Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-06-03

effect the State Canals, ana why because
public opinion and the business interest OF GER
tain localities demanded it and none has been SO
bold as to denOunce this policy, tata as 1t has
| proved to the business and revenue OF our Ca
mails. These roads are now aud will continue
! to depreciate the value Of the Canals, until
they would have become worthless under the
control and management OF State agents
! Nc denuncation for all this, but VI hen by this
system of indiscriminate granting OF charters
! the fate of your public works are scaled, and
! the Legislature prompted by an honorable de-
| sire to obtain something for them before it was
! too late, disposed of them, then it is that no
! denuncationiS too base no yulgavism too mean
with which to clothe the language Of complaint
against those who had the independence TO
| to stand up in defence of the oVer-burthened
tax payers of the Commonwealth. The hiSto,
! ry of State management Of public works has
not only proved failure in Pennsylvania, but
| is premonitOry of failure in some of our neigh
boring States. The Chesapeake and Ohio
| Canal is said to be hopelessIy bankrupt its
! tolls last year were S5S S,g9 less than in
| 1856, while its current expenses were $780,
! 1871 greater than in 1856 1t is undoubt-
edly true that a series Of unavoidable misfor-
times bas done much to make an unfaYorable
exhibit, but its whole history has been one Of
| loss and trouble.
The New York Canals also make very un-
| favorable exhibit, 50 great has been the falling
! off in the receipts that a proposition was in
! troduced into their Legislature last winter to
impose an odiOuS tonnage tax upon the COM
merce of their railroads to make up the def
cit, and the question Of sale Of their Canals
| is being agitated in that State for the same
| reasons that our own State has disposed of her
| Canals The tolls on the Canals of that State
have gone down from $3,2047I8 in 1858, to
! 50 OBJ 967, in 1851 aud have increased on
competing railroads iu the same time from
! $4,376O44 in 1853, to $3,S13,S23, in 1856
| Thus we find the Canal tolls in the short space
! of five years have sunk 81, l72, ,75l, while the
railroad tolls have increased IN fOlr years 81
49T, ,7Ig, aud in 1858 the railroad receipts
| only exceeded the receipts from the Canals
| $l,l7l, 1876 In 1857 it was Sc, l25, Gil, aud
! for the first time in twelve year, faiG to pay
| the interest on the funded debt by $4,000
| This shows the n \. CIualS II be constantly
! growing worse & steadily dcpreciating in value.
The Auditor Of that state gives in his last report
| some facts calculated to impress the close ob
server Of things still more unfavorably with
| Canals. He informs us that since 1881 the
number Of barrels Of AOnr carried over the Ca
mails has diminished from ), S43, ,472 in that
year to $50 coo in 1851, and the tolls have OF
course fallen off in the same proportion. While
| these figures make very disastrous show for
| the New York and Maryland Canals, similar
statements of the trade upon the Virginia and
| Ohio Canals might be made.
! 1t will not do to say that unusual depression
has caused all this falling off of the trade upon
canals: other channels Of trade have been OPEN
ed in many cases, and cheapencd in others, all
managed by the shrewdest and best business
men in the country who having direct and
personal interest in the good management Of
| them, give them their personal attention. One
moments reflection must satisfy any man hoW
much more efficient must be the management
under such circumstances, than With political
| State corporations where the works become
! part of partzan machinery where officers
are selected not for their fitness, but as the
reward of partizan fidelity and purchased by
activity rather than earned by merits, and in
order to distribute the faYors to as many Of
the faithful as possible, rotation in office be
comes necessary and good as we'll as bad men
| fall under the arbitrary rule of partizan tyranny
! Thus the certainty Of removal, and the proba-
| bic short tenure Of place takes away much CT
! the inducement to fidelity, and pleads for
promptneSs in plunderng, which seems to have
been heretofore as good, if not a better recon-
mendatiOn for rCappontmemt than honesty
Strong aud influential partz ms clamOrous for
! place have been the means of creating new
and unnecessary officers, thereby giving un-
! steadinesS TO the Canal department, and rem
dering system in their management impossible.
/ How is it to be expected that in the absence
! Of anything like system or integrity, prOspCVi-
! ty or profit is to accrue to the Commonwealth
Although these serious and important draw
backs have always operated against our ca
nal system, continually producing their corrupt
and dcmoraZing influences upon the people,
and would of themselves be sufficient cause for
dSposing of them at any price that could be
obtained, and repeat we had no Offer except
! the one made by the Sunbury 4 Erie RlIl-
road Company the trade from the Wyoming
Coal fields that has passed down the canals
and cleared at Beach Haven, has been ncrcaS-
ing until in 1886 it ran up to 5l0,63l tons.
In 1897 it dropped down to 405, ,S2I tons,
showing a falling off OF l05 S04 tons in
single year Here again do We see the effects
upon the canal trade consequent upon the com,
pietion of competing railroads. The Northern
I Central Railroad reached the LykeuS Valley
Coal fields in 1856, aud was completed 10
Treyerton in 1857, and will make complete
connection with the Sunbury and Erie road
by the first of July next. This road has ear
ried large quantity cf coal to the same mar
kets where the Wyoming coal has been sold
heretofore, and being some fifty to sixty miles
| nearer market has an advantage in its compe-
tition for the Southern trade, seriously as |
have shown, elfecting the tonnage upon the
canals
There is, however, a more forcible Illustration
of the effect of railroad competition as against
the Delaware Division upon this canal there