Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-05-29
The New Highway from the West.

The rivalry of Boston and New YORK for
the commerce of the West is taking on
new phase The former city has in prospect
a commercial alliance with Canada which
shall make il the winter port of the Cana
dian western trade. The Canadians are go
ing into the improvement of their canal and
general water transportation on an immense
scale, and this Is td be supplemented by a
through freight road connecting the terml
nus OF water transport at Burlington. Vt,
with Boston. The wonderful development
of the Canadian western trade within few
years has been the stimulus of this new en-
terprise and justIfes expectations of its
success.
\ bill j. now before the Dominion Par
lament for the Incorporation of the Inter
national transportation Company with a
capital of s. 200 600 The design of this
company Is To organize greater facilities for
uniting the trade Of the Western States and
Canada, by giving them a common outleI to
the ocean through the st. Lawrence and 10
the markets ot New England by water To
Burlington, Vt. and thence by rail to mar
ket. 4 week or ten days in time and
twenty-five per cent. in freight charges
would be saved to New England consumers
of Western produce by this line, a. com
pared with the present line Oi the Erie
Canal and the railroads. The necessity of
a Winter port for the Canadian trade l. OBJ
vious in view of the tact that the 81. Law
renee i closed by ice from December to
May. IL was at rne time hoped that
Portland, Me might he made the Winter
port Of the Dominion. but trade has re-
fused 10 flow through this channel, and
Boston will now bid for the po~iton. 1t Is
claimed that twelve days and thirty per
cent freight charges tan he saved by ship
ping goods from the West via Montreal and
Boston over the time and cost of shipments
via Erie Canal Albany and New York, with
corresponding gain on goods imported Tor
the West at Boston over those imported at
New York. Tho new facilities Tor trans
portation proposed by the International
transportation Company are the enlargms
of the canals, the establishment of swift
lines ofprOpellers on the lakes and ultl-
mately the cutting of canal forty miles
long from Georgian Bay on Lake Huron
through Lake Sincoe, to Ontario. This
would save the long detour through Lake
Erie and the scheme once carried out the
trade of the Northwest would inevitably
pass into Canadian hands.
In connection with these new CONNER
cal schemes, efforts are being made to re-
open the reciprocity treaty question y
Canadian agent has been sent 10 Washing
ton for the purpose, and he will be strong
ly supported by the business interests OF
the West and of New England. Ii is even
reported that a treaty has already been ne
gotiated, and will shortly be sent to the
Senate for ratification. 1t was strange
mistake on our part to allow the former
treaty to lapse, and it would never have
been possible but for the antagonistic state
of feeling existing at the time toward
British interests. Canada and the United
States are so interlocked commercially. and
in their productions are such mutual com
plements rather than rivals OF each other,
that reciprocity is the only possible lntelll-
gent policy between then.-Sprfnqheid
Union