Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-01-06

year to yeag, is manifes,y the first duty Of those
placed by the Constitution in charge OF the
Public Treasury, aud 10 whom belongs the ex
elusive right OF raising, ,conomizng and ap-
propFia!ing the public revenue earnestly
! commend this whole subject to the careful at
| tention ot the tireiy satisfied,
that, asit is the most vital Of all the interests
committed 10 the charge OF the General Assem-
h.y. it will receive that consideration which its
Importance SD eminentiy demands. ra-f .,..
In my last annual message, communicated
to the General Assembly all that, up to that
period. had been done under the act, entitled
FAN Act for the sale of the State CANALS ap-
proved Apiii u, 1858. Since the adjournment
of the last Legislature, satisfactory evidence
having been given to me. of the compliance of
the Sunbury and Erie railroad company, with
the conditions mentioned in the third section Of
the act referred 10, the State Treasurer, under
nv direction. has delivered to the company the
! canal bonds for two millions of dollars, depos
tied in the Treasury under the provisions of the
said act
The railroad company has also become en-
tiiled 20, and has received, one million OF dol
| lars. of the mortgage bonds referred to in the
sixth section OF the same act; leaving mortgage
dollars, still remaining in the Treasury of the
| Commonwealth, to be delivered to the compa-
ny. from time to time. pari p1ssu with the
! progress Of the work, as ascertained by the re
turns and estimates of the chief engineer
! OF the raid company. When the bonds
! last mentioned. shall have been surrendered to
the company, as directed by law, the STATE
will still hold. as absolute owner, three and a
half mil ions Of dollars Of the mortgage bonds
OF the company, payable in the year 1872, and
in the six succeeding years, rs mentioned in
the act of Assembly, with interest, at the rate
of FIVE per centum, per annum, payable semi
annually. on the thirty-first days of January
and July OF each year. Interested, as the Com
monweaith is, in the early completion of this
! important thoroughfare, it affords me great
pleasure TO be able to inform the General As
! sembly, that the progress of the work, for the
| past year has been highly satisfactory.
The Eastern division of the road, extending
! from Sunbury, in the county Of Northumber-
| land. 10 Whetham in the county of Clinton, a
distance of eighty-Onc miles is finished pas
senger and freight tIGins passing over it daily.
Ine Western division extending from the city
/ of Erie, to the borough of Warren, in Warren
county, distance Of sxty-six miles. is, also,
completed, with regular passenger and freight
trains now running over it daily. Making one
/ hundred and fOIty seven miles OF railway, along
| the line OF the route, that have been already
brought into practical operation--one hundred
and seven miles of which. exclusive of sidings
were finished during the past year. On the in
/ termediate portion of the line, between the
borough ot Warren and Whetham station, a
distance of one hundred and forty miles, nine
( ty-tive and half miiesa are graded, leaving but
! forty four aud half miles yet to be graded, to
place the whole OF the unfinished portion OF the
! road in a position to receive the superstIuctuTe.
/ II no untoward event shall delay its vigorous
prosecution, another year viii not pass before
/ the entire line Of tbs road will be finished and
! in use thus allcrdinS direct and continuous
communication, by railroad, from the city Of
Philadelphia 10 the barbor of Erie.
BY the twenty second section of the act ap-
proved the 18Th day o; April. 1916, entitled
4, AN Act to incorporate the Pennsylvania raid
road company" ii is provided, that all ton
mage, Of whatsoever kind or description, except
the ordinary baggage OF passengers. loaded or
received at Harrisburg, or Pittsburg, or at any
intermediate point, and carried or conveyed on
or over said railroad more than twenty miles,
between the 10th day Of March ami the LIST day
Of December, in each and every year, shall be
subject to a toll or duty, for the use of the Com
monwea!th, at the rate Of five mills per mile,
for each ton of two thousand pounds: and it
shall I've the duty OF said company, between the
Goth and 30th days of July, and between tue
Let and 10th days OF December, in each and
every year, after thirty miles OF more of said
railroad shall have been completed and 10 use.
to cause to be made cut, and filed with the
Auditor General, e true and correct statement.
exhibiting the amonnt Of said tonnage, so loaded
or received. and the distance so carried and
conveyed, during the respective periods inter
vcning between the s1id 10th day OF March, and
the 10Th day of July, and betwesn the said 10th
day of July and the lst day OF December, in
each and every year which said statement
shall be verified by the oath or affirmation oi
tue receiving OF forwarding agent or agents, or
other proper officer or officers, of said company,
having knowledge Of the premises; aud at the
time Of fling said statement, or on or before
the said Goth day of july and the I0th day oi
December, in each and every year, Che said
corDpanv shall pay to the State Treasurer, the
amount of said toll or duty, 50 accruing Tor the
use of the Commonwealth, during the respective
intervening periods before mentioned" And
in supplement- to the act Just referred to,
passed on the same day, it is further provided
that in case the said company shall, at any
time, fail to pay the toll or charge on tonnage
which may accrue. or become due to the Com
nonwealtb, under the provisions of said act
the same shall be and remain lien on the prop
erty of the said company and shall have pre-
cedence over all other liens or incumbrance.
thereon until paid" BY tine act of the 9Th
of March, ls4S, the tax on tonnage of five mill.
, per ton, per mile, from the 10th of March to
the LIST OF December, was commuted to q tax o.
, three mills per ton, per mile, during the Who'll,
year. Subsequently, by the act of the 7th o
May, 1855, lumber and coal were made exempt
, from the tonnage tax. $780,. . -
In pursuance of the provisions OF the severa
. acts referred 10, the Pennsylvania railroad com
pany has paid into the Treasury of the Com
. monwealth the following sums, viz: 7s..
r For the fiscal year ending Nov 3d. Is5l. s7,52l 3
Do........... do. do. lS52.... 1850 Il
Do. do do. .lS53..-. Co 22s s.
do. lss...-. lI2sso 8
do. lS55..-- 49, go s.
Do. .do-... do.-.. 1885,. 2260is 5
Do......-..do........do do. .lsi7.... lz9 s33 !;
po.........do... do. ls5S.... Z2s,3G3 o
Since July, 1865, the railroad company ha
3 refused to pay this tax, and consequently ther
is now due from said company, on that account
exclusive of interest. the sum of $3.50, ,405 90.