Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-11-16
BOSTON MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
HoIds Annual Dinner-Kos. WIN. P. FTe One
Of the Speakers.

Boston. Nov. 15-The annual dinner OF
the Boston Merchants Association was
held. this evening, in Hotel VendoIne.
The subject for discussion was THE Gen
eral Improvement of Boston harbor, and
it drew as large gathering of the solid
men of the state as the immense dining
hall could accommodate. Prior to the
banquet there was reception in the par
lors.
After dinner there were speeches by
Lieut. Gov. Wolcott, Collector Warren and
Senator Frye of Maine, who said, In part
Mr.. President and Gentlemen-I com
ply with pleasure with request made me
hy your president that / would speak gen
erally ON the subject OF river and harbor
since the close of the civil war the in
| crease of our domestic commerce has been
margelous-withouta parallel In the his
| torv of the nations. 1t has been estimated
tbat in the year 1892, we transported frui. s
| of our own labor TO the inconceivable VALUE
of s45, 900, 600, 600, over nearly 175, Z
miles of railroad, almost one-half Cf tte
railway mileage Of the world, and by
about !, 900, coo tons Of documeDted and
uudocumented vessels fleet twice greater
than the combined fleets of Great Britain,
France Germany and Spain employed IN
like trade
Now water transportation cest' py
steam one-ffth and by sail one-tenth OF
that by rail. Between San Francisco anu
Europe, a voyage of u, 900 miles. tne
charge for carrying grain Is from Sou 90
$40 ton, of from .05 to .067 Of cent
ton mile. Wheat Is ordinarily carried
from New York to Liverpool for s2 ton,
or .f)f6 of a cent a ton mile. Isn't it ap-
parent to any one that our water competj
ton has been an amazing factor in com
uellipe this enormous reduction in freight
cargoess
How are we to reduce rates still more
do not believe the railroads can carry for
less, unless some new motive power Is
used. II reduction is to be had, water
ways must be the instruments, l think
the intelligent business men Of this coun-
try realize that facilities for garbage by
water must be inceased with the view
that thus only can freight rates be further
reduced.
1t seems to be the general judgm6 mt
that the opening up Of the Nicaragua
canal would greatly reduce rates and
enormously extend our commerce, both
foreign and domestic. 1t would certainly
shorten the distance between New York
and San Francisco 10, 900 miles, bring
Alaska 5000, the Hawaiian Islands 1000.
Hong Kong 1000, Yokohama 5000 and
Valparaiso 700 miles nearer Boston than
it now is to San francisco.
The SueZ canal was no benefit to us. 1t
reduced the distance between Liverpool
and the Mediterranean ports, the East
Indies, Australia, China and Japan about
5000 miles, but while before it was con-
structed we were as near these countries
as Great Britain was, afterward we were
from 5000 to 5000 miles farther off
English commerce with these countries
responded to this condition at once. From
1870, the year the Suez canal was opened,
to 1888, her commerce with the Orient in
creased 40 per cent. while with the rest
of the world the increase was only II per
cent.
The opening Of the Nicaragua canal
would almost reverse the conditions. We
should then be as near Hong King as Eng
land, 1900 miles nearer all the northern
ports of China than she, 1900 miles nearer
Japan, 1000 miles nearer Australia. We
should once more be brought in touch with
500, 900, 900 of the people of the East.
The benefits of this canal to our domes-
tic commerce must be even greater than
to our foreign. Today, the products of the
East seek the great states of California,
Oregon and Washington. and those of the
West, the Atlantic ports, through the
transcontinental railroads, subject to q
freight charge of from $40 to $50 a ton, or
by steamer through the strait of Magellan,
at the rate of SI2 to Sl4 ton, or by sail
around the Horn at a rate of SO to S12.
Now the time between New York and San
Francisco for freight by rail Is from 25 to
30 days by steamer 45 to so days, By sail
from 10 to 1870 days.
When the canal is completed the length
of the voyage between the same points by
steam will be reduced to Is or 20 days; by
sail to 80 or 40 days, with reduction Of
about one third on freight charges. San
Francisco, the mouth of the Columbia
river, and Puget sound, will be more than
10, 600 miles nearer New York than now,
II 600 miles nearer our Gulf ports; by
water, too, where the cost of freight "a =
riage is from onc-ffth to one-tenth that
by rail.
Remmeber, too, that the cost of freight
ing lumher across the continent now by
rail is absolutely prohibitory, while on
wheat, wool and canned goods it closely
approaches confscation. Consider that a
ship. today, loaded with the lumber of
Oregon bound for the shipyards of Maine
takes for the voyage 1870 days, charges for
freight sig a thousand, while by this canal
she can make the same voyage in 10 or 90
days and net more money at So a thous-
and; that II steamer can pass over the
same route in 20 days. Is It open to doubt
that the canal will give tremendous i'm
pulse to our coastwise trade; that the
states on the Pacific slope will enormously
increase In ponnlation and wealth.