Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-04-30

of the road should be realized, the time i
| not very far distant when it will yield al
amount nearly equal to the interest upon The
State debt. The Pennsylvania railroad hal
to increase but little over the tonnage carried
by the Reading road during the last year, t.
accomplish this result This source of reve
enue, therefore, stands prominently forward
in the future. as the brightest prospect which
the people of Pennsylvania have for the re-
demption of the public debt. and relief from
| the burthens of taxation. 1t should Dot be
parted with under any circumstances, but
more especially for the paltry sum proposed
/ by the bill. 1t is the consideration for valu-
| able privileges granted by the Commonwealth
| to an incorporated company, whose business
has aimed deadly blow at the interests of a
| portion of the main line of canal. Sound
! Legislation dictates that it should continue to
dow into the Golfers of the Treasury, for the
benefit of the people.
The Commissioners also state that the COM
pletion of the road over the Allegheny noun
tain, by which the inclined planes have been
avoided, will reduce the expenses on that road
in 1856, 73,000;' while the completion of
the Huntingdon and Broad Top Railroad, ta-
ken. in connection with. the recent act passed
by the Legislature, to encourage transporta-
tion on the canal, win largely increase the re-
ceipts of the Commonwealth from the Main
Line
The case then stands thus The value of
the main line and tax for 1855. was 81 ,447,-
457. The fact cannot be disputed, that that
value for the reasons just given, must contin-
ue to increase annually. The Board cannot,
therefore, perceive the policy of selling this
source of revenue for the sum of 81, 500, 600
even if the secusities for the payment were
such as ought to be accepted.
The Commissioners base the preceding cal
culations upon the presumption that the rail
roads and canals composing the main line viii
all be kept open and in good repair. But
there is nothing in the bill making it obliga-
tory upon the purchasers to do so and as it
would be to their advantage to abandon por-
tions of the line-to the great inconvenience
and loss of persons resieing along the same
there is everp reason to believe that they
would do so. In that event, the Commissioners
argue that:
There will be great difference in the val
ue of the property proposed to be sold The
point of abandonment, designated by some
parties who have aimed TO get possession of
the public works at low price, has been the
whole of the line west of the junction at
Duncan's island, or at Huntingdon. The
presumption may be allowed, that the Sun
bury and Erie railroad company, if they be-
come the purchasers, may adopt this sugges-
tion, which they certainly viii if they find it
to their interest They viii thus obtain for
81, 500, 900, the Philadelphia and Columbia
railroad, the Eastern division, the value of
the property and materials on the abandoned
line, and the Pennsylvania railroad tax =
These lines yielded to the treasury in 1855,
the following amount of net revenue:
Columbia railroad, $436, ,639 SO
Eastern division, 81, 2,604 ~
Tonnage tax, 1888 SO
Total revenue, 697 ,S67 25
The following expenditures are not inclu-
ded in the statement from which the above is
an abstract:
Re-laying south track, (Col-
umbia Railroad, $139, 100 90
Five locomotive engines, 49, 500 90
Patent right for friction box, I,100 90
Cast iron turn-table, 2,314 30
Addition to depot at West
Philadelphia, 1000 90
Steam hammer at Parkesburg
shop, 1,2O0 90
Laying pipe at water stations, 1884 81
Downingtown and
Pequa bridges, 1877 SO
Swatara aqueduct
eastern division,) 10000 90 |
226, ,607 OF