The Portland daily press., 1866-11-24
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Saturday Morning, November "a, 1885,
Tie Winter Arrangements.

In looking over the time tables of the fa'i-
roads diverging from Portland, as aiiahSou
for the coming winter, it Is hDtieeapie nis'
that only two passenger trains leave 'ile Guy
g., tbe morning. One of these uns to Lewis
tom Passengers for the thriving towns in
the interior of the State and for Bangor, must
wait ill an hour after noon for the through
.rain from Boston. The other is train for
l;oston. A freight train with a saloon car at
tached leaves at ON the Portland & Kenne-
bee road, and meets the passenger train from
Skowhegan this side of Augusta. A passen-
senser who designs to continue his journey
up the Kennebec, may thus secure few hours
st the capital Of the State at the expense ~
lalf days wearisome travel on He's"'
Train. To go to Augusta and return oii .ne
same day is still among the iInpossioni''o''
1t is impossible to save time by gong down
IA the evening and returning the next morn
inc for the evening train for Augusta leaves
only on Saturdays.
The evening express trains for and from
1ostor, have been discontinued. 1t Is no
lon.er possible for our merchants TO answer
their Boston correspoL dents on the same day
that their letters are received. In good old
colony times, when the letters mailed al this
office did not average one a day, and
the postage to Boston amounted to something
over ten dollars, little delay was of no great
consequence, and indeed ParSon Smith men
tons in his journal one instance in which the
post was delayed nearly five weeks by excess
lively bad roads. But a delay of five hours is
now far more vexatious and injurious than
five weeks then.
The arrangements ON the State lines appa-
rentIy regard Portland as a way station on the
route to Boston. Trains leave Skowhegan
and Bangor and all the intermediate stations
every morning with sole reference to connec
ton with the two oclock train from Portland tt
Boston, and Ieturn over the same routes, wher
the morning train from Boston arrives. Thi'
arrangement was natural and proper once bu
we believe the time has passed when an OK
elusive attention to the wants of through pas
sengers is either necessary or wise. When
twenty years ago the people of this city and
its immediate vicinity subscribed nearly a
million of dollars to build the Atlantic and St
Lawrence railroad, when on memorable day
Judge Preble threw out the first shovelful Of
earth at Fish Point amidst the shouts of 8
great concourse of enthusiastic Portlanders, il
was not believed that the enterprise then sci
on foot was to be conducted wholly with q
view to the business interests of Boston. Bos-
ton was then the emporium OF Maine, and
that fact was recognized. Commercial street
was built and the track was laid across the
city TO facilitate communication with Boston
The trains were arranged TO connect with Bos
ton trains. We do not complain Of this. We
expressly lisclaim any jealousy of Boston,
But we at the same time insist that the time
has come when the changed relations of Port.
land to the State should be recognized.
The trade of the State is setting this way
more strongly every year. Our wholesale mar
kets are improving. We can supply country
traders with -four, groceries, provisions, cloth
ing, boots and shoes, dry goods, and many 9TH
er articles, at least on as favorable terms as
Boston. The convenience of our customers
ought to be consulted. 1t is for their interest
as well as ours to have more frequent commu-
nication with this city. The route to Boston
will remain open; but if traders prefer to
come here in the morning, leave their orders
and return at night, rather than so further
and fare worse, we insist that they should
have the opportunity. We believe the roads
will find their advantage in policy which
will attract freight from the Boston steamers
TO their own lines, and we believe they can af-
ford to put on the extIa trains now. The
Board Of Trade can render no more useful
service to the city and State than by under
taking at once the investigation of this ques-
lion. 1t is said that the average expenditure
for trains carrying 200 or 300 tons is not over
62 cents mile. Is this true? And If it is,
why cannot extra trains be run over the
Maine Central and Portland and Kennebcc
roads for the benefit OF passengers who are
neither going to nor returning from Boston?