New-York tribune., 1878-03-02
CANAL TOLLS AND TRAFFIC..
prpopT orTuE STATE COMMISSION


APrEovIXG THE Low-roLL sHEEr-rko sPEcIs OF
BUSINESS THIS sEAsON-MErnoDs PROPOSED
FOR CoLLECTI%G REVENUES.
The Canal Board, last year, appointed tho
Hon David A. Wells, L. J. ~ Stark, ex president of the
Produce Exchange, aud william Tnrrstone. president oil
the BuffllJ Board of Trade. commission 10 coisd9r
the ru,iect Of tolls upon Che canals WIN Spccai ic
ference to the question of revenues, anc 10 Tie increase
Of canal traffic The commission has now completed It's
rcuort which has submitted TO tue Canal Board
Tho nrincinaI parts Of the report are given below
The commissioners first consider the history oi the
canals from their beginning 10 the close "t the 'ci
wear OF 1866 which time the lre CAiai Ai NOT oS
repaid from receipts every dollar expecd oi' nae
Welded to tnc State Treasury surplus OF Sil9''Ool'
They next consider the recent history OF the canals ana
rrorced 10 show their inability 20 meet the Constitutions
obligations WITH gard Indebtedness, ana hold that
the provisions o. the Constitution VIII regard 'Acteio
have been abrogaied by National laws lh'y heA'
show that the canals may reasonably De eAPPc'e"
under economical management. 90 furnish sufficient
revenue for their operation and maintenance, ana can
attention the larc ANIMAL outlay iof canal ofos
The Turopcau canal management is explained
The next question cOnsdeieiis the advantage IN the
lovol sheet but notWhs andng tli- great reductio
the cost to the shipper for transporting wheal from
Chicago to New YORK. by lake and canal Is shown 10 nave
been higher past than before the reduction
The report says:
"is very great advance in canal .reigls during the
c,o. mont bs of the season Of 1874 and the large re-
snliing gan to boating and forwarding interests
wa, duo mainly - the large wheat crop of the year. ana
concurrent large foreign demand lorr; "hch latter
for the time more thln exhausted the ability oi me
boats on the cana-rciuccd in numbers aud quality by
reason Of the Improbable bnsncs' Of years-to
supply. Dhuef the reduce" ''S
ten OF tolls in force during the season OF
1871. the movement OF vegetable fooi on
the canals increased 81 per cent, ahd tie pro
duets 81 the forest Il per cent. ltnJ hihr JudicouS
aGmini, tTai non and continued low, and iuthcf sinp
fed tolls, tie aggregate movement OF vegetable Iood
and forest products the canals for the season OF 1878
c he increased over the corresponding movement for
the season of 1877, cGiru I'll onJ 40 per cri',
ti,c 1..uIt viii Ice n gain ~ tonnage than eight
,i, ~ nil rue Tonnage mat Tho canals
ported from tolls during the t-ca year l7''. ~
iar aggregate Of vegetable iood: lunb'r COAL
sat- non ore, stone. hIne and clay ana the products M Vi
lyon on tue canals ~ 80 can ~ hcfe,,"i Nv Nv
pr cent for the season OF lo'>, th' 'ho.'.'u
nearly r.iVatut 40 The tonnage mOFgncht ~ an "hr
commodities, Oi every name and ha;Gi' on 'he cih'''
re General result oi the seasons hu.ncSs on the
canals wa- however. 30 render the ns 81 hoa,' "m,,n @
had bef"I" been - oily uhpioh'db'r or aiulu" WIN
mile profit. .airi! proht'pr; WHicA Ia .uir o,tI
increase ticir mr.ei value "s IH't0Al'h.ali..'I, o.,
tor Carrying on rrul1nera.Fe ''.,I".s'i Alu
which all the rr,t. second. aud th'rd eiis' boat
vOuu 81. f'r. over aud above tIr rIrts a,tunan. -. M
M Commission hlsh - e-,Oio,ooU, or nra!S
tuic. - much ,bc total frtcndr denver I'9h -. ~
OF l canals for tine cutirv fiscal year o. Io1G'' "a
estimating the ncnohca results OF IN past year. thr 81
ic,t on hc capital invested IN canal "1rt, as ven N Ae
ire5g,f nc.o,n a tonnage moved S'''u''
nrGurR TOLLS >or EXrrDiENr
Ir view OF pa. cxpcrcucc AMI future contingencies "i
active railroad coupcttou II VIII not De- eNucdicni, the
Co.ruiis think. to I'cact system of tolls "4GcF
than il at present established. They s1y:
iLc business oI the year certain to be-, IN many re-
ep.cs iG rent from what WAS during 'hc Lot cana.
s,i,nn Tnc crops 0f thr United States "r 40" TX - !"
oi+i,i5 ". ID, P.i ~ ~ rd rrayi..n, !, isciy
to PC lcs-. Ihc bu-ues> of the country ~ u
,-ro.. under ;ae influence II Coutinued vicious
,,i.,ir I,ys and ynis- pro. prc.iIc cuL-rrs,i"ual
LEGISLATION may descend to lower depths oi pIiay -'.
