Connecticut western news., 1890-12-31

IS great volume of business done at small profits. To illustrate |: If with the same or nearly equal facilities and ex- penses it is possible to sell $50 worth of goods at profit of 10 per cent, or $5, it is better to do 1t than to sell $5 worth of goods at n profit of B. 5O. Now the question is. whether 8 railroad like the Housatonic, capable of doing large local freight traffi: should choose so to order it's policy aS [, make $2.5O with high freight charges on small quantity of goods instead of ss5 on greater quantity moved nnder much lower rates? The problem Is worthy of thought, and it may appear AS the result of cogita- tion that the railroad is losing as much as the local freighters are.
 Throughout the Housatonic valley nowadays business men, especially merchants, are grumbling. They see the railroad company running cheap excur- sions. drawing trade from home to New York and Bridgeport, and at the same time ignoring their interests and show ing no proper appreciation of their pat ronage. Some of the merchants, like Hall, Hornbeck & Co.,, of Canaan, are giving up the sale of certain goods be- cause they can no longer be protitably sold in competition with city mer- chants aided by cheap excursions. The evils of cheap excursions are pointed out at length in an editorial from the Canaan NEWS which we publish this week and we will not dwell upon them. Perhaps cheap excursions can, to cer tain extent, be justified on the ground that the buyers of merchandise as we'll as the sellers of 1t are deserving of con- siderat1on at the hands of the railroad company; but one thing is certain, the railroad company cannot expect, when it takes country people to the city at exceedingly low rates, that the mer- chants in the country towns can pay high freight rates and do business at a profit. If then very low excursion rates be given, very low freight rates should also be allowed. One class of patrons Is as worthy of consideration as the other class and neither should be favor ed at the expense of the other. AS it is, passengers are favored, and the con- plaints of the merchants and other bus mess men are founded on justice. More. over, the excursion evil is likely to become much greater than it is now. The ruinous competition of city mer- chants will cause the business of country stores to shrink more and more, conse- quently less freight will be carried to the country towns, and in order to make up for this diminution in the freight business the railroad company will be tempted to increase its passenger traffic by running more cheap excursions than at present This. too, will be done when, on account of lack of manufactur- kho of tha remain small. A large number of people be better source of profit than few people travelling mostly on excursions at cheap rates. In fact, viewed from a commonsense standpoint, the policy of the railroad is simply amazing.
 The Housatonic railroad company has done much for the comfort and pleasure of city people who soiourn @ part of the year in the Berkshire Hills, and is de- serving of much praise in this respect; it has also done more than appears to have been necessary or advisable for the benefit of city merchants; now would it not be ell to do something for the bus mess men along it's line? It can pro- mote the prosperity of country mer chants, it can greatly increase the prosperity of the Housatonic valley and perchance make it teem with as much life and enterprise as are now to be found in the Naugatuck valley. It seems to us that it is the duty of the railroad company to adopt policy of the kind outlined, that 1t is for its interest to do it; and we heartily hope that what we have said with the best intentions and in the spirit of friendly criticism only will be we'll received by the manage ment and be the means of promoting better feeling between the company and the business men along it's line and insuring such reforms as rebound to the pecuniary benefit of all concerned New Milford Gazette.