The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-01-17

The E eventh ANNUAL Report of the Boston
Board of Trade, published within few days,
is document Of formidable proportions, COW
ering more than page, small type, OF the
Boston Advertiser. 1t touches two questions
upon which we propose to offer aiew thoughts,
to wit: the European and North American
Railway, and the Gauge OF Railroads.
1t is well known to such readers as take an |
interest In this matter, that Gov. Cony ap
pointed a Commission last Spring, consisting
ofsthree Elk Governors of the State, to proceed \
to Boston and Law before committee of the
Massachusetts Legislature, the claims of the
omar. R., hoping the presentation of
the matter might secure from that State some
"materia aid" towards filing mp the gap be-
tween Bangor and the Railroads in the Prov
inces thus opening direct communication with
st. John aud Halifax. as 81 s.f ssa9g
This mission resulted, as zoe supposed it
would, in q very polite hearing by the COM
mittee, and an equally polite "go-by' both
from the committee and the Legislature rep
resented by them. The following is an ex-
tract from the report OF the committee:
s'The committee are of the opinion that the
railroad which we are invited to cooperate with
the State OF Maine in aiding, presents no such
immediate and special advantages to this State
as to justify this Legislature in granting the
assistance asked for, especially as the railroads
of our State are etfectually barred by the exis-
ting laws Of Maine, which controls the gauge Of
all the railroads in that State west of Portland,
from forming connection with the proposed
railroad for the transportation of freight with
out transshIpment, an item which the business
interests Of the country now feel to be essential
rfNPx Ood 0rrpto
Touching this matter the Board of Trade,
in their report, speak as follows:
According to present plans, the railway from
Halifax will be conformed to the Canada gauge
IS feet Gas far as Portland, but at Portland
there will be break; from thence to Boston the
width will be that of the ordinary New England
gauge, (4ft. 8 l-2) and this will necessiiate a
transfer of all freight and passengers coming in
this direction. In our day, when large OUTLAWS
are everywhere deemed unsuitable in order to
obviate transshipments and changes of cars,
and when as your committee understand, the
State of Maine designs to widen. the gauge of
several of its roads SO as to make its railway
system uniform and complete, no arguments
required to prove that the prospective im-
portan 40 our State Of the European and North
Amer,LsA Railway is greatly diminished, if NOT
altogelner destroyed by such Sariation of the
gauge at Portland. Until this diff .ulty is over
come, there would seem to be no inducement TO
our citizens to assist in scheme which, from the
nature of the case, must be imperfect in its de-
velopement, and local in its results. 1t cannot
be called New England project if its adapta-
ton is ciroumscribed to the railroads of single
State out of the six. Itcannot be called Ma
tioDal undertaking. if traffic must pay toll q
Portland for the privilege of passing Beyond
that city. Prior to the year 1860, the difficulty
now referred to could easily have been met, for il
was then in contemplation to lay down a third
rail between Portland and Boston, and thus BY
meaus Of mixed gauge, to place this city ia
proper connection with the railroads of Maine
and of the British possessions But by the Act
of March ID, 1860, the legislature of Maine has
positively forbidden, except by its special sane
ton, a change of gauge, or the adoption of q
mixed gauge, on railroads which do not lie sseast
Of Portland that is to say, on the railroads be-
tween Portland and Boston; and while this stat
ute OF partial non-intercourse remains unre-
pealed, Massachusetts, isin measure cut off from
free communication with the eastward. Your
committee have been unable to learn whether
this unfriendly legislation is likely to be re-
yersed, so that joint action on the part of the
two States in great public works may become
practicable They are glad, however, to have it
upon authority so competent and SO recognized
as Mr.. John A. Poor, that Portland would
profit by this more than Boston"
We have an impression, though we will not
speak positively, that Mr.. John A. Poor, here
referred to as such competent authority"
was one of the most active men in securing
the legislative act of March IA, 1860, now SO
offensive and "unlriendly"to our Massachu-
sets neighbors. Mr.. Poor seems to have I'm.
dergone radical conversion on this question
since he transferred his residence to the Queen
City of the Penobscot, and has become the
central figure for this State in the E. G N. A
RR
From another portion Of the report which
we are examining, we cut the following:
1t becomes the people of Boston then to lool
carefully TO their connections with the West
They have built railroads enough, but these are
not sufficiently compacted in management anC
in purpose, and they do not bring this city int
complete union with distant points in the inte
ror. Boston cannot rely for transportation
upon any route to any place west Of the Hudson
river, without the necessity of transshipment,
except by the Northern line to 0gdensbUrg ON
the st. Lawrence River. The bridge across the
Hudson, already referred to, win be of incalcu-
liable advantage to the trade of Massachusetts,
and indeed of all New England But one such
route will not be sufficient. The railroads con-
Meeting this city with Portland should, by means
OF a third rail, be made to correspond with the
Graud Trunk Railway.
Your committee are aware that at the present
time there is a statute in force in the State Of
Maine, enacted March ID, 1860, which prohibits
change of gauge, or the adoption of a mixed
gauge on the lines between Portland and Bos-
ton.
We had supposed that "third ral,s on a
road doing large business, was thing en-
tirely impracticable-un saie in the highest
degree. When it was proposed by the Ken.
q Port Road to have third rail laid from
Yarmouth to this city, to accommodate The
running of narrow gauge cars, we have ian
impression that this view was taken by the
Directors Of the broad gauge road. and that
because of the supposed irnpracticability of a
third rail, the narrow gauge road was extend
ed from Yarmouth to and around the city.
But according to the report of the Boston
Board of Trade, third rails are laid down in
several instances in the West, over long
stretches Of road, SO what has been done
tnere, however much the augmentation of
danger, may be done here, If authority is CIV
en- for SO doing.
IL Is not true that Maine has prohibited a
cnange OF gauge or the adoption of a mixed
gauge on the line west of this citv tt isonlv
true that such change cannot he mad. ,,;y6.
out special grant Of po,oer from The Iea;s.
tGtuTe, and is not this perfectly right2 We
insist that It is.
We DO not believe in the policy of comforting
grants OF power upon any corporation which
places it above and superior to epower that
created 1t. 1t is the curse OF many commune
ties that this has been done; that monopolies
have been created which, in fact enslave both
the people and the State, ruling both with an
iron hand controlling legislation and imnar
ing the value Of private rights. The Cam
den Amboy Railroad. in New Jersey, is
case in uoint. and the N. Y. Central il scarce