New-York tribune., 1874-08-26
STATE POLITICS-THE CANALS.

We believe that great mistake was maze
by the Legislature when it voted down the
proposed amendment to the Constitution vest
ing in the Governor the appointment OF Su-
perintendent of Public Works, with full pow
ers over the repairs and maintenance OF the
canals. Within a month both the Republican
and Democratic State Conventions will have
met and placed their tickets in the field. We
have already read some columns of specula-
ton as to the candidates, but in regard to the
Canal Commissioner and State Prison In
spector little, if anything, has been said in
public. The nomination for Canal Commits
sioner in both Conventions is almost invari-
ably made by the Canal Ring. Hence it is
that those officers, if not always dishonest,
are inefficient and incapable of protecting
the State from robbery under the forms
of law. The public service, as connected
with the administration of the canals. nOto-
riously swarms with dishonest men. Could it
be thrown open to the light, the people would
fnd them as thick as ants under stOne
One of the surviving Constitutional Amend
ments to be voted OH t,n5 @ a.. authorizes the
State to SELL or otherwise get rid of, the Che
mung, ChenangO, Black River and Crooked
Lake Canals. These almost useless bitches
cost the State, in various ways, from $5O)OOO
to S1,OOOOOO year, the total receipts from
tolls being only about $4,000. This Amead-
ment, unless the people take particular
pains to vote for it, is likely to be lost,
since it will be opposed, quietly but effect
lively, by the canal contractors and by the
people of the counties traversed by the
canals in question. OF late years the lateral
canals have been suffered to fall into bad re-
pair. OF course, if the State retains them,
sooner or later large appropriations will be
made to get them once more into good con-
dtion.
The question Of tolls does not seem to be
much agtated at the present time. Consider
ing that the people annually pay some two
or three million dollars i'll taxes for repairs,
damages and new work on the canals. it would
seem to be out of the question to sacrifice
any more revenue. The reduction of the tolls
on grain has not increased the proportion OF
agricultural products carried by the canals, as
compared with that going through the Wei
land Canal, and moved by the trunk railroads.
Comparing the two years 1928, with the two
years 1862-3-fOur years which are remarkable
for very heavy exports of grain from North
America to EurOpe-we find that the agricul-
tural produce moved by the New-YOrk canals
fell off about OnefOurth, that moved by the
Welland Canal was about the same for both
periods, while that carried by the great rail-
roads increased more than three-fOld. Whether
the canals be enlarged or not, it seems to be
beyond question that measures should be
taken to improve them in such way that
steam canal boats can quickly and ecOnOmi-
cally pass through them. The main thing is
to deepen them. so that there may be every
where foot or more of water between the
bottom of the boat and the bottom of the
canal.
1t is impossible at the present time to say
whether the business of the canals has any
tendency to increase. The extraordinary low
rates for which canal freight has been taken
thus far this year are sufficient proof that
the canal is not worked to its full capacity.
The railroads, also, it is clear, have been car
rying freight this Summer for quite as low
rates as they possibly can do it and pay ex-
penses. There are some new and important
elements in the transportation problem, the
effects of which we shall hardly be in posi-
ton to trace with any exactness for several
years to come. We refer, 1, to the enlarge
ment of the Welland Canal; 2, to the addl-
tional double tracks for freight which the
New-York Central Railroad is putting down;
and 8, to the placing of boats propelled by
steam on the Erie Canal. If the Legislature
of the State makes proper provisions for such
improvements and repairs as the canals may
require to fit them for the new class of boats,
we cannot doubt that the application Of steam
to canal transportation will produce more i'm
portant effects than either the Welland en-
largement or the CentraPs improvement.
TALK AND TEARS
Foundering through recent batch of the