The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-11-10
"INCREAsED WHARF FACILI-
TIES"
Hearing By a Special Committee of the
City Council.

i nearing By n Spec1ai COMMITTEE OF tEe
City Council.
Pursuant to a notice of the Special Commit
tee of the City Council on the petition OF several
l hundred merchants, manufacturers and tax
payers of the city for increased wharf facilities
| aud particularly to consider the propriety of
l purchasing Calls wharf and let the same to
] the Grand Trunk Railway Company for term
| of years in order to accommodate line of
| foreign steamers, large number of the leading
l business men of the city met in the Common
Council room last evening. All of the MEM
bers of the Committee were present. Mayor
Wescott, chairman of the Committee, read the
petition and invited those present to give their
views upon the subject.
Ex-Gov. Washburn was the first gentleman
called on. After abiding to the Importance of
the Grand Trunk to the city, he spoke of an
interview he had, short time since, with Mr..
Potter, the President of the Grand Trunk, in
which Mr.. Potter expressed the wish to have
Portland in some manner cooperate with the
Grand Trunk in furnishing additional facilities
for doing their business in this city. The pres
ent facilities would allow but one ocean steam
er each week. The Grand Trunk, Mr.. Potter
said, are DESTROYS of establishing line of their
own, and with that end in view, they are max
ing arrangements to establish agencies in
Europe and the Western states, to do an ex-
porting and importing business, believing that
it can be done cheaper than through New
York; but to do this more facilities must be
furnished in Portland. An elevator is indis-
pensable. He (Gov. Washburn) had no sug-
gestion of his own to offer.
The next speaker was John Rand. Esq. lie
briefly noted the expenditures of the Grand
Trunk Company in the city tie present season,
amounting to $4,000 and the extensive re-
newals and improvements all along the line,
increasing its facilities for business to large
extent-that the Company had expended
$20,000,0OO in building and stocking the road
and in doing SO had benefited Portland more
than any one place on its line. The Company
proposed to have an ocean line of its own.
They would make Portland its port on this
side. The Company HAD demanded no condi-
lions or terms of the city. 1t had expended all
the means it could well get in Europe, and
would esteem it as an expression of good will,
which would help the Company in England. if
the city would do something to give them better
wharf facilities Calls wharf was mentioned
because it was in the market at a very low
price, and had the foundation for an elevator
already laid
Hon. Geo. w. Woodman was next called
upon. He remarked upon the benefits of
the Grand Trunk, of the large amount
of taxable property it had in the city,
and the great work it has done and is doing for
the city. He did not always agree with his
friends about these matters, bat this was SO
plain that it hardly seemed possible that any
one could oppose it. The Grand Trunk had
done SO much that we could afford to buy the
wharf, and even give it to them. Let us be
liberal to those who have made us.
A. X. Shurtleff, ESQ.,, was next called on
BE said he had circulated a great many petit
tions in the city, and generally found i. dis
agreeable business. This Grand Trunk petition
was an exception. Everybody favored it, or
nearly SO, for he had found but four or five
who would not sign. If we looked at the mat
ter as an investment. it was a good one, for
Calls wharf is as good property as there is in
the city, and if any property is to double its
value in ten or twenty years, that must He
hoped the City Council would see this question
in the same light as did the leading business
men of the city. He was free to say that he
most heartily endorsed the movement as the
most important one for the city's business de-
yelopment.
Hon. S. E. Spring said that he came to the
meeting prepared to speak, though he did not
see that it was necessary, the proposition was
so plainly and clearly self-evident. There has
4o1l~
elsewhere about the terminus of the Grand
Trunk that he thought that the city the Com
pany had done most for should take step to
show that it desired to retain its hold of SO
great benefit Mr.. Spring then proceededI in
a few words to show what the Grand Trunk
had done for Portland and its trade. All along
its line thriving villages had sprung up, with
valuable manufacturing interests, which, aside
from its benefit to the city in its addition of
taxable property was of incalculable aid to
Portland trade. He thought that Portland
should show its appreciation of these benefits
by doing this thing at once. He congratulated
Portland merchants and mechanics on their
prosperity in these hard times. He thought lie
could say that Portland business men never
stood so well as to-day. There had been no
failures The past year, and no loss on bank
paper. Returning to the subject of the pur-
chase of Calls wharf, he said he had never
seen project which met so general favor The
off oxen are generally on our side. Buy the
wharf, dredge it out for the ships, lease it to
the Grand Trunk for nominal sum for twenty
years. 1t was good investment; so good that
if he could take the money out of his Business,
he would buy it himself The Company can
get no more money in England. The city never
has done thing for the road which has done
everything for the city. There was DISPOSE
tion to make war upon it. 1t stood no chance
in our courts. A man had only to bring suit
on the most trivial pretext to get the most exor
bitant damages. Let Portland show that il
appreciates the Grand Trunk Railway.
Ex-Mayor Putnam and 7. E. Twitchell,
ESQ.,, ably and warmly endorsed the proposition
to purchase the wharf, and hoped there would
be no delay about the matter.
Mayor Wescott asked if any one present de
sired to oppose the prayer of the petitioners.
The Committee desired the freest and fullest
expression. No gentleman appearing, the
hearing was closed.
Board of Trade.
A special meeting of the Board of Trade
was held yesterday morning at 10 o'clock, to
see what action should be taken in regard to
entertaining the Vermont visitors.
Tho yrocidapt Gao w Woodmap ctatod tho