The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-01-28
comparative poverty is tho inevitable
result. Respectfully yours,
o. p. @.
For he Register.
Management of the Rutland and
Burlington Railroad.

have been upon the contingency of the
non-payment Of interest, there can be
no question of the annoyance, not to say
distress, which this latter unexpected
reality hos caused among those unfor.
tunate, but permanent holders, who still
regard them as valuable, although un.
productive. Upon no such class of in
divduals has the Inconvenience boen
more pressing, than upon those persons
Of leisure whose property has been in,
vested in these doubtfully designated
securities" and whose subsistence is
entirely dependant upon tho income
which should be derived from them. As
one Of that class, land one too with
abundant time to pursue such an inves-
tigatou) the writer has been at some
pains to examine for himself as far as
may be,tbc causes Of this deterioration in
property which seems to have an un.
doubted intrinsic value, but which has
unacContably failed to meet the expec
tations Of those who are anxious for
some material aid and comfort 10 the
shape of interest on their Investment.
In the course of these enquiries (Which,
being without authority, have necessari-
ly been conducted at manifestly great
Disadvantage the Reports of tho
" "Trustees under the second Deed of
Trust and Mortgage of the Rutlond
and Burlington Rail Road" havo re-
cciycd their due share of consideration,
and for .he qualities of doubtful gram.
mar, ,tiltcd legal phraseology, self-stul.
tifcation and general fcoblcness, they
are unquestionably beyond parallel.
With their merits in a literary point
of view. however, this article will have
less to 20 than with the statements and
figures which show the result Of tie ef-
forts Of the Trustees in "their acts and
"doings With, and relative to, said trust
property, and the business done there
"on, with other things" since they have
been in possession. And it may be az
well, 10 tho outset. to di5avow any ex-
pressed or implied imputation upon the
integrity of the gentlemen whose names
are attached to these Reports, and whose
long and honorable standing in tie bust.
ness community is SO well known. Facts,
not persons, are to be commented upon,
and although it may not be impcrtinont
to suggest whether mere honesty is all
that is required in tho management ofso
| important trust, or to ask whether
that virtue is incompatible with energy,
| prudence, and the necessary capacity for
this management; or again, if selfpro
lection, and the preservation of the prop.
erty, are the only duties expected of
| those to whom this interest bas been con-
| ded,-still the comments Of this review
will be strictly confined to the state
ments presented in these Reports for the
consideration Of Il patiently enduring pub
lie.
1t appears by the last Report Of the
the ,Trustees, that the gross earn
ings for the 5 months ending August
81, 1856, were s496,440,0I, averaging
per mouth, say S33,096.00, while the
gross earnings for the let months
ending May 81, 1855, being the whole
time the trustees bad then been in pos.
session, were, as is stated by their Re.
port.of that date, S6S9,632 08, averag.
ing per month, say, S3l,906,0O showing
loss per month for the last 5 months
of Sl,Sl000 or in tho aggregate, Of
something over S27 000, 90 notwithstand
ing the encouragement given of pros
pecivc increase of earnings which had
been heretofore unfavorably affected by
the attachment Of Locomotives and 9th
er causes.
II would seem that this state Of thing;
should call for soma comment on the
part Of the Trustees, and accordingly on
Page s of the last report they say
We deem it our duty to state thu
principal causes, which, in our judg
ment, have slightly reduced the gros:
"re"cipts, &C."
These cause are two, and it is perhap
as we'll to submit thom to the judgmen
of others before making a fiual decision
in regard TO the weight to which the.
are entitled. And first:
In May, 1855, the Rutland an
Washington Rail Road, which atfOrde
"an important and valuable connection
"With the Albany Northern and Ne
York Central Rail Roads, stopped rur
: ming, by which this Road was deprive
I" of very large amount of business frol
that source Tho i. 81 W. r r. con
menced running again some thre
"months since, and by arrangements n
Gently made thisRoad will in few day
regain the business thus lost, and "
"ihiuk it will, be greatly increased"
This connection would hardly seem
, afford very hopeful results, if we are
I believe the general assertions made
the previous Report with regard to i
availability, viz" "the disadvantas
of performing the service over but 5
a miles of our Road, and that much 81
5 "most expensive to operate;"-"that mo-
A "thnn two tons of freigh, can he take
"oyer the Road west of Rutland as ca
"ily as one ton can be taken over
J. least Of that place, and more than fou
d fiflhs of the damage to Engines aI
4 Cars has happened on the heavy grad
f" east of Rutland"
We have, however, other data frc
. which 10 judge of the value Of this &C
Il nection, aside from these sweeping op
It ions From statement published Aug.
1856, (aud doubtless by authority, if l
- official, ,)the earnings of the Road for I