The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-01-12
RuTLANn RAILROAD.
Interview with Delaware & Hudson
Director


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Interview With a Delaware & Hudso
Director.
The directors of the Rutland Railroa,
Company met Thursday in the Presi
dents office. Vice President Percival W
Clement in the chair. The resignation
of Charles Clement as president and di
rector, and of George u. White, Charlie
Amsdon and B. B. Smalley as directors
were accepted. LeGrand B. Cannon
Frederick Billings, H. q. Young anC
Benjamin H, Bristow were chosen di.
rectors to fill the vacancies thus created
Percival w. Clement was chosen Presi.
dent; H. g. Young Vice President. ant
Edward 7. Smith Treasurer, in place o.
DR.. John A. Mead, resigned. The othel
officers remain as they were,
The financial condition of the company
was inquired into by the new directors
and some votes were passed in referenc,
thereto, but of no public interest. so fai
as could be learned.
Most Of the new directors departed or
the Delaware and Hudson l0:40 train
Frederick Billings was met here by his
team from Woodstock, and he drove
across the mountains. Col. LeGrand B
Cannon went to Burlington on the 2:lt
p. M. train, and before his departure q
Herald reporter had a few minutes talk
with him.
In reply to the question: What will
be the policy of the company in reference
to the traffic and interests along the
liner he said:
1t is premature to say anything ex-
cept in a general way, for no definite
policy can be formed so long before be-
coming possessed of the property. We
bought it now because we thought we
could get it cheaper than we could three
years hence, when the lease expires
that is ALL
When told that some people had ex-
pressed apprehension lest the benefits Of
competition would be lost, and asked il
it would be the policy of the Delaware
& Hudson to exact higher rates or afford
less accommodations than now, he re-
piled:
You don't suppose a railroad com
pany is going to do anything to hurt its
business, do you? AS for rates, they
are regulated by the market, necessarily.
To illustrate: A few years ago slate in
dustry was developed IN Pennsylvania
which. by reason of some extraordinary
railroad privilege, was able TO undersell
your Rutland county slate in the mark
ct. Your men stated the facts to us and
asked us if we could not save them
from ruin. We decided that we could,
and we did. Don't you see, it was for
inf ln hn a.
our road2 We haye acquired this
property chiefly for the facility it will
afford for introducing our coal. That
is our great interest. 1t will all be
moved east and north. The more heavy
business we can get for loading our cara
back, the better it will be for us
Wherever business along the line can be
developed, you may be sure that the
same policy which has dotted our ex-
isting roads with prosperous towns will
he pursued. Look at the New York &
Canada road on the west shore of Lake
Champlain. Since that was built-only
few years Observation-Disclosures of our
company have invested as individuals
more than $1,000 900 in business enter
prises thai are reached By that road
The reporter again drew his attention
to the subject of railroad competition
and he replied: what competition have
you now? At present the Rutland
roads only outlet to the West is over
the Grand Trunk-the most round about
and difficult of all the trunk lines, But
when operated in harmony with the
Delaware & Hudson, it will have the
benefit of five additional trunk lines
the New York Central, the West Shore,
the Lackawana, the Erie and the
Pennsylvania-all Ct which we connect
with. No other road in this country
can offer such advantages for connec-
ton and competition on long hauls as
ours,
How about the New York and Montre
al traffic, and the business between
northern Vermont and New York,
which now passes over this road and
the Bennington and Rutland| asked
the reporter.
%, well, replied Mr.. Cannon, you
can depend that we shall offer just as
good inducements as we can for it to
pass pass over our road, and we think
we have superior line. But the public
is often mistaken about railroad traffic.
There is comparatively but a wheel.
barrow load of this New York and
Montreal business. Probably not more
than twenty people day, on the aver
age, travel by all the roads between
those two cities. II is of small i'm.
portance to any railroad to get share
of this travel and of no importance to
the people along the road to see it pass.
What the people want is substantial
business, which will both enable and re.
quire first-clas5 road, equipment and
train service. 1t will not take them
long to discover the difference between
running a road to make the most of it
and running it to make the least of it.
But there. l have said enough. did
not intend to be interviewed. All you
can say for me is that have spoken
only for myself, not pretending to repre-.
sent the company. for these things have
not even been talked over, and all
wish to say is that 1t is too early yet to
outline any policy on the part of the
Delaware and Hudson with reference to
the Rutland road. Il Herald, Jan. 9Th.