Worcester daily spy., 1860-02-28
NEW YORK AND RAILROAD BUSINESS.

The politics of New York find constant
source of agitation in the canals and railroads
of that state If railroads had never been
heard of, or. if the Erie Canal had never been
built, this agitation would be much less. Since
| the railroads were introduced, the Erie canal
has been to the state perpetual source OF ex-
pense and trouble, and a perpetual beggar for
help against railroad competition. And, while
the New Workers are occupied with the dam
aging strife between those competing interests,
the railroad lines from the west through Mary
land and Pennsylvania, and the Grand Trunk
line through Canada, are managing to get con-
troll of large part of the business which
would come naturally from the west through
New York What the managers of the
Grand Trunk road are doing and planning, at
the present time, is well stated by the Albany
Atlas & Argus as follows:
"We doubt whether our best business men,
unless connected with the railway interest in
such a manner as to have their attention called
to the facts, appreciate the formidable charac-
ter of the Grand Trunk Railway, as COM
petitor, not merely of the railroads of this
state, but also of its entire transportation and
commercial interests. That corporation is
owned in Great Britain, and not only backed
by enormous strength of capital, but in GER
tain sense has a political or governmental
character. We mean by this that it is manag-
ed merely with view to present and imme.
date profit but on the far reaching policy
combining with the consideration of dividends
to stockholders the idea of political and COM
mercial power-of building up a great tho
roughfare on British soil, not only to the
valley of the Mississippi but also eventually
| to the Pacific shore.
With these broad views entertained by the
managers of the Grand Corporation-looking
for the value of its property to the future rath.
| er than the present, we can understand their
recent movements and the object of the appar-
emily ruinous rates at which they are now
wiling to transport property between Western
States and Portland. They wish to demon
strate, not only to their own stockholders, but
also to the British Government, and to busi.
ness men and capi 'alists in Europe, the feast
bility and capacity of great railway line
across the continent, under English control.
This point once gained, an enormous traffic
once established, theirs shown to be what its
name claims, Grand Trunk Line, they trust
to the future for pecuniary returns. A practi.
alludes as follows to the present movements of
this corporation
"The object of the Grand Trunk Road is in
the first place to procure a. tonnage to report
to the Home Direction-(they have one set OF
Directors in London and another in Canada).
They do not expect to make ally money this
year, but their object is to establish their route
and secure the trade of the principal points
west. They are now carrying a very large
| Of ~. Il
contracting from Cincinnati to Liverpool for
10000 tons of boxed meats and for other pro-
ducts, and giving bills Of lading through from
Cincinnati to Liverpool. This freight has
usually come through our state.'
They are also taking freight from Cairo, on
the Mississippi, to Portland, at less rates than
it can come this way also from Chicago.
The distance from CaifT to Chicago is 365
miles-from Chicago to Detroit 264 miles
Detroit to Montreal SCI miles-total from Cairo
to Portland 1903 miles. In that distance there
are but two transfers, one at Chicago and one
at Sarnia, where the Grand Trunk Line takes
the freight into its cars and delivers it at Port
land, 794 miles, without breaking bulk-a fact
which gives them decided advantages over
shorter lines and frequent handling. From
Cincinnati to Detroit the distance is 267 miles
Detroit to Montreal 561-Montreal to Port
land 293-total from Cincinnati to Portland
112l miles. 1t is in its long lines, without
extra handling, that the Grand Trunk has its
advantage They are carrying back westward
all the freight which can be had-even sending
goods from New York to Portland by propel-
lers, and thence west at less than the rates
through this state. AS preparation for the
struggle which they intend to carry on, they
have ordered 1000 new freight cars to be i'm
mediately built, and 45 heavy freight engines
With such struggle before us on our north
ern border, by foreign nation, to win the
carrying trade and the commerce of the CONT
nent west of us from this state, is it not un-
wise by legislation to tie the hands of the
managers of our own railroads and then bid
them compete with the Grand Trunk Corpo.
| ration?