The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-04-15

much moro the Road would have earned
upon freight transported over its whole
l20 miles than upon that going over SO
miles only, (and that, as The Trustees
say, with the most expensive to operate,J
a somewhat curious revelation was stum.
blcd upon, tina. may, in a measure, &C.
count for this mastorly inactivity on the
part Of management which, as the COM
mittee of 3ondho,dors states, also man
ages connecting Road that has to
some extent conflicting interests" It
was found that while it was ruinous to
the Rutland and Burlington Railroad,
to be operating this SO miles of road,
and receiving its pro rata thereon, while
it kept up the necessary organization for
100 miles, the receipts Of the lower
Roads (Choshire and Fitchburg) were
but trife less on Western business via
Troy or Schenectady and Rutland, than
they would have been via Ogdensburg
and Burlington, and that they iUere ac-
tually gamers on freight from White
hall, which, as is well known, can be laid
down at that part from Rouse's Point
at about the same rate rs at Burlington.
Hence we view--.
But there is still another feature on.
joying considerable prominence in con.
nection with the policy of this potable
management as displayed iu itA Report,
which deserves consideration, and to
which the readers attention is now invi-
ted.
At the time Of writing the former ar.
ticle, it was matter Of some. surprise to
the author that tho Trustees should
have declined transporting freight which
they considered unremunerative, alth'o
they had mndo arrangements to do this
business, and it would have been attend
cd with but slight increase Of the or.
dinary expense. Subsequent informa-
tion has left no doubt in the mind Of tho
writer respecting the true cause Of the
neglect of this business, but, in the nb-
sence of documentary evidence to sub.
stantiate these statements, it will bo suf-
6cient for present purposes to adopt
theory from which the public can draw
its own conclusions.
From we'll known and just principle
in. Railroad economy, the management
of the Cheshire Railroad-embraci0g
with the Rutland and Burlington)
trunk line 1874 miles in extent, commu.
nicating directly with the Canadas and
the Great West, and with expensive
agencies at all the principal points Of
traffic--is in q position to make an ex.
tremely favorable arrangement with
Road like the Fitchburg, which, with
none or comparatively little of the ex-
pense, is greatly benefited as a mere
carrier of the business thus collected
and poured over it, Assuming then that
the Fitchburg adopts minimum specific
rate in favor of the Cheshire for all
classes Of freight received from it, ono
readily sees that for most, and particu.
larly for the higher rates of through
freight, the latter Road would receive
vastly more than it's pro rata proportion
but on the contrary it is easy to per.
ceivo that through rates may bo so low
that the minimum price Of the Fitch
burg would bc more than its legitimate
share, in which case the Cheshire would
bo the sufferer, aud it's managers could
Justly decline taking the very business
for which the Rutland and Burlington
would be glad to receive tho regular
pro rata.
/ The writer, hardly satisfied with his
success in stating inlelligibly to the gen.
eral reader what appears to him as clear
as the poon-day sun, contents himself tor
the present with giving, in the subjoined
figures, on exposition Of his theory, leav.
ing with future committees the inyesti'
cation of the actual facts Of the case.
Supposipg ? cents per ton per mils, or
81 90 per ton through, "a large allow
ance, by the way) to be the minimum
rate Of the Fitchburgb Road for tho
business of the Cheshire, aud we have at
SC 90 per ton from Burlington to Bos.
ton, the following proportions
Fitchburg pro rata 81 % receives
slO0; Rutland pro rata s3 0s receives
s3Os; Cheshire pro rata sl.64 receives
sl92. At $500 per ton, Fitchburg
pro rata 81 OF receives sl.oo; Rutland
pro rata 1886 receives $3.50 Cheshire
pro rata 81 81 receives Sl44. But at
S400 per ton, Fitchburg pro rate $50.