The Portland daily press., 1865-08-11
THE RAILROADS OF MAINE.
Their Connection with Roaton

Their Connection with Boston.
Boston, as all acquainted with the traye
and traffic of Maine well know, is point
to which the largest part of the travel and
trade OF this State tends. 1t is reached
by a single line of road, and by a sim
gle line OF steamers only, from Portland
the place where all the railroads of Maine con-
verge. Over four hundred miles of railway
terminate there, and drop their passengers,
gathered from all parts of the State, with
tickets In their hand, and their baggage all
marked, into the hands of this single line of
railroad, or into this one line of steamers By
an agreement between this line of steamers
and the read the price of passage to and from
Boston is from time to time fixed and held at
just such price as the agreeing parties think
for their interest, whatever may be for the in
terest of the people of Maine, or those who
own the roads that gather up and bring the
passengers daily to Portland.
Twelve or fifteen years ago, in the infancy
of the railroads of Maine, the price of through
tickets over the railroads from Portland to
Boston was one dollar and twenty-five cents,
and by steamer seventy-fve cents. Since then
it has been increased to 81 so, then to 50 90
in winter and 81 so in summer by road, and
to 81 90 and 81 so by steamer; thenf to 50 90
the year through by road and 81 so by steam
er, and more recently to So so by road and
So 90 by, steamer; and similar advances have
been made in the freight transportation.
The proprietOrs of this road or the COM
bined line ofrailroad from Portland to Boston,
have always made large dividends, 1 believe,
and have divided large surplus beyond divi-
dends from the single line of road, while the
steamboat company have confessedly been the
most prosperous of any in the country, and
their dividends always large. On the other
hand the original proprietors Of the feeding
roads leading from the interior of Maine into
Portland, have, as general thing, lost their
original investment, and large amount of
their securities resting on the original stock.
just so fast as the roads begin to thrive and
to show some signs of life, an increase on the
price Of tickets or passage and merchandise
has been adopted by this line of railroad and
steamers, so that, with this understanding be-
tween the two only outlets of their traffic from
Maine, the roads in the State are kept and
will be kept in poverty. This is exactly the
condition of things to-day between Portland
and Boston by land and water. Now, looking
at the large profits on the traffic of Maine to
and from Boston, all gathered up and brought
to Portland, it seems singular that some new
channel has not been opened, if not by rail,
at least by water. The railroads in Maine
would be vastly the gamers by at once COM
bining and establishing another line of steam
ers to and from Boston, and agreeing for term
of years to run both freight and passengers to
them so far as they 1ightfrlly could do So
This seems the only method of breaking up
the monopoly now existing by rail and water.
That the steamers now running between
Portland and Boston have been well man
aged, all will agree, but others can be put
there just as good, and can be run in connec-
ton with all the roads centering in Portland,
at much lower rates than are now charged
This is written with no hostility to either road
or boat but only to call the attention of the man
ayers of the railroads Of Maine to asubject so
vital TO their interests, and invite them to Co
operate in some plan which shall place the
prices of through treights and fares at something
near right, having reference to the profits of
the feeding and the receiving roads and boats.
A SToCKHoLDER