The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-12-16

labor. hence stave cutting might be largely
carried on, and, if Thought best, q profitable
utilization of The property acquired be made
J, by the erection. of ,forges sapd furnaces or
I. rolling mills. Perhaps the Committee have
some such tarsighted and wise views; If so,
r., they did wei, for such q system might be
! made, not only a means, of Furnishing crime
L and keeping idle hands at work, but q source
ofpioft, as the large item Of labor on the cx-
! pense account would be- eepnted by 00ls:
az a58sf liid IN OBSERVER
r.far1at 9dy faG aeN Ii led the Standard.
eo. o.tE:4qaq Railroad Consolidation. b Isa
saa MEssns. EprroRs :-LF ,obser-vseI that a bill
sfhas beenihtroducea, in the Senate, having
for its object the consolidation Of the At
lantic and N. c. Railroad, and the North
aconsiderit one of the most Important meas
y ures that has. yet engaged the attention of
the Legislature, I beg leave to submit a few
considerations why the bill should pass.
=; When each of these Roads was proposed,
and a subscription, on the part of the, State
-Gwas asked, the inducemehs was held out,
1 andah appeal was made to the patriotism
-iof citizens as well as Legislators, on the
ground that it would be a grand trunk road,
:. and that it would build up port in the
hState; that it was a realization of the well
considered scheme ofthose iIltistrious friends
. and advocates of progress and internal i'm
proyement in North Carolina, Joseph .Cali-
s''well and William CASTOR The weight of
b their honored names was given to the enter
prise The writings of the one, and the
( speeches of the other were quoted, and the
cry then was Beaufort and the mountains!
The measure was carried against strenuous
1fopposition-mi of dollars were ap-
|. propriated by the Legislature, and expen.
ded. The roads were built, and what do we
see? So far as commercial intercourse is con-
acerned, Beaufort is as far from the mountains
as ever. The intentions of the builders of
the roads are frustrated by want of concert
i-of action in the management, of those i'm
provements If you doubt it, send barrel
of potatoes from Raleigh to a friend at More
head City, or try to get Barrel Of fish from
Beaufort to Salisbury and you will find that
by using the Virginia railroads, you can get
it as cheaply and as expeditiously from New
York. Why is this 2 Simply because every
| facility is given to running in connection
with Virginia railroads. and every impedi-
! rhent and obstacle thrown in the way of
freight going to OF coming from a North
Carolina port. AS things are now managed
your freights going to or coming from New,
bern or Morehead City, gets to Goldsboro'-
where tits stopped until it can be moved
from the cars of one company to those of
another BY this management, freight which
leaves Morellead or 1Newberne in the morn
ing, and which should reach Raleigh in the
afternoon of the same day, is commonly
three days in1reaching It's destination. Now,
this would De obviated il beth roads were
| under one and the same management, hnd
| worked in concert. az 'GosiotS'HE 81
| Again, if this consolidation of manage
sment and interests was brought about, q
trade would. flow to Newbern and Morehead
which would soon give employment to a
| daily line Of steamers to the city of New
| York Do you ask "wherc are the steamers
, to come from r. / reply that with SO good
and safe harbor as that of Morehead City,
private enterprise and Northern capital will
furnish tile steamers as soon as the trade will
| Justify it, All the freights, both outgoing
and incoming, would go by that route, be-
| cause it is the shortest ithe most direct and
consequently the cheapest This would be
particularly true Of heavy freights, as they
naturally seek water by she shortest route,
gfor on Hgning aboard ship they are charged
according to bulk and not by weight. In
addition to this, every ysrailrnad man will tell
you that a road daily freighted to its full
capacity, can put freigbts down to "a much
lower figure than one where the freights arc
fiuctuated in quantity f2ss1s ~ HGii'
%. If the products of the State. in the coun-
tiles naturally tributary to these roads, were
carried over their whole length, they would
give them employment Men of capital and
i enterprise would be attracted to Morehead
and settle there; and the day would nit be
distant before that pors never obstructed by
ice, and in climate where a n 'gorous winter
docs not obstruct business, in a direct line
between Memphis and'Liverpool, would be
the port fr0niwhiel tllescOtton of the Mis-
sissippi wouldbe exported, at less expense
and reaching in European market sooner
than from any t,therino the United States
Saving in time and distance involve saving
in interest on the money value Of the crops
and enhance their value. issi 3aI ~ eis9'"h
But we should not only build up a port
but we should open the way for many in
itustrial pursuits which are not now attemp
ted in this State. We could supply The
! Northerrcities with the earliest and lates
fruits and vegetables, and lands lying along
i the line of the roads would be eagerly sough
ii for truck -faIms and as the returns from
such farms come much oftener than these o
4 staple e-raising farms. many men whose capi
:. tai small could go into that business VIII
! are now unable to farm. .-65ss siesHi,-tY
i Us. The expenses of the consolidated road
n would be much less than under the presen
management Then we should have on
b t3ont ihafcod Of two and one SuDcVir
tcndsnt instead of two, one, principal slo
for building cars and ma making extensive re
pairs, instead Of two, and so on. Then eve
ry ipducement would be offered, and eyer
exertion made to have freight go along th
I whole line If the road, instead of Offering
premium to shippers TO send it by iethe
;, routes. All the money paid ont for Ian
.frcights would be, retained in the State. an
: 90 to enrich our own citizens, and add I
iI the wealth of the State, instead of gein
abroad. CONSOLIDATION Is popular in otl
;te,rr ;er States, and it is found that the longos
roads are are tire most profitable because the
II can be operated at the least expense an
with the most certainty and liability, s.
. = Ou; railroads ought to pay large div
dends tn the State on the stock owned by y
and to relieve tie treasury from a heavy 1bul
den: but instead. Of that they barely pa
: expenses and do not declare any ny diyidelnd lend
;doAs a stoclsl,oltler in the Nsrthy Oarolin
Railroad j desire. to seestlis raeasnre, full
and fairIyltriad.e Ilinpe to see the da!
.wl,er cst lacked at, Charlotte will not
opeoed until Is arrives ut thesy harf at Nor
, head City; aptl then, II tle,rresults do M
answer eSpeftat'ons we can easily la.i pse