Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-02-05
To The Ii gis,siuIe If Msios.

The undersigned, committee of ARGOS.
! took Pomona Grange, chnsen at It's regular
| g. ssion held at Caribou Dec. 1871, 1890, to
prepare = hrief statement of facts to
accompany petition asking for 4 ehsrter
, for a railroad for Aroosiook Comfy, and
also asking that an act be passed enabling
| Aroo,took TO aid in The construction Of said
railroad to the exts1t OF five per cent. of
the valuation Of the county. would tuomi.
I the fol!osing for Your consideration.
I Aroostook county has no dire C; railroad
communication With the rest of the State,
nor with the markets Of our county, and
! for this reason the property of its citizens
| IL of much less value than it o,hersi.e
would be-.
Az the lumber and farm products ex.
/ ported from the county have to b. shipped
! over the New Brunswick branch of the
/ Caualisn Pacific road. 1876 miles father
I than it would be If the couuts had direc,
! lice over its own soil
| The additional expense of transportation
over this 1875 miles amounts. 10 the pro-
! ducers, t, more than 800 coo aDnuslly
Should the road c1utsmpts in the psti-
ons be built, the property OF Arore'ook
county viii on the dsv OF i.s completion
he worth fully 50 600 COCO more Than il
no is, for 1t would practically move the
,ou1;y one hsff reaTer Bausor, one-tbifd
nesrer the capital of the Stste ard the
c,iias of Lewiston and Portland sni ore
fourth nearer Boston.
A'oostook is the great agricultural county
of the State and any measures resulting in
the development of it, resources will benz
f. TIE entire State. The s9ricuiturs,
exports of the county are at present cos-
faed 10 the products Of comparatively
,ew towns on .be eastern border Of the
county, the other portions having no rail
read communication with the crest bust
ness centers.
These to~ns will this year export at least
81 800, o60 worth Of potatoes AMI potato
starch With a rsil-osd running directly
through the heart Of this crest agricultural
section this large sum could easily ne
doubled in ve-y few years in the sinele
product Of potstnes.
Ii will thus be seen that direct line of
.ail-osi through the county will nos only
result in = saving TO the producers OF
the c0uu.y, On the -hssis Of the present
txaor.s. Of fully eight times the amount
Of The INTEREST on the sum proposed he
iaves:-a. but will also largely isetssse the
expor,stiog Of the county BY affo-ding AZ
oaties for fert le sections nov prse;scsiIy
prohibited from prodrcipg surplus for
Shipment
We will mike this mathems..calIy plain
BY ,bs presentation of actual figures The
mount proposed to BE- Invested bs the
eonnty is $500 .o30 The yearly interest on
tkis amour, at five pr cent. would be
S25 ,o0S With direct line Of railroad,
reekohing freight as the same RITE per mile
IS nor charged ard computing OF the basis
Of thu present. shipments, the annual saw
leg or freish. would be s2oo. eco Eight
'oiisYs would thus be saved TO the county
for every one exfeudsd. even il NJ increase
OF business rs,uired a
In stidsio. 70 the serei,s TO the present
business of the county and the vast asri.
cultural dsvsinpmes: sare 70 folio~, the
direct lice through Aroostook would Develop