The Portland daily press., 1889-06-11
PoRrLAND's INTEREST.
Can New England Afford TO Lose the
. Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific
Rates?


When the Senate Committee on Interstate
Commerce gets to Boston its members will
hear something on the subject Of Canadian
competition with the American railways
very different from what was said at the
meeting in New York by the representatives
OF the trunk lines. The commercial inter-
ests Of New England, almost without excep-
tion, are in favor of the fullest possible
measure of liberty for the Grand Trunk and
Canadian Pacific roads. Even those who
admit that, as a matter Of principle, the do
mestlc corporations ought not to be ham
pered by restrictions from which their for
eign rivals are exempt. object to any inter
ference by Congress that is likely either TO
increase transportation rates or diminish the
number Of transportation agents. The Bos-
ton merchants, in short, and those Of Port
land even more decidedly, have derived
many advantages from the competition Of
the Canadian roads with the Vanderbilt
lines. These advantages they do not pro-
pose to yield without protest.
= Some twenty mercantile associations at
Boston'are represented in the Boston Ex-
ecutive Business Association" This body
IS composed OF delegates formally elected,
and represents the various commercial or
ganizations OF the city as perfectly as any
representative rep association could do. The
CnamDer OF Commerce, the Paper Trade
Association, the Oil Trade Association, the
shoe and Leather Association, the Mer-
chants Association, the Boot and Shoe
Club and the EarthenwaIe Association are
among those concerned. The following
resolution, which was adopted unanimously
at special meeting Of the Executive Busi-
ness Association" this week, must accord
lngly be given all the weight Of a declara-
tion by the various minor bodies separately,
one by one:
Resolred, That the transportation committee Of
this association, with such members as they may
invite to join them, be directed to appear before
tne senate committee on interstate commerce at
tne hearing they propose, to give in this city in
July next, and advocate the interests Of the city
of Boston and New England as In opposition 10
til the proposed change IN law which wiz abolish
the competition which the merchants and the con-
sumers Of New England now have through the
Canadian railway system.
From the remarks Of the various speakers
al the meeting at which this determination
was reached, II appears THAT this conviction
Is general in Boston, If not throughout New
England, first. that the issue upon which the
Senate committee was appointed, has
been raised partly for political rea-
sons; and secondly, that its animus is
found In the desire of the Vanderbilt roads,
and to q less degree perhaps Of the Erie and
Tennsylvania, to increase the Importance Of
New York, and the traffic over their rails to
New ark, at the expense Of Boston and
New England. President Speare, Of the
Chamber of Commerce. expressed the pre-
vailing Boston opinion as clearly as any one,
as follows, accord ing to local newspaper
report:
Hon. Alden Speare, president Of the Boston
Chamber of Commerce, said that II the law should
pc amended as proposed BY Gen. Wilson, great
detrlment TO Boston and New England interests
would result IL was a very one-sided Jug, with a
very small handle, and the handle entirely on the
0tner side. instead Of the New England side. Such
pronlDiti0n would be Of no earthly advantage to
New Englanders, and to favor IL would be simply
Iayorng an attempt to cut of their own noses.
Inc result OF prohibiting the Canadian roads from
going a New England business would be that New
lines from the west. would obtain a great advan-
tage oyer New England. II the Canadian lines
were closed to New England rates would be made
70 New YORK, and everything which came to BOs-
ton and New England would have 10 pay local
or arbitrary" In addition TO that rate. Today
there were $50 different points In New England
tnat were open 10 Boston rates by the Canadian
racine IN connection with the Boston 8 Maine
road Taking those that were open by other lines
Inere p were 1000 points In all that were open 70
would not submit to any curtailment Of the priv
lleges which is now enjoyed through the Canadian
railways.
Besides this, it is Of course to be under
stood that the Boston & Maine, Maine Cen
tral, Concord, Connecticut River and Cen
tral Vermont railroad interests, and the
tltchDurg to some extent, are involved In
the proposed sction. Their prosperity lies
In the continuance Of uninterrupted traffic
between Portland, Boston and other New
England points and the west by way Of Nj
agara Falls, st. Adams or Montreal. The
England roads, on the other hand, are nat
urally at one with the New York trunk
lines, whose eastern extentiOn they are In
reality If not in name.