,l uupfnAtlciic-. th-n have yet Drcn tOnch"I; and
fU tn,t, tIe nailraI rival, aud cueIn,s of tl'
pos fc .Ic ~ whatever ot the hctrnn-porilou bu'iA.-'
irc ..,n ,lny have ~ offer Another matter having
', ,,i,..f..rt i. ,l tir fnur ol t!r the Ncw-iufe
trtI. r enlargement "i ihc W tlliAt AHI ~ it"-
t.Icr tlnaI. now In progg,.ss and soon 20 bc com
.rj,si. ant thr pIOspcc.,r cons aqucat nciratc ~
I.,hrc~, Including chrApcnins OF r!'sr' i.r i42Hn-
rral aud Toe 81 Lawrence to Tie ocrIn rather 2n bY
tAc Nc9Iurk canal, aud the various east ana %t't 's
of tAc rdhwaYh oi the t"Ic1 >titr7 40 %" l"IA
or other m.IcIu erAgor;s. That TIE Coy
crumcnt Of thc Dominion "f Canada Is "f me
opinion thit the enlargement o; me ponlhi"h
canal. in question, accompanied by deepening 81
tie bed Of tlic ~ Law renee IN risA locait,: VII
r,-ul large diversion oi tc graz" a'N'ih'' oi Ho
: tIWt-t from ii- present roucs, abd ih I'oi o TIE
Montreal and e. Lawrence routes T." the orein' Is air
mos, ~ cfrcting such Improvements; rl-oJp""o
e.
with contemplated further outlay al ho remote Iu''
Cf some ~ ,GJJ.opO."
mo commission cannot refrain from expressing hc'r
n'uuislIAcnt the method OF assessing tolls on the
cluil- mat alWays has been, ad SIM i adopted Even
adopted IN the spring ofls'7 and now ia force. there are
.l,N,n Discriminating rates q! ton. tsiIc o i'r
or products of the forest; and uus Latter c.aN-
II commodities has nine o'hcfcnt or discriI-
mating toll, levied upon IT, movement Ihu,
a bo., containing ga-rlrr-, gas FdIc. grease. aad
nauas,- IL subject 10 pay four different rates ~ toll.
which makes cs-lry tHc emp o}nen of an inspector.
lIt tir.t s.t
tio uf tl!nr One hardly resist iEr CONCLUSION, tacy
y th5i trs. iscri.nina tio were made originally 10
fa.0r some iIs duI or private Inter at To- tDc l1-
n,rt "f thc canal cxchegurr ~" iot"drdcr I"l tlo
Oul Of total tonnage Of a.27a.olJ tons iun.p,rtci
following thtcr item or rr' o! products contributed
aggregate ~ 1lr.,J'l tons:
Tcsrilso food. including h44. grass ana clover
This leaves 1lG9iG2 TO represent the TONNAGE move
ncnt Of all Other nrclco or conImodiles IN ~ tnis
were represented In 1871 by the following additional
few products:
Iron Of all siud... 7ado
stoar inc ana clly lJ1233 Toal........-....0ol7i3
Thu, Only 2ji7l3 eft To represent the canai
movement of all o'hcr atices known to commerce ior
The ec-I under cOsd, ration. Nnct yhFc Ccut ci
The business Of the canal consists IN the ap0ftailon
oi coirsr bulky and comparatively cheap articles, and
tire largest proportion OF these in the broadcst seLSc
oi the tcIiu, agricultural products.
HOW 10 COLLECT THE REVENUtS.
The Commission thea PROPOSES methods for rollect-
Ing revenues hrst-a uniform toll or charge for each
boat each mile, which will easily bring any amount of
revenue that may considered requisite
20 draw from the canals; secOnGa uniform rate ton
for each nile; third-a system Of discriminating toll.
The Commission takes exception to the partial free
list, and Gays:
ITO exempt. under existing circumstances. any com
modify which /" aide 10 toll from ia payment fOr itS
Use the canals, 10 arbitrarily Increase the burden
IMPOSED on al uouCXcmpcd products, ~ on tnc state
.LI.l Mn. mo