Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-01-23

1
No extraordinary repairs were required du-
| ring the fiscal year. except the completion of
the rebuilding of the Freeport aqueduct,
! September, 1854 This structure was finish
ed In time for the opening of navigation in
the spring. Its total cost, agreeably to the
| final estimate of the engineer, was S3S, ,5S2-
| 90.
sUsoUEHANNA DIVISION.
The line was in excellent order during the
WESTERN BRANCH DIVISION.
Navigation was opened on the second of
| April A breach occurred on this line from
a heavy rain, on the third of July, near Wat
sons run, which suspended transportation un-
til the eighteenth of the same month. Anotn-
er occurred in August at the Chilisquaque
aqueduct which detained the boats but
short time.
LOWER NORTH BRANCH DIVISION.
Navigation was opened on the sixteenth of
March. There were some slight Interruptions
from breaches and high water.
DELAWARE DIVISION
Net revenue for 1855, 1928, SIG or equal
to nearly % per cent on the original cost of
the line. The increase of the capacity of this
Division is warmly urged.
The attention of the Legislature is called to
the fact that there is nothing at present to
prevent boats from going over the dam eros
sing the river Lehigh, at Easton, and that
point The property destroyed last spring
would pay double the cost of constructing two
piers or cribs, to be sunk about one hundred
and fifty feet apart, above the abutment of
the dam, filed with stone and connected with
sticks OF timber chained together, so as to ad-
nit of their rising and falling with the water,
and thus secure a safe entrance to the canal.
The cost will not exceed two thousand dollars,
which we respectfully ask to be appropriated
as early in your session as possible, that boat
men may be enabled to have the benefit of the
improy oment before the spring freshet.
NEW ALLEGHENY PORTAGE RAILROAD
The engineer on the new road for the avoid
ance of the inclined planes on the Allegheny
Portage, reports that work so far completed
as to admit the transportation of freight over
it. He also reports that there is an indebted
ness of one hundred and forty-fve thousand
four hundred and fifty-three dollars and sixty
six cents, and that to finish the arching of the
tunnel, assd some other items uamed, will re-
quire thirty-two thousand one hundred and
twenty dollars more.
GENERAL REMARKS.
The Board in their last annual report esti-
mated the gross receipts on the public works
for the year 1855, at twenty hundred
thousand dollars That estimate, as may be
seen by reference to the report, was predica-
ted upon the assumption that the Upper North
Branch Canal would be completed in the ear
ly part of the summer of that year Instead
of this having been accomplished, however,
it has not even yet been brought into use,
and consequently the receipts are less the
amount that woutd have been collected on
those ninety-ive miles of canal.
TONNAGE TAX.
1t should be stated here, that the tax ORR
ginally was five mills per ton during the navi-
gable season of the canal, but afterwards
modified to three mills for the whole year
thpRd demonstraiPaSc pafies as an equiva
lent for the injury the State would sustain by
the construction of the road The Begisla-
ture of 1855, however, took different view
of the subject, and in their liberality to the
company, repealed the tax on coal and lumber
Without the remotest intention of rejecting
on the action of that body, it is with great
Difference submitted that the practical work
ings Of the repeal have been prejudicial to
the revenue of the Commonwealth The re-
ceipts from those two articles In 1854, amoun-
ted to about thirty thousand dollars. This
would have been increased the past year, to
at least fifty thousand, had the tax remained
But this is not the only loss the Treasury
has sustained by its repeal. This tax opera
ted as protection, to that extent, to the
transpor1ers on the main line of the public
works ; and when that protection was with
drawn, they alleged that they could not carry
coal at all, and that they were therefore una
BILE TO bear up under the competition of the
railroad, and they abandoned the business,
and in July sold out their stock TO their sue
cessful rival. Ii is proper to state that the
Board, in their anxiety to retain the transport
ers on the State works, signified their willing
ness to make any reasonable reduction in the
tolls which might be demanded for that pur-
pose. In pursuance Of this intimation, the
transporters submitted a proposition which
was regarded as inadmissble. The Board
then proposed another conference on the sub
ject, should those gentlemen desire 1t; but
nothing further was done, and here ended
the negotiations.
Thus has the State been deprived, not only
of the revenue derived from the tonnage tax
on coal and lumber. but also of the tolls
which would have been received on those two
articles, mad they been carried over her own
works by the transporters. The Board are
not Ignorant of the arguments which are
urged IN support of the repeal of this tax, as
well on the two articles under consideration,
as every other description of tonnage 1t is
SAID that this tax IS a restriction on trade that
1t retards the development of the great agri-
cultural and mineral resources of the Com
monweaith that It cripples the energies of the
company, and disqualifies them for entering g