The Portland daily press., 1874-01-24
The Boston & Maine Wailing and
Crashing Of Teeth.
To the Editor of the Press:-

To the Editor OF the PreSS:-
Under this head 10 your issue of the ed,
Equity" who seems very much alarmed at
what he calls the programme of the Boston &
Maine Railroad, pours forth about two-thirds
of column of Interpretations, which were
they rot calculated to mislead and deceive the
public, would hardly deserve passing notice.
His statement that the Boston s. Maine are
anxious to break up the contract between the
Eastern and Maine Central and form new COM
binations at thirty-three per cent. higher rates,
-----i etatament moa--.--. -
the people. He knows very well that the Bos-
ton & Maine care nothing about what contracts
the Eastern and Maine Central have with each
other, or what proportion of the ear nings of
each goes inlo the pocket of the other, 10 long
as it is permitted to connect its rails to ticket
its passengers and check their baggage, and
send its cars to stations Cd all roads which it
crosses. Equity" knows very well that If the
Boston & Maine rails are connected with the
Maine Central, and merchandise is permitted to
pass from stations on one road to statious on the
other without transfer from the of one to the
cars of the other, that it is merely an accommo-
dation to shippers, and an accommodation
which shippers have right to demand of all
railroads; he knows too, that if his statements
are true and the Boston & Maine rates are ex-
orbitant, that shippers will not patronize the
road, and that the connection of rails will
amount to nothing. But this is not what
Equity" fears. He fears that if the Maine
Central is connected with the Boston & Maine
that the Eastern Railroad will not be able to
control the transportation of the State. Per-
haps ne won't find the people of Maine so mar
row minded, perhaps he may discover in them
a disposition to open their State to any and
all railroads who are willing to furnish capital
to build into it, and perhaps the people, who
may not have the fear of railroads before their
eyes, may conclude to say we will avail our
selves of every opportunity to develop our
State. Perhaps the farmer who has produce to
sell may thiuk that there are some towns on
the Boston & Maine railroad in which he can
find good market for his eggs, potatoes, hay,
&c. and perhaps he may not be able to discov.
er any good reason why he should suffer de-.
tention and a transfer at Portland when con-
nection of rails between the Boston B Maine
and Maine Central, which could be made in one
hour, and with less than one hundred dollars
expense. hardly think the people of Maine
;,tapd be;ng bumbncoed mpcb lonoar with tb.
,.'Nc Doe -ee e WIN
line Oh argument WHICH mas peen aoopted oy
those parties who have been interested in an
effort to force the Boston & Maine into con-
soIidation scheme. ,.....,.., .,..,, ,...-,- ,-,.
Equity" has again aroused up that old
Sill 1000 debt which he says the Boston and
Maine owes the: Maine Central and Eastern
line, and in this he fails to tell tile whole truth
de knows That every dolial OF that money is
dine the p. s. & P. railroad. and that the Ros.
4N0 - : ~. -. "' wy Do'
Ton q Maine are Wiling 10 aiiow 1t at any
time whenever the +. y. u z. railroad will pay
the $500, 900 which it owes the Boston & Maine
for its proportion of the bettermepts to the P.S
n r. road, when that road was being iointlv
operated bv the Boston & Maine and Eastern
railroads; but as it is part of .sEuuitv,s" bms-
mess to deceive the public. he omfts This latter
part of the story. = ~ M -
Equity saws that in 1879. the Ma;na Can
trail rates averaged but AS cents Der ton ner
mile, and that the average local CHARGES Of the
railroads of Massachusetts for 1872, as reported
10y the Railroad Commissioners, some twenty
six in all were 81 cents per tor per mile. or
20 per cent. above the Maine Central figure.
This is another statement garbled and made on
purpose to deceive the people of Maine. If
Equity" will look upon page five of the Mas
sachusetts Commissioners report of 1872, he
will see that the average charge on IS railroads
in Massachusetts for hauling each ton of freight
one mile, was 2S1 instead of 5.41 cents as stat
ed BY him. He will also find that the average
rate per ton per mile for all freight hauled to
and from other roads by these b Massachusetts
roads has beeu but a fraction more than two
cents per ton Der mile, or only about one-half
the anon Mt which he saws the Maine Central