New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-02-03

les: |
Your committee would remark, that there have
zen great complaints along the line OF the roaa
gainst the Board of Directors on account OF NOV
living proper and reasonable transpor.a'ion
These complaints are altogether cohhheu 10 'he
over portion of the road. Your commistee nave
" personal visit, heard those Complains from
he citizens themselves, and even parties stated
hat they had given bribes to get transportation
or their goods.
Your committee, while they have no doubt that
,uch charges may be well founded, and the en-
,loyees guilty, yet there are various clrcum-
stances to be considered in this connection: first,
he condition of the road when received; second
y, scarcely any rolling stock on hand, and that
r connection with this fact, the citizens residing
llong the entire line of road were desirous of get
ing their property or products to the city, to ex-
change for the necessaries of which they had so
ong been deprived. One party says that he had
paid high bribe to get his cotton to New Or
leans; but when your committee interrogated
him, he refused to give the name of the party, or
answer the question, :. whether the party bribed
was employed or not employed on the road. "
Your committee are under the impression that
undue advantages have been given to parties, and
to the injury of Others but we do not believe that
the Board of Directors would tolerate it for
moment if they were cognizant of such malfea
sance.
Your committee, in connection with this SUBJ
ject, would remark, that the Assistant Superin-
tendent is Objectionable to almost every citizen
along the line, and it would be policy to consult
the wishes of the citizens in this respect.
Another feature in the working OF the road
your committee think has given just cause OF COIL
plaint: that is, the preference given to express
companies over private individuals, enabling tnen
to carry freight, to the exclusion OF otneE custom
ers, by the regular trains-thus monopohzhg tne
TRANSFORMATION. even to the carrying OF cotton,
sugar etc. This acted njuriousy to the local Trans
portaton from the fact that they could send their
merchandise at once, whilst the freight of private
individuals lay at the depot, or was refused by the
freight agent for days together.
This has been, in the minds of your committee
the great source from which these complaints have
sprung, and your committee think it unwise for
apy railroad Board of Directors to hire or lease to
any company more accommodation for transporta-
ton than would suffice for carrying valuables and
small packages.
Your committee feel bound to give true his
tory of the complaints of citizens along the line of
this road. The commercial interest of the State
and the city of New Orleans the first and para
mount object which the State legislature had in
granting charter to the New Orleans, jackson
and Great Northern Railroad Company. The sec
ond object in view was the transportation OF
freight the comfort and convenience of the travel
ing public. Any act of the managers of the road
in opposition to these two great objects, your COM
mittee would deem an act of injustice. The COM
plants of the people along the line of the road in
dcate that such an act of injustice has been com
mitted. On the lower end Of the road the general
complaint of the people was " want of transporta-
ton for freight, and partality shown to persons
living higher up the road"
1t seemed to your committee that these COM
plants were not unfounded, for we saw but one
empty freight car as far up as Osyka. From this
point we saw several cars at almost every station
and heard no complaint Of the want Of transporta
ton.
The explanation given by the Directors was
that they considered it necessary for the interes
of the road, and the public, to bring cotton. You
committee, while agreeing with this, deem it bu
| Just that the cetton raised lower down shall hay
equal privileges.
4 Again. lumber being one of the sources of reve
nue. to the citizens living along the line of tn
jackson railroad, their interest, your committe
think with all due Difference to cotton producers
should at least be considered Lumber, being a
indispensable article to the growth of the city
| New Orleans, and an important export, should a
| least have claim to transportation on this grea
road. We found large quantities along the line o
the road, for which 1t is almost useless to seel
transportation. We further learned that the higl
rate for freight on this road caused producers tt
transport cotton and other freight to the river by
| wagons, and in some instances it was shipped uI
the river out of the course of its natural channel
New Orleans.
This, your committee hope, the present Director!
| will speedily remedy if not, it may prove inju
rous to the interests of the city and State
| Your committee examined the track carefully
| from New Orleans to Canton, and were somewha
lsurprised to find so much work had been per
| formed in 80 short time. The track, Throughout
its entire iength,sis in good running order. Thi
ia due to its energetic President Mr.. G. g. Shack
elford, its former Superintendent T. s. Williams
and its present valuable Superintendent and Chic
/ Engineer Gen. G. T. Beauregard. They deserv
the thanks Of the community.
n Along the line of the road is springng up
woolen and cotton factory; immense buildings ar
now being erected, and it is expected, by ne,
fall, to have over 1000 operatives at work. Thel
are shoe factories. tanneres and saw-mills, all
operation. Nature has made this section advant
geous for manufacturing purposes.
4 OF the cotton purchased by the Railroad Cor
! pany, amounting to 700 or 800 bales, 300 ball
\. were destroyed at Canton, by Col. jackson. TIL
cotton clerk, who has charge of said cotto
informed your committee that he had shipped,
few weeks since, to the company in this city, abol
100 bales, and thinks that he will be able to secul
, from $50 to 800 bales more.
The destruction Of the rolling stock has bee
immense. At Canton there are twenty-one loo
motives, which to repair will cost about $40(
each; some of them, probably, cannot be r.
paired.
There are over one hundred pairs of wheel wi
9 broken aanges, besides immense piles of old ro
Q | the remnants of rolling stock. Depot house
machine shops at this point, station houses, Wi
one exception, and platforms, along the lines al
!, | all destroyed
II For the financial condition of the Company yo,
committee refer to our resume of the assets ar
. liabilities, accompanying this report.
In the vaults of the Company there are ss72
906 II in Confederate money.
t Yonr committee herewith give the monthly +
ceipts of the road since its transfer to the Boa
J of Directors, during which time no money
been borrowed to pay reconstruction expense