Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-09-25


the establishment of railroads in India was alto
gether hopeless
After many delays government guarantee Of
five per cent interest on the investment, free
conveyance Of the necessary lands a lease for
ninety nine years, with certain reservations to
post office servants free ofcharge, and Of military
officers and troops, and military supplies at re-
duced rates, was agreed upon with two great
companies in the year 1919 The government
also was to have control Of the routes to be taken
by the lines, the weight Of the rails the charac-
ter Of the rolling stock the times Of starting, the
speed Of the trains, &c, and to a certain extent
Of the rate Of fare-at least the tolls were to be
fixed at first by Government, and could not he
reduced by it without the company's concur
renee until the net receipts should give profit
able per centage on the capital Yet farther,
| the government was TO have complete control Of
all the officers and servants Of the companies,
and no bylaws or regulations could be made,
and no money raised, new shares issued, or with
ont the previous sanction of the East India Com
| pany. An ez otiicio government director was to
attend all meetings Of the boards with a power Of
veto on all acts Of the companies, except consul
| tation with their legal advisers. At the end Of
ninety nine years the entire line was to become
! the property Of the government, but the company
could surrender it at any time, and demand the
| repayment Of their capital and the government
might buy it after twenty-five years. II the re-
turns at any time oyerwent the stipulated inter
est, half Of the excess was to belong to the share
holders and half to the government.
| One familiar only with railroad operations in
this country would hardly look to see anything
attemptcl-stilI less acc1mplishel-uuler such
restrictions as have been stated. Yet begin
ming was made and the first railway train that
from Bombay. was started, as mentioned above.
The amount of capital allowed was however far
below what the magnitude Of that great and fer
| tile country needed.
But in 1873, Lord Dalhousie, then the Cover
nor General Of India. made an elaborate and lu-
cid exposition Of the immense Importance in a
political and financial and industrial point Of
view, that a well arranged system Of railroads
should be constructed to connect the important
points of the Indian Empire. both to insure sta
hlity 20 TIN, government and develop the bouuies
resources Of the country and he struck out the
direction and extent Of the great trunk lines
which should first be built Subordinate lines
would be easily laid down as experience should
dictate The true principle ou which thi. great
=. J. .. q . D..
through the agency of private companies enlisted
10 the work. controlled directly but not yexa-
tiously by the Government. This system BE says
he advocated for England many years ago, and
be believed if that policy had been pursued she I.
railway property in the island would have been /
in far better condition than it now IS On +.
this the reviewer remarks as follows
The lamentable truth of these remarks. /
winch were written fifteen years ago, has been .
rendered more painfully apparent with the lapse .
Of time Instead of laying down wei-diEestel .
scheme Of railways for England. animated blythe .
spirit of national enterprise and placed under tine
guardianship Of official prudence, the Ministry
and Parliament adopted the plan Of universal 4
competition. The demon Of wild and unscrupu- .
lous speculation was let loose, the Decalogue was
given to the winds, and system of jobbery,
fraud, and pillage was organized. Of which It .
would be difficult 10 find another example equal
ly fragrant in the annals Of delinquency, Upon .
this principle of competition the various Compa-
ME- have been allowed TO cut one anothers
Threats and then to combine TO cut the throat Of
the public by raising their rates to repay their
losses. The English system has broken down
simply for want OF that direct, but not yexatious
control. which Lord Dalhousie in vain urged on
- -. u u, al = Ill
adopted, would have saved Us more than a hun
dIyvl millions Of money that have been layished
with recklessness on competing and redundant
lines, and spared MS the degradation Of profess
sional morality, and the contempt If the Euro
pean world.
The readiness Of the Government to authorize
and guarantee capital went pretty steadily for
ward from the time Of Lord Dalhousies communi
cation, and eight different companies have been
engaged in constructing the trunk lines. Of
these two are of great length. The one from
Calcutta to Delhi following the great Gangetic
valley, is above 1900 miles long Another pro-
cceding from Bombay to important places in the
heart Of the peninsula, and especially INTO the
IT, at cotton growing region, consists ofbrxnches
in L 1866 miles in length. The lines Of three
other, companies are from 90 to to SD miles
long, and all are nearly completed, and several
are al ready handsomely remuneratiye-
The effect Of these immense improvements on
the Il, yelepment Of East India resources can
hardly be Unsigned That another effect. viz, to
bind t, yetlrcr more firmly that portion q the
British Empire AMI the Home government must
be con. equenee, NO one can doubt. Oftheir ef-
feet. present. and prospective, on the mind Of
that vast population Of Hindostan, which for
ages has been bound in the iron chains ola gross
and relentless superstition, some notion may be
formed from thef5llowing extract from the article
under our notice:
The feelings with which the natives were
likely TO regard this novel and wonderful mode
Of conveyance was subject Of considerable anx-
ety during the period ofconstructon but every
doubt was happily removed rs soon as the trains
began to run The railway took the fancy Of
the people at once, and the use Git became a ma
-ioual passion which continues in Enabated vigour
though the novelty oft las worn off. 1t was
also apprehendei that the poverty Of the native
would form serious obstacle 10 the
extensive employment of il but this idea proved
equally iallaciOus 1t Is the third claas, neces-
sarily composed Of the lower orders, which con-
tributes the largest amount Of passenger-trsfhc.
During the latest period Of a twelyemonth 10
which the accounts have been ma de up, the first
class paid - 00OL, the second l09, oOW., the
third $4,000 The total number Of passen-
gers conveyed during the year Amounted TO IL,
14j. 600 Of whom % per cent were of the third
class. Neither have the preIudices OF caste been
found to interfere with the patronage Of the rail,
and it is a subject Of no little interest to watch
it. silent but irresistible influence in underm;n-
ing them. When it Was seen that the different ,
classes Of carriages were not intended, as the ma
tives expected 70 accommodate different cAstes-
the first for the Brahmin. and the third for the
Brahmin manifested no reluctance
10 travel in the cheapest class. The tastidious-
d. caste Is as predominant in England a in India; ,
and it was doubtless the spectacle Of Brahmin, /
sprung from the head of the Creator, seated be- ,
tween two Of the unclean SOoders, sprung from !
His feet, which suggested the facetlous remark .
hat in England the quality travelled first-class !
q save their caste, and in India they went third
lass to save their money, regariless Of caste I
Another question likewise arose when the nnder- =
aking was in infancy Would the pilgrims, !
who travel by tens anG hundreds Of thousands to
he gre at shrines, be debarred by the rules OF
he Shasters from the Use of the rail? The sub J
ect was referred by Mr.. Stephenson to the I
Dhurmu Subha OfCalcutta, the great sanheirlin I 4,
forthodox IIindcos, who, after consulting the 81 !.
red texts and the learned pundits, delivered II ;
s their opinion tina. the deyotee might ride in a n
;lilway carriage to the various shrines without /
diminishing the meris of the pilgrimage T.
The next Legislature 4 New York Is to choose 7
y - c. G. &, s,,oca.I tho Hon 7