The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-07-19
RAILROAD COMPETITION.
FIImsIness OF the Complaint against
the Canadian Railroads.
Boston Herald


The comments which some of our New
York contemporaries are making upon the
question of restricting Canadian competition
with American railwa, appear to be due to
that INSTRUMENTATION which more careful
study of the subject would serve to correct.
Thus the New York World says:
Senate committee IL inquirng as 10 the
e,pedence OF further legislation to correct what
Is IN effect an unfair discrimination by American
law against American enterprise; but in New
angssq opH %e Is strongly to the
their unfair advantage in competition, the
Caasdi am; roais take from our swn large trafic
this traffic goes to New England ports; whereas,
with equal conditions of competition, it would be
The New Enganders are naturally unwilling TO
surrender the local advantage, but such consider
atoms shond not weigh with the committee or
with Congress.
The New York Tunes says:
1t has been Boston notion that railroads
across the continent should be so managed as to
regulate commerce In such way as to give the
advantage of position. The natural route Of
traffic from the West, so far as it Is destined to
cross the OCEAN, leads it to New York. 1t was
valleys of the Mohawk and the Hudson The
line OF water communication, the easy grades of
Boston IS concerned Would settle that II The he
matter were left 10 competition. Commodities
could be got TO New York more easily more ] ap-
would come. philadelphia and Baltimore could
Offset her advantages TO some extent with the
ih esmaa' Portland have nothing to set against
compete " i,b onT,hey Cthe Canadian lines may
extent they pe.ses by reducing the rates to
ney can on their exclusive business or May nat
New Fn ~ up az sli and thereby they may give
thfsS... ms Is q manifest injury to our own
the 1nes SO long as they are not free to meet
W. i,;road and commercial interests.
Ia. = at this construction of the
n,a''oi 10 a''oeeth.> misleading Tn tho fret
place, there Is no recos..zo, ae,-,' '.' ni9'
that the Grand Trunk AIN. .,.I n,aue
Pacific are securing a large traine> Ianaaiah
competition, for the reason that these uniaii
SO lar as Boston traffic is Concerned, a.
charging precisely the same rates that the
New York Central and Pennsylvania charge
for similar service If. under .hese circum-
stances. the Canadians obtain Boston bust
ness that would otherwise go to the Ameri-
can roads. they do so because of improved
terminal facilities, or because of the through
transit facilities that they can afford to
Shippers, or those TO whom goods are con-
signed. The World says, that, "but for this
competition these goods would be carried by
American roads to ports farther SOUTH" and
Tue limes says. ITO New York they would
come" The only means of diverting them
70 o New YORK would be by making it cost
more 10 send the goods to Boston then to
send them to New York; that is, If there
Mas discriminating freight rate put against
DosHn and In favor of New York, Phila-
uelphla or Baltimore. then, unquestionably.
the goods would 90 to one of the three last
nained cities. But all that we in New Eng
land. gain by Canadian competition-and
TINS Is the burden of our offending-is the
opportunity on foreign shipments to have
me same rates named as apply to foreign
SHIPMENTS made by way Of either of the
thrce great cities south Of US, and on goods
Intended for local consumption TO paw only
I'VE cents a hundred pounds more than the
merchants In these cities to the south are
compelled to pay.
This. we say. is what Canadian competition
gives us. Ii Canadian competition was re-
moved, we should be compelled TO paw more
both on foreign shipments and on goods
which came to us for local consumption. a
change that would seriously interfere with
9gr trade: Both the New York World and
llines aihrm that this would be no more than
]usi, because the distance between Boston
and The West is greater. Now the distance
t. New York city from Chicago by the New
ktCentral line Is 9S5 miles To Boston
by the same line it is 1899 miles, difference
OF nifty four miles. From Chicago to Phila-
d+lphia by the Pennsylvania line is 800 miles,
that is, 1853 miles shorter than the distance to
New York by the New York Central line. III
distances count for everything in making
railroad rates, it might be assumed thar
fhiladelphia should have considerable adj
vantage over New York city in the matter of
railway charges; but In practice the Pennsyl-
vanla ROAD charges the same pIice for carry
iing GOODS from Chicago to Philadelphia that
II does Tor carrying them from Chicago TO
New York, although to serve its New York
patrons u has to carry these goods ninety
miles farther. Or take the case of the Balti.
MOI y Ohio: The distance between Chicago
New York by this line 22S additional miles
have to be passed over, making a total of
1851 miles; yet the Baltimore & Ohio charges
the same price TO its New York customers
that 1t does to its Baltimore customers.
Now, we maintain that IL New York mer-
chants can for iyen price have their goods
carried by the Baltimore &c Ohio road 1851
niles. there Is no reason why for the same
price Boston merchants should not have their
goods carried by the New York Central and
its connections 1919 miles. and that such a
In rates as should work to the
of New York merchants would be
unjust, and, what is more. would not be
thought OF il Boston had Il direct railway
connection with the West under its own con- |
troll, the same as is now possessed by New
York. philadelphia and Baltimore. We |
nave not seriously felt the want of such a |
connection in the past for the reason that |
the Canadian roads have affor led us the ad- |
vantage OF competition. They have entered |
inlo the agreement with the great American |
trunk llDes: they have not cut rates below |
stipulated figure; but they have insisted that |
BOSTON should be treated in the same way |
!, 1hat otner American cities are treated, and |
~ IS 10 thl' that the trunk lines are otjecting
.h nay .lie pea OF distance is foolish one,
VI sne n3uIes we nave given above afford suf /
nclent answer, for it is surely absurd to saw |
that when goods have arrived at Albany it |
makes any material difference to the railroad |
companies whether they are carried 14s miles
10 new YORK city or 202 miles to Boston.