Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1855-04-21
e5 81 From the Richmond Dispatch.
Orange and Alexandra and Central Rail
roads,

complains Vi e"PPoseu WI" i"I'Snshs VI
f the part of the CrntTal Company to gel rio
Of trsnsshipmept at Gordonsyil., and also
that the provisions Of the Blue Ridge
R,ilao,d Charter have been disregarded
by making (as they aver an addition Of
ST per ton TO all Alexandra freight. " hiel
cross the noun tain track. 49,.
! Til. Sentinel compliments Us for GU,
liberal views. We fee confident that our
contemporary only wante corr~r, inicfma-
ton OH the subject, to do justice to the
Central Road and 10 Richmond. We
are auth orisrd TO make the following ex-
plantations, to correct TIE erroneous i'm
aud hope that they may arrest the grow III
efany fteieg Of jealousy between the It's 0
companies.
1st. To show that the Central Company
has net been TO blame .or not adopting a
plan for interchange ofcars, we insert the
following extract from the last report OF
that Company.
Ii bad been rumorrd about Chsrlotts
vile. that obstacles 10 such an arrange
mcat were thrown in the way by the Cen
tral Company. In reply u which the
board say:
This board is not aware that there is
any ground Tor the existence OF jealousy
on the subject Of ifeights. They may
safely leave the pubic to consult their
Judgment in bestowing theft patronage,
rely ing that the interest OF each will be
best promoted bv offering liberal facili.
ties.
mo arrangement has yet been made
for the mutual interchange Of the use Of
freights cars on the two roads. to avoid the
evil Of transllipmcnt. lii. proper, how
eve:, to remark, that this board. entertain
ing the opinion that it is the duty Of those
having the management Of railroads, like
ours i'll Virginia, where the State owns
y majority ofthe stock, to ~ndsavor to
make them as extensively useful To the
whole community as practicable, are ready
at any time to enter into any equitable and
reel procal arrans ement Tor carrying out
that object. Such an arrangement has not
been made, as your board learn. from the
officers Of the Orange and Alexandria
Company, because they have not, as ;e,
"a suliieient suppl, of cars for the pur-
pose
I'd. II is moi fact, as supposed, that
there is \ special or extra charge for
transporting over the mountain uack
freight coming from Alexandra, from
which similar freight from Richmond is
exempt. The mountain track was built
at very great cost, over the Blue Ridge,
where the tunnels and other parts of the
State work were unfinished; aud as the
working Of it is attended with an expense
many times exceeding that Of the same
distance on any other part OF the road, il
is generally conceded to be right to make
an extra charge for ali freight passing
over it.
The general rule for ixing the charge
OF way freight" meaning there by any
freight brought to the road at an intermc-
/ date station is, to make il pay the same
as the article would paw. ifcaIrled a similar
distance from liichmoud; that is, the Al
exandris freight being carried to Stanton
"a distance Of sixty miles, would pay the
same that similar freight is charged from
Richmond to go mile station, which is
Louisa G. Ii. There being. of course. no
tax on the Louisa Cou,t-IIouss freight for
crossing the mountain track. Regulated by
this rule alone. if the 5 cents pr 100 lbs.
was omitted. the leyandra freight would
thus be exempt from any charge at all for
crossing the mountain, while the Charge on
every article carried from Richmond 10
1Staanfon is greater, BY reason of ITS cross
ing the mountaln track than it " ould be,
but tor the existence Of that special ex-
pense.
Does Alexandria ask that Richmond
trade. St hall ba t.v a T..
tain while herown shall be exempt: That
would be Discrimination in heI favor and
against Rich Aond, which the editor dis
claims.
An examination Of the frsiglt table Of
the Central Road. would have shown that
all Richmond freight Carried over the
mountain track, ~ taxed on that account.
II is the practice, aud just and proper
one, ON all railroads, to charge more IN
proportion FOR short distances than long
| ones; in other words, rs "A road extends, the
charge per mile is not continued in the
same proportion as that established for
shorter distances, but is reduced below
| 1t.
Let US 20 to the freight table. as the
Sentinel should have done, and we shall
! dnd that plaster is charged At Chsrlot.s-
vile 1918 per ton distance of 81 miles.
TO extend the charge per mile at The full
ratio, would make it al Staunton OILY S3,-
81, while the actual charge is $500
The ordinary Jules on railroads would
have reduced the charge below 50 81,
while the mountain track compels The
company = carry it up to S4oe.
Guano at Char atesville is Ss3; ratea-
bic increase pei mile, would have carried
il only to $4,33 a, StAunton. while ths &C.
tual charge there is So.
On salt. too, The tables show, that the
actual price at Stanton, exceeds the regu
lar progressive increase on the Charlottes-
vile rate 2-l0 Of a cent per 100 lbs
whilst instead OF exceeding he latio, but
for the mountain tract it would have fall
len below the ratio OF increase. An ex-
animation of the tables throughout shows
the same results; but the three articles have
been selected, in which il seems Alexan-
dra Vas most interested. and although il
is not stated in SO many words that 5 cents
per 100 lbs. or ST. per ton is laid on for
the mountain track upon Richmond trade
yeta calculation shows that in the regu-