The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-08
TO THE GREAT WEST THROUGH CANADA
Portland Men Quoted in the Report
of Mr.. CuIIon's Committee.
The Advantages of International
Transit Trade Re cognIzed.
Regulations Suggested Which May
Affect Some Maine interests.


ator Cullom's committee on the competition
OF Canadian railroads with American line:
has been made to the Senate, and is now be-
fore that body. The report contains the tes
timony as given at the various cities visited
last summer by the committee, and the con,
clusions Of the committee in the form Of a
review of the Subject. 1t is very evident
that the question is puzzling to the commit
tee as it is to every one else. The Canadian
roads are great grievance to our own rail-
roads, but our people cannot seem to get
along without the facilities afforded by the
Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific. In re-
gard to the appearance of the representa-
tlves OF Names interests the report says
I'm behalf of the Board of Trade of Port
land, Me-. Mr.. William L. Putnam submitted
resolutions setting forth at considerable
length the advantages afforded by the Cana
dian railways to Portland and the State of
Maine, and concluding as follows:
Resolved. That this board protests against the
enactment OF any legislation which will deprive
our citizens OF the facilities for transportation of
DreadstuffS and other manufactures now offered
py our great commercial highways through Cana
ga and between the Atlantic seaboard and the
ment of existing laws for the purpose OF throwing
obstacles in the way of such transportation and
against the withdrawal of the privilege of carry
ing merchandise of the United States in bond
tnrough Canada as now practced, and against
any action which will tend to obstruct or destroy
con cfSmpetltlon In the transportation of such mer-
cnandlse and thereby build up monopolies to the
detriment OF cities and commercial interests now
receiving the benefits of free and unobstructed
transportation to and from the West over Cana
dian roads. (Testimony, p. 4O2.)
I'm narrating the history of the extension
OF the TRANSPORTATION facilities of Portland,
MIR. Putnam stated that in the forties the
people of that city tried to open a route to
Montreal; that the Grand Trunk took it off
their hands or they would have been crushed
entirely, and that the Grand Trunk had
faithfully performed its obligations. BY the
aid OF the Grand Trunk, Portland and a
number of other points in Maine had be-
come billing points and received western
products at the same rates at which they
were received at Boston. This wa an i'm
portant matter for Portland and the whole
State of Maine. 1t was estimated that the
amount of western products, including grain
and beef and other products, received ar
nually in the State of Maine from the West
and Northwest was equivalent to about q
900 barrels of flour. and if the present
bonding system was abrogated or the Cana
dian roads interfered with it was believed
that the arbitrary rates that would be put
upon these products would be equal to not
less than 10 cents per barrel. and would cost
the people of Maine $225, 900 year, besides
breaking up the ports of Portland and Ban
gor.. Mr.. Putnam stated that the city of
Portland, in its municipal capacity, invested
about $2,020.O 900 some 20 years ago in the con-
struction of q line through the White Noun
tains across the State of Vermont, to secure
connection with the lines then in contem-
plation through Canada. which have since
:ifc system, and that the people of Portland
e [elt that they QnGht Qnht t9 be Qteeted in those
200, and which had been made by the city for
the purpose of securing more complete west
ern connections. Through the aid of Cana
dian railways the people of Maine could
reach the West with from a5p 70 to S90 miles
practically Portland was as near to ST. Paul
Is New York.
"Similar views were expressed by S. w.
Thaxter, merchant of Portland, who
hought there was no community In, the
United States, perhaps, that depended so
argely for its supplies from the West as the
tate of Maine. The people of the whole
'tate were largely dependent for their sup;
plies upon the Grand Trunk, which touched
Yarmouth junction and Danville junction.
Practically the Grand Trunk was their only
through line, their only connection with the
West, and the geographical situation of
Maine was such that it must be connected
with the West through Canada.
''The situation of Bangor, with respect to
Canadian railways, appears to be similar to
that of Portland Mr.. Charles Z. Stetson,
who appeared in behalf of the Bangor Board
of Trade and the Bangor and Piscataquis
;nf1 I'D fhn aY1iff n
gor many years ago embarked in the enter
prise of building the Bangor and Piscataquis
railroad from Bangor to MOosehead Lake, to
secure connection with the railroad system
of Canada, and invested in that enterprise
between 81 1000 600 ana Y, ,?oO,o0O Inc Guy
this scheme and it lay dormant for consid-
erable length of time. They finished their
road to the lake, and the Canadian Paclhc
had lately constructed railroad from the
western line of the, state to the foot OF
Moosehead Lake. This gave Bangor a short
route to the West, making the distance over
that railroad and the $500" line from Mime
apolis to Bangor about the same as from
Minneapolis to Boston by the American
routes and within 40 miles Of the shortest
distance to Portland by the Grand Trunk.
Consequently the people of Bangor felt that
it would benefit their railroad, their city, and
the eastern part of the state of Maine to be
allowed to maintain as favorable connec-
tions with the Canadian Pacific as possible"
With regard to the transit trade, which is
of such great advantage to Portland, making
it a winter port for Canada, the report says
"The transit trade had its origin about the
year 1847 in the fact that the ports OF Mon
treal and Quebec are closed for about six
months of the year by ice, during which pc
riod access to foreign countries beyond the
sea can lie gained only across the territory of
the United States and through American sea-
ports. The opening of the Welland and St.
Lawrence canals in the year 1S48 also pr0vi-
ded means for transportation for our west
ern and Northwestern States with ocean
commerce at Montreal. These movements of
commerce are of very great benefit to both
countries, and constitute what is known as
the Foreign Transit Trade of the United
States and Canada. In both cases the mer-
chandise of each country is permitted TO pass
through the territory of the other without
payment of duty.
aBut the transit trade, consisting in the
transportation of goods from one point In
the United States to another point In the
United States through Canada, and from one
point in Cana0a to another point in Canada
through the United States, in both cases
without payment of duty, is more important
This may be called the Domestic Transit
Trade of the Two Countries. Both these
movements of traffic, like the Foreign Tran
sit Trade, are of great mutual benefit to the
two countries.
'The trade or commerce just described ha:
its origin and sanction in physical character
stics Of the two countries on the eastern side
of the continent. One of these characters
tics is the fact already mentioned, that thu
st. Lawrence River is.closed by ice and fog:
for about six months of the year, and thu
other is the fact of an ihterlacing boundary
line, making it desirable to run direct line
of transportation across the two countries
and connecting by short routes the dliferen
parts of either by railroads crossing the IN
teriections of the other Almost the entire
inhabited portions Of Quebec and Sotas1 Ontario III u
south of straight line drawn Detwee5 th th'
northern boundary of Maine. Besides this
the states of New Hampshire and y VERNON os Non
York constitute territorial interjection be
tween the provinces of Quebec and Ontario
on the west, and New Brunswick and NOV;
Scotia ON the east.
1.-The provinces of Quebec and OnSallo y
in the paths of several direct lines OF rail-
road which have already been constructeC con
between the states of Michigan, Wisconsin
| and Minnesota at the west aid the New