Litchfield enquirer., 1875-05-20
RAILROAD.

WSAu6NOkADs
 The report of the Railroad Commission CTS shows healthy condition of that im- portant interest. There was decrease of business but there was also decrease of expenses, so that their net income is near ly that of the year before the panic. The Commissioners report as follows regard ing roads in this immediate vicinity: HoUsAToNfc cRAMRoAD.-Among the bet terments referred to, the Board would re- port very marked improvement on the line of the Housatonic railroad, the whole line now being well protected by substan- tial fences adjoining the highways, and cattle guards having been constructed at all the highway crossings on the road. The Miller platform, buffer and coupler, have recently been applied to all the pas senger trains. At Kent, a new depot has been built, greatly to the accommodation of the public in that vicinity. Another is very much needed at Newtown station, to which the attention of the company has been repeatedly called, but as yet no re- sponse has been made in this direction. Improved accommodations have also been suggested at Hawleyville for the transfer of passengers between roads connecting with the Housatonic at that point.
 TRE NAUaATUcK RAnRoAD.-The con- dition of the Naugatuck railroad below Waterbury Is excellent; but upon the up- per portion of the road the old rails, some of them much worn, are still used; and while it is true that the larger part of the traffic and travel is below Waterbury, yet 1t ia the upper part which is most affected by tn heaving of the frost, and by snow, ice and water, and over it some of the trains have to be run at a high rate of of speed, requiring an equally good track.
 CONNECTICUT WESTERN AND CONNECTICUT VALLEY RoADs.-The Commissioners deem worthy of mention the fine condition in which the road bed and track of the Connecticut Western and Connecticut Valley roads are kept, and the ease enjoy ed by the traveller on his trips over these road.
 With regard to "watered" capital the report IS disappointing. The data are 1n- deed given from which one can figure out the amount of water in the Naugatuck stock, but there are no facts presented re- garding the condition of the stock of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Go. in this respect. The consolidated com pany excuse their neglect to report these facts on the ground that the watering was done by the several companies before con- solidation, and that the law does not re- quire them to go into matters before that time. The commissioners assent to this viaw and GOV in conclusion
 Were such an investigation to entered be into in regard to these companies, similar investigations would as properly be insti- tuted into the accounts of all the compa- nies, with experts and accountants, oc- cupying no one can tell how long, and re- sulting h no practical benefit.
 This does not strike us as 8 correct view. There is no need of accountants and experts to find out near enough for all practical purposes what proportion of the nominal stock of our railroad compa- nies has been paid in cash, and what pro- portion is ''stock dividend" or ''water." The commissioners are abundantly com potent to do this work themselves and if they have not sufficient legal power to force information from the companies, the legislature should give it to them. Perhaps the ''water" contributed by Mir. Schuyler to the stock of the old N. '. and N. H. Company could not be so readily computed, but an approximation could be arrived at. We need these facts in order to know what income our railroad com- panies are actually receiving on the cash capital paid in. To make the account complete we ought to know also the amount of cash dividends received by stockholders, and then we should know exactly how profitable their investment has been-a fact the companies seem de- termined to keep from the public. We do not in the least impugn the good faith of the commissioners but they have cer- tainly failed to get the information the public wants, and which we judge they will in the end have.
 Base ball begins hot, this season. es- pecially in Connecticut. Hartford and New Haven both have professional hines. It is a pity they had not started few years since and played for the capital, ,sav. ing deal of fuss and expense before sev- eral successive legislatures. Of the two State hines, the Hartferds are decidedly the best, and are pressing the Bostons hard in the race for the championship. A very noticeable feature is the sharp play that prevails in all the games played this season. The scores are the smallest ever known before. In a game played, last week, between the Chicago and St. Louis hines, the score ofnine innings gave the former but one tally; the latter, none! One of the most memorable games of the season came off at Hartford, Tuesday, be- tween the Bostons and Hartfords. neither of whom had yet been beaten in cham pionship game. this year. The game re- suited in favor of the Bostons by score of 10 to 5.
 Sometime since we predicted an attack on the License law at the present session of the legislature. It was inevitable from the condition of things. The present statute has "worrited" the liquor seller vastly more than the old prohibitory law, and every effort will be made to relax it's stringency. The attack comes from queer quarter, however. MT. H.H. Bar bour. IT,, young New Britain lawyer who has been somewhat prominent as a temperance lecturer. appeared before the judiciary committee, last week. and advo- cated the passage of Q bill which would deprive both selectmen and county com missioners of their present option in the granting of licenses. If any such bill is re- ported, it will have hot time in the House.