The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-01-16
Railroad Matters.

Railroad Matters.
To the Editor of the Press:
notice in the Boston Journal Of jan. 14th,
an article written by correspondent from Au-
gusta Me-, under the above heading. in which
he says:
The "force bill' as it is called, which was re-
ferred from the st Legislature to this, ia like
~ to come up for consideration at an early perl
ok. ThOre are some who are disposed to push
is stated in railroad circles that if the Legisia
ture forces the Maine Central to connect WIN
the Boston & Maine the former road VIII "
obliged to increase its tariff of rates on ile!sn.,
SO that shippers of freight OUTSIDE Oh n.
and Auburn, where the G rand trunk Is COM
peting line of the Marie Central WIN suffer
in consequence The Maine Contra! freight tar
iff is now reasonable on account OF the favOra-
BILE contract made with the eastern road. The
Maine Central, before this contract was closed,
offered the same terms 10 the Boston & Maine,
but they wore declined, and hence there has
been no connection since between the two roads
The object of the force bill is to bring about
connection without regard to the contract made
between the Maine Central and Eastern, and to
make discrimination in favor of the Boston &
Maine, and shippers of freight in Lewiston and
Anburu. AT least, such is the view taken by
those who profess to be well informed in re-
gard to the matter"
This ''force bilr' referred to, is bill which
was introduced in the last Legislature, permit
ting the Boston & Maine railroad to connect its
rails with the rails of the Maine Central rail-
way at Portland, and compelling each to trans
port the others passengers, tonnage and cars;
but on account of misrepresentation similar to
those in the above quotation made to the
membets of the Railway committee, and of the
Legislature the bill was referred to the next
Legislature,
l had hoped that before the assembling of the
present Legislature of Maine. that the mana
gers of the Maine Central Railway would have
discovered that every railway which touched
their line was feeder as well as an assistant
| in the development of the country through
which their line runs; but it seems from the
above paragraph written by correspondent,
| said to be in the secrets of the Maine Central
managers that the same foolish arguments are
| to be used again this year, that were used be-
| fore the last Legislature. 1t seems that an eff
| fort is to be made to make the people believe
that if the Boston q Maine are allo,oed to con-
meet their rails acith those of the Maine Central
that the Maine CentrU ril be compelled to raise
| its rates. Was there ever a people asked to be-
| lieve so foolish statement before? Does not
every shipper in the State of Maine know the
rates between any town on the Maine Central
and Portland? And has not every shipper
heard of the contract between the Maine Cen
| trail and the Eastern RAILROAD whereby the East
| ern railroad receives for carrying all merchan-
| disc from the Maine Central between Portland
| and Boston for the sum of So per ton? And
does not every shipper know that out OF the
| price which he pays for the transportation of
| his merchandise between any town on the
| Maine Central Railroad and Boston, that the
| Eastern railroad receives for its proportion 50
| FER ton, and that the balance goes to the Maine
| Central railroad? Does not the Skowhegan
man who last year paid $50 per car for his po-
tatoes between Skowhegan and Boston know
| that he pays the Maine Central $40 for hauling
his potatoes to Portland, distance of 90 miles
and the Eastern 500 for hauling the same car
no miles? Does not every shipper know that
competition will determine the route over
| WHICH merchandise shall be transported, and
that If the Boston & Maine do not transport
| merchandise between Portland and Boston at
| as low rates as the same is carried by the East
ernj railroad, that the shipper will
of course order his merchandise to
| be shipped via Eastern Railroad? Does not
every merchant in Bangor know that when be
pays eight and ten dollars per ton for his first
| and second class freight between Boston and
Bangor that all but two dollars per ton goes to
| the Maine Central? Does not every shipper
| and evSry railway manager in the State of
| Maine know that whenever two connecting
railways fail to agree or are dissatisfied, either
with the rates of the other, that the State has
| created tribunal to settle all matters between
| the two companies? Has not the Maine Cen
| trail. by its policy, virtually assumed the posi-
| ton of dictator? Has it not by refusing to al
low its agents to sell tickets and check baggage
for passengers to stations on the Boston and
| Maine Railroad virtually said to those passen-
| gers you shall not travel via the Boston and
Maine Railroad, or it you do we will make you
r.-check your baggage aud get your ticket where
| you can? Has not the Boston and Maine been
| buying baggage checks for the past six months
i gers destined for stations on the Maine Cen
| trail Railroad and when those checks ha We
arrived at their destinations and been removes
from the baggage, has not the Maine Central
/ refused to return them to the owners thereof?
had hoped it would he unnecessary to in
form the public of auy of these matters, but
when l see articles written with the intention
of manufacturing public sentiment against q
BILL the provisions of which contemplate an
uninterrupted flow of traffic through the whole
Railway system of the State, believe il tim e
for the people of Maine to understand. and for
| them to make Railway managers understan
| that all Railroads are public highways, and alt
| Railroad companies common carriers, and
| hope the legislature having in view the fact
that the Railway system is more than a material
apparatus tor the transportation of hay, pota-
toes, land other merchandise. will allow any
Railroad company with its road to ntersect,
connect with or cross any other railroad, and
compel each to receive and transport the others
passengers, tonnage and cars. loaded or empty.
| without delay or discrimination.
| am unwilling to believe that the able cor
respondent of the Journal, although he be in
| side the ring aud is able to state what the line
of argument of the Maine Central is to be
when it comes before the people of Maine with
an effort to justify itself in the course it has
taken, is endeavoring to assist in gripping q
line of railway which its people have author
lied to be built; but am very sure that he will
be unable to make the people of Maine believe
| that connection of rails between the Boston
and Maine and Maine Central at Portland, aud
a free interchange of cars at that point, where
| by all transfers of merchandise will be done
away will compel the Maine Central to raise its
rates. hardly think he can make the people
believe that the building OF the Boston and
Maine extension, or the building of the Lewis
ton and A ,burn and the connection between
the Lewiston and Auburn, the Grand Trunk
and the Boston and Maine has had anything to
| do or will have anything to pc with the raising
of rates on the Maine Central Railroad.
| ~ MAINE.
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