Middletown transcript., 1891-03-12

mar, all at the hour OF tne Qay pest
suited for profit to the farmers, and
thev would all meet at Harrington
and Immediately form into trians for
New York, trains for Philadelphia,
and trains for other stations. These
solid car loads, and oftentimes train
leads, would be taken to Wilmington
to point on the P. ". & B. road or
a point on the B. & o. road.
The road to which these cars were
delivered would unqnestionably be
the road that would transport the
freight cheapest, because the COM
pany which agreed to carry the
freight to its final destination for the
least price would get the business.
1 cannot conceive but what there
would be vast gain to the people OF
Delaware from the railroads so
managed ; it would come to them IN
extra profit on the quantity Of the
products that are now produced by
them. But it would come to them far
more proftably in the immense IN
crease Of production. Farms that are
now idle would be brought into cnlti-
yationr; and farms that are now under
cultivation would have their products
increased. The State of Delaware is
small it is situated within easy access
Of three Of the greatest cities upon the
continent and there is no reason,
save the lack Of knowledge Of its peo-
pie, Of their power and their failure
to concentrate their energies to mar
ket their products to the best possible
advantage to bring about such q state
Of affairs that the State of Delaware is
not now q garden from Wilmington
to Delmar. There is scarcely an acre
Of it that could not easily be made
productive; the climate Is genial, the
rmoistureis always sufficient to pro-
duce crops and over most Of it, q
piece Of pipe driven anywhere in any
part OF the field, or lot, or road, or
wood, fifteen to twenty feet into the
earth, will give to the enterprislng
man who drives it an unlimited sup
ply Of water. But Delaware can
never be rich 50 long as her farmers
are forced into such an unfair conpe.
/ tition with the farmers Of the other
sections Of the country, that she il
| now forced into by the avarice of cor.
| porations.
The farmers of Delaware pay more
| per mile for the transportation Of
| their products to the markets possibly
than any other section Of the globe ,
| unless, indeed, it be some mountain
country they certainly pay more per
mile for the transportation of their
l fruits and succulents than is paid for
| the transportation Of grain in India
where it is carried down from the
mountain valleys upon the backs Of
| the Ryots. There is no reason why
| this should be. ] understand rail
| road company has recently put out .
statement that the railroad system o
| Delaware shows an apparent loss las
year in operations, Of something like
100000. Why they did not mak'
| it $4,000 is not quite clear. A ca
load Of peaches is gathered up in thu
State of Delaware at Townsend ant
sent to New York market. Tht
charge upon it is about one hundred
dollars. The distance In Delaware
over which the car passes is abou
| one.ffth of the distance that the ca
| goes before it reaches its destination
Consequently the efficient railroad
accountant assumes that the amour
) to be credited to the Delaware rail
road upon that car load is never mor'
than one fifth, perhaps one-tenth 0
what they got. Delaware railroad i
credited, we will say. with ten dollars
| and the rest Of the Pennsylvania sys-
tenn with ninety dollars which come
| from car load of fruit. By that sys
| tenn of book. keeping, it is very eas,
i to show a deficit from operating th
Delaware road every year. 1t is
good time now for the legislature t.
ask the Pennsylvania railroad to se
price upon their property in tn
Delaware railroads. Perhaps tn
State can buy them cheap. As the.
are so unremunerative to that railroad
company they doubtless will part witt
their Delaware interest for quite
small price. JAS. A. B. DILwoRTH.