The Portland daily press., 1868-01-16

Mr.. EDIToR,-I have recently had an oppor-
tunity to read considerable portion of the
report of Capt. Tyler, the agent sent by the
English shareholders in the Grand Trunk
Railway, to Canada, the last season, to inves-
tigate and report upon the affairs of that Com
pany. The report shows conclusvely the in
fuence of the Canadian manager of this road
over the Agent, and that the latter has been
made conver. to policy that cannot help
being detrimental, and ultimately ruinous, to
this company.
Whatever may have been the intention of
Mr. Bridges, think it is clear that his poll
cy has been injurious to the company, to
Canada and to Maine. His leading and con-
trolling idea seems to have been competition
with the Great Western and other roads for
the business of the West with the city of New
York. The Buffalo and Lake Huron railroad
was purchased at large sum-not so much
for the development of Canada, or to increase
the profits of the company, as to create ri
val to the Great Western Railroad. Mr.. TYLER
thinks that nearly $4,000. 900 are needed at
once for immediate outlays upon the road,
the most of which is required, and is to be
expended, for bridge at Buffalo, and
for the development of the Buffalo and Huron
road, and for other Western extensions, and
ambition and half more to be expended
gradually. The great line through Canada
and to Portland, with its pressing wants, is
substantially ignored. 1t is not Canada-itis is
not the company-not the transaction of bus
iness over the thousand miles of the main
line, that is seriously thought Of but rather a
business with New York, througha single sec
ton of Canada, over perhaps three hundred
miles of road. This policy has been fatal, in
the past, and every business man sees that
it cannot be otherwise in the future.
In the madness of competition with the
New York Central and the Great Western
roads for New York business-a competition
which cannot be carried on successfully by
any one who cannot control the laws of
physical geography land it is doubted that
Mr.. Bridges can do this) the Grand Trunk
road undertook at one time to carry Western
freight, not oia Portland (using its own road
to the largest extent) but uia the Vermont
Central and other roads to- Long Island
Sound, and thence by steamboat, chartered
for that purpose, TO New York!
A process which consumed so large por-
tion of the gross receipts in payment to other
railroads, and to steamboats,, of course in
volved the Grand Trunk in serious losses.
II the company's policy had required the use
of its own road for the largest distance, and
had looked to making Portland its principal
and governing point in the United States,
rather than mere way station, giving it
whatever of advantage naturally belongs to it
THAT is, according to the laws of geography
and of trade, not straining these laws to give
it trade which it could not handle, nor vio-
late them in vain effort to build up traffic
with distant cities whose natural lines OF
communication We're in another direction)
it would have long ere this built up an i'm
mense business with Maine and the East
and one which would have secured reasonable
| dividends to the shareholders, and have re-
tanned all their business with Boston and
New York which pays a profit. Instead
of this, New York, and to some extent, Bos-
ton, have been the objective points. Freight
to Boston is by its tariff never higher than 1t
is to Portland, and sometimes less. The ad-
vantage of our position on the map has been
lost, and it is no consolation to know that
the company has been wel-nigh ruined in
the process. Not over one-fifth of the West
ern flour consumed in Maine comes over the
Grand Trunk. Give Maine the benefit o
what the Grand Trunk pays on freight be-
yond Portland, and nine-tenths Of this -four