF them have gone so far as TO say TO The Ca
nal Board ha, they will be personally res.
poasible for any debts that may hereafter be
discovered. This is iruely great reform
for nothing has cost the State SO much, as
the pcrnicious practice of making debts on
the public wotks IL still think il should be-
inierdicted By positive law
In my last message I gave my views at
length, as 10 the principles and rules tha,
should control in The management Of the
Slaieimprovemenls, and need not repeat
them ia this Iwould respectfully suggest,
| however, that so much of the law as binds
the Canal Commissioners 10 Fixed rate OF
toll, for the whole season, should be rspeai.
sd' Iue un1cers directing The operations oil
the public works should, it seems to me, be
LEFT free TO meet The exigencies in trade and
commerce, as they may arise.
The work on the Mountain railroad has
progressed slowly, and il Is obvious that il
will not be fully completed before the sum.
NOR of 1855. must confess myself sadly
disappointed as 10 the time and money con-
sumed in The construction oi this work The
| expenditures since came into Office, have
greatly exceeded the whole amount es,ima.
ted as necessary 10 complete The line and
YET 1t is but justice TO say, that The Penn
sylvania rail,oad, lying parallel with il, has
cost still larger sum per mile.
have endoavored, during my service, 10
guard against the commencement OF schemes
OF this or any other character. 10 entail fu-
lure liabilities on the Treasury This ough,
to be the settled policy efihs Stale No new
Improvements should be undeHak en-, upon
any pretext whatever. The payment, oi
debts and that only, should absorb the sur.
plus revenues of the Treasury. If this poll.
cy be pursued, Eo other financial scheme, to
pay the debt, will be necessary The large
annual surplus will reduce the States indsbt.
edness with suficen, rapili,y.
lregre,, exceedingly, the necessity of an.
nonEcng TO you that the North Branch canal
il not yetin full operation. Ii is now more
than year since the Canal Commissioner
directed The water 10 be lot in,o tho main
trunk OF that improvement, aud declared
their confident belief, that it would be in
successful operation by the middle of los,
summer su! their saDgrins expectations,
rs we'll as those of the peerle, huve, in this
respect been sadly disappointed. A variety
OF Unforeseen difficulties presented them.
selyes'ir the way Of tho attainment of This
end. The old work, constructed some
twelve or fifteen yeers since, as well MS
some sections of the new, located on the hill
side, near the margin of the river, when tes-
ted by the admission of water, turned out to
be porous, and totally insufficient in its ma.
terial ard formation. In some instances
rocks, roots, trees and stumps. have beon
concealed under the bottom of the channel
covered only by few inches of earth !:
thus presenting but slight obstruction to
tho passage of the water out into the bed Of
the river This is especially the case 10
much OF the old work. In all such sections
or places, 40 remedy, short Of a reconslruc-
ton of the bottom Of the canal, could prove
sufficient; and this was necessarily tsdi.
ous and expensive process. There is still a
considerable portion OF the work to remodel
in this way; but it is confidently believed
that it will be ready for use in the early part
Of the coming season. That the utmost skill
and vigilance has at all times been exhbi.
ted by the agents OF the Stale, on this line,
do not belive; but The deficiency, in this
particular, on the new work, has not been SO
palpable as slleged by some. Indeed, since
May last, great energy has characterized The
management on this line /; the President Of
the Canal Board having devoted much Of
his time 10 personal supervision of The
work. But il is obvious, no degree OF ca
raciiy in the States agents, for The last year,
| cnuld have overcome all the difficulties that
were encountered, with sufficient celsrity.
10 have entirely satisfied public ex peclation.
AT The time came into Office, the sum
necessary TO complete this work was estima.
ted at s772 600. Since that time the sum of
si,'o6 $50 10 has been expended, and il,
will still require, as estimated oy the Canal
Board. 5000 TO put ii into complete oper.
alton.
Whilst regret this unforeseen cost and de-.
lay, cannot refrain from repeating my un.
faltering confidence in the wisdom of the
policy that dictated the completion Of this
work. The large increase of business and
tolls for tie year just closed, on the older
portion of the line, indicates what we may
safely anticipate from the new ;and, can
not doubt, that the gross amount of business
it will command, and The revenue it will
yield, will exceed the most sanguiBe expec-
taiions Of its advocates. The nexhauslibe
miues Of coal with which that section Of the
Stale abounds, the products of which are des.
t;npd a. noss IN rounh This avanua 10 , l;rD;,