, 1870-05-06

Tie Quotations show that the rhoIe amount
Is about .000, 900 bushels Of grain, ncaEly one
half Of which has gone by way. OF Kingston.
Almost one-ba1f has gone to Canadian ports
How arc you going to stop it? Can you re-
tain the grain business on the Erie Canal, un-
less you reduce the tolls 50 per cent
Daniel Mcfarland spoke for the bitunainous
coai interest He represented the Dossbnrg
coal region. They came IN eentast 1 here Wit With
which paid no toll Last year Cohoes WAS re-
garded as tide water, He now wanted that
Schenectady should be t1ken in. They now
paid twenty-five cents tell to tide water, where
10 Schenectady they paid thirty-eisht eents
order to compete with the Cumberland At that
point Tho Central Railroad took a large
amount OF soft coal at that point, and a trade
had also sprung up with the manufactures in
Saratoga County, which went ria Schenectady.
lie also asked that the tolls On coal be restored
mill per ton per mile. The coal for which he
spoke came from Pennsy ylvania, csa Seneca
Lake.
s1r. Fish, Of Rochester, asked for reduc-
tien md adjustment OF to1la. This had been
asked for BY II parties, and tho Legislature
nious vote, to mnIe great reduction in the
toll sheet This was demanded by all parties,
and he hoped to sea it carried out He Ie-
fe1red to -four from the city Of Rochester The
railroads lad t.ken half tha -four from Roches-
ter. We wanted to reach out and tako this
traffic Butwe could not do it unless tolls
were reduced. -Tha canals could carTy this
tour for 10 centa at The present rate Of toll
But ut that price they could not get the bnsi-
ness. He wanted the rate on coal put down
eo that the canal would have it for 1ettirn
freight. Ne must have it. Elevating had been
there the whole year.
Mr. Clark pledged that the elevating prica
should remain at ! cent during the entire year-
He was engaged in tho business, aud would
speak by authority.
Mr. Fiah thought il tho tolls should be Oh
tirely abolished IN order to hold the trade, it
would be better for The State thhn to hare Tho
business diverted from It sRe!renewed his re-
quest for lowering tolls On westward bound
ccal- The forwarders had put: down tho
rfice of transportation to the lowest price.
There never was a time when boatmen and
ouners Of canal property. we're go poor and
Eo dependent as at present, for the 1eason that
ttaLe had been diverted from them. Now We
Eust hare The business. There VIE about ten
thousand boats on the canalB, owned by about
as many men. There was no business in the
State in which go many men we're Interested
OF engaged, and they must be protected. Give
Us good cana, ,-and he thanked God, that in
consequence Of good legislation We were to
Eaye it-and with low tolls We could restore
tic lest business to the canals
Mr. Moulton appeared as the representative
of tie New York Produce Exchange. He Bsid
II was apparent to all that the trade Of our
canals IVES being diverted to other channels.
Tho tendency Of high tolls Was to sweep the
transportation companies from the canals.
Ibis Was policy that con1d not DO pursued
without uisAster. The cost bad boen increased
leo per cent Ence 1860, while the increase of
tonnage WAS only 50 per cent It WAS evident
that tie cost must be decreased, and If you
decrease the cost you Will increase your ton-
Eaee. After further 1emarks, Mr. III. conclud-
ed by reading tho following extract from Gov
clEor Hoffmnn's message, tho spirit Of which
L. commended to the attention OF the board:
"To the great grain-producing States Of the
West cheap transportation to the sea-
board is necessity. and especially
90 nov, when the prices Of their pro
ducts are low It is no less necessary to tho
State Of New York, for our own Agriculture
no longer. furnishes us with all the articles OF
eNn every barrier to full and fIee inter
charge Of their industry and ours should, if
possible, be removed. The tolls should boput
at low rates. and the canals be made free as
far and as last as practicable The problem
forsolution is not merely what is cheapest for
thc time, but whst is tho best system for man
aging tie canals, so that the State and the peo-
pie everywhere may realize to the fullest ex-
tent, now and hereafter, the great advantages
they we're designed to secure.
Mr. Lothr5dge, Of Buffalo, spoke in behalf
Of the hoop pole interest. He read state
ments showing that hoop poles could now be
sent from the West to New York cheaper by
railroad than BY canal. He asked for re-
dEction Of tolls, so rs to enable the canals to
retain that business.
He also urged reduction On petroleum
The railroads were now doing 1noat of this
Luiness. He also called attention to apples
Thn toII nbao+ f,- IGN .r;1l ha >rrancad and