The Portland daily press., 1871-09-23

gets in operation and terminates at her
wharves. But Portland with steamers to Bos-
ton and New York all the year, ard along
shore TO various points, with coasters as requir-
ed, and railroads every where, can forward,
from the area of the country now in debate,
the pork, beef, mutton, butter, cheese, wool,
maple sugar, lumber, marble, copper ore,
ochre floor tiles, and all the rest to all points
of demand, cheaper than they can go shy any
other route. Portland can lay down million
or two bushels of Vermont potatoes in Boston,
New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, and
West India ports to better advantage than can
any other place. With railroad cutting in
twain the chief dairy territory of Vermont'
Portland should become a great butter market
with bayers on hand from all parts Oh the
country, as now at st. Adams. A vast
amount of Vermont lumber, beet mutton, live
stock, marble, ETC., can reach markets all
along the shore most cheap via Portland
From a midway station on the Vermont Sec
ton of the Portland railroad, to New York,
via Springfield and New London, in some $40
miles by rail, with transfer to steamer at the
latter point. From the same station to Port
land is but 175 miles by rail, all the rest by
boat to New York, with one transfer only, as,
| in the other case. From the same station to
Boston via. Vermont and New Hampshire
railroads, is $50 miles over five different lines
| to Portland, as just observed, IT'S miles over
one line. If Portland cannot command this
business she cannot command anything. The
entire territory this side OF St. Johnsbury, 49,
miles distant, will of course he wholly and
without possible rivalry best accommodated al
and via. Portland. Portland, then, to sum up
can consume a large amount of Vermont prod
uce, and can handle the residue to good adj
vantage.
BUYING GOODS IN PORTLAND.
| But even if none of the products of North
ern Vermont were to be consumed in Portland
and Maine, or worked off via Portland, :the
store keepers of that section could still bu!
their merchandise in Portland better tina,
elsewhere. The popular impression is tina
the Vermont merchant goes to market with
load of potatoes, or butter, or wool, at his bacl
which he barriers for dry goods, groceries, fish
hard ware, crockery, and the rost, and that o
course he buys where he sela. This is a
wrong. The produce business is in the hand
ola comparatively few men, who quite as like
| ly are not general tfauefS at all. One MAJ
takes the butter of three or four towns an
other tie cheese, an other the starch, etc
They may buy much of this of the stofekeepe
and if so, they pay him the cash. The latte
accordingly replenishes his stock of mercbar
disc where he can do it to the best advantage
That he can do this to better advantage i
Portlnad than elsewhere can be demonstrates
and havn recently edeavored to show, in de
tail, in a communication to widely circulate
Vermont newspaper. The ability of Portlan
to trade on the most favorable terms with til
Vermont dealer being conceded, and the FREE
dom of the latter to purchase where he lis
being likewise nnquestionable, the circun
stance OF closer proximity comes in to determr
and settle beyond controversy the question
i competition and the direction of trade, forevt
in favor of Portland. No trader, other eli
cumstances being equal, would disregard tn
incident of 140 miles less travel for bimsel
going and returning, aud 20 miles less trans
for his goods, when celebrating whether to 6
to Portland or Boston for merchandise, from
midway point of the Vermont section of th
Portland railroad.
FAIRFIELD, VT, Sept. 1870.