Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-05-14

The New York Assembly, after having re-
duccl the tolls on the canals, ostensibly for
the benefit OF commerce. struck out OF the
canal appropriation bill, on Tuesday, the
item Of $500 900 for the further enlarge
ment and Improvement Of the Champlain
canal. Foremost in the advocacy Of this
parsimonious policy We're the Democratic
members from the city of New York. \
very large traffic seeks this channel Of com
munication and its necessities demanded the
improvement. The policy of enlargement is
not new one The locks have all been en-
larged portion Of the prism of the canal
has been corresp)ndingly increased in size,
and nothing remains but to dig out the
ditch" through the part still untouched in
order to make the whole available. Unless
the work is completed all that has been ex-
pended up to the present time is sheer
waste of money. The Troy Iiaiss says Of
this piece of penny wisdom The New
York As>emblymen object on the score of
economy. The State can't afford 10 increase
the capacity of the Champlain canal. they
say, because there is to he a reduction Of
tolls, which will diminish the revenues.
Why, t do they propose such a reduction?
They will find in the end that improved
facilities for navigation are much more es-
sential to the prosperity Of canal
business than lower tolls. 1t will
be of no use whatever to reduce tolls
unless the capacity of the canals Is main
tained to the highest possible point. And
we have no Hesitation in saying that the
Champaiu is to-day Of more prospective i'm
p0rtance to the interests of trade, and cspe-
chilly the interests of the city of New York
than the Erie for the time is fast approach
ing when the grain and lumber trade of the
hitter canal will become so insignificant as
to be hardly worth looking after, and then
we shall see the Champlain route recognized
as the only one that can be made available
in COMPETITION with the railroads for the
transportation. of Western products to the
seab0ard.
now be turning her attention to the project
Of ii ship canal between Lake Champlain and
the Hudson river, as ailording the only prac-
ticablc solution of the business problem
which agitates the minds OF her mer-
chants The Canadians are preparing
to secure It system of navi CATION be-
tween Lake Erie and the lower St. Lawrence,
which shall insure channel of at least four
teen fee; in depth at all points, and New
York might share in its advantages, ulti-
mately, by providing similar channel
from Lake Chanplain to the lower Hudson.
1t will be necessary to do this in the end,
unless the whole of the most profitable
| freight now brought from Lake Erie by
canal is to be surrendered to the railroads,
and large portion Of it diverted to points
outside of this State. Meanwhile it is poor
policy to stint the capacity of the existing
canal, which is now so inadequate for the
accommodation of property seeking trans
portation through its channel. We trust
that the Senate will be wise enough to re-
insert the appropriation so foolishly stricken
cut by the Assembly"
The Albany Erening Journal says an
effort will be made in the Senate to
restore an appropriation Of S250,00O and
that the friends of the measure will be sat
iSfed with this at this time-though only
| half the amount reported.