The Portland daily press., 1867-12-18
The Dog in the Manager,


The nervousness which prevails in Boston
in view of the evident tendency OF w esterh
and Canadian freight to seek an outlet at
Portland, is admirably illustrated IN tue re-
cent letters of a correspondent OF the Post,
who s;cnx his letters "Outario," and has appa-
rentlv been prospecting in Canada and along
the western lines of railway in the interest OF
the owners of the new steamship whose name
he assumes This is the gentleman it will be
remembered, who a few weeks since discov.
cred that the exactions of the Portland Gus
tom House furnish grounds for decided pref
erence on the part of shippers for Boston as q
shipping point. These "exactiops," on a little
enquiry, turn out to be duly authorized by the
regulations of the Treasury Department-reg-
ulations which are binding not only upon the
Custom House in Portland but upon the Gus
tom House in Boston. If the laws and regu-
lations are fully obeyed in Boston, as doubt
less they are, it follows matter of course
that the fees and charges at that port cannot
be less than here. "Ontario" has accordingly
abandoned his original line of attack. In his
last letter, written from st. Adams, he saws
the trouble is that Boston lacks elevators and
warehouses to store Western produce, and
tonnage to meet sudden foreign demand.
A Montreal merchant tells him, sit takes four
or five days, and frequently longer, to get a
satisfactory reply relative to shipping thous-
and barrels of -four or few thousand bushels
OF grain from Boston," His wonder is further
excited by the fact that the agent Of the Port
land line of steamers at Montreal can engage
on demand any quantity of freight that is of.
fered while Boston agents of Boston lines can
not do the same. In view of these remarkable
circumstances, "Ontario" proceeds in rather
respondent vein, as follows:
The efforts of Portland am told are unre-
hitting, pers istent and determined to open up
their new route to the West, which, if success
full, will forever settle the question of COMPETE
ton between Portland and Boston. II they
succeed they will tap this Boston route at
points where it will be impossible for Boston
to recover herself. Yet for all this, and while
the people here admire the pluck of the Port
land people and wonder at the supineness of
the Boston people, there remains a strong
preference fur the latter city.
One word about the Portland line of steam
ers. have been informed, on what regard
as the best authority, that the Allans have had
In serious contemplation the removal of their
line to Boston, owing to the unreliability of
the Grand Trunk to furnish them with freight
on time. In fact they have gone so tar as to
make partial overtures to certain parties who
control transportation between the two cities
What will prevent them? The energy OF
Portland people in constructing a route that
will furnish the steamers with what freight
they want as regularly as the present routes
can furnish Boston steamers. What will pre-
vent Portland from attaining this object?
answer immediate action on the part of Boston
merchants. feel assured there is no empty
boast in what the Portlanders say are their in
tentions; the pluck they have already shown
fcrbids such supposition.
The bark of this dog in the Manager is good
deal worse than his bite. The Messrs Allan
have not the least intention of removing to
Boston. On the contrary they are preparing
as we are informed, to Lake large expendi-
lures in permanently locating their bushes S
here. There is no reasonable doubt of the
completion of the Portland and Ogdensburg
railroad, and the opposition of Boston will not
greatly delay that enterprise. The time is
coming when we shall need and shall have a
daily line of steamers to Liverpool. If Boston
needs and has daily line at the same time
we shall be glad The Great West will send
us yearly out of her abundance more than we
can both take care of. There is no occasion,
or excuse, 1or any petty jealousy. If the new
route from Portland to the West is demanded
by the necessities of trade, it will be built. II
Boston wants more business, she must COM
mand it by honest enterprise and not by seek
ing to cripple and restrain her neighbors. II
on the other hand she undertakes to make her
bed and show her teeth in our Portland man.
ger, she will not lie there undisturbed.