New-York tribune., 1899-07-16
CANAL FREIGHT IN PACKAGES.
ERAsTUs wIMAN WRITES A LETTER TO CHARLE



A. sCHIEREN.
Erastus Wiman has written the following letter
to Charles a. schieren:
Charles A. Schieren, Chairman Of the State Com
Sir: / am glad 10 see that the Commission pro-
poses devote a session to the investigation OF the
freightage on flour by the Erie Canal,
east bound and its meagreness westbound. on this
great waterway Is a calamity which the commerce
in by SoG the m m 9 resard to the
decline Of commerce, and especially as to the in
grain trade. moments reflection will convince
the Commission that while 1t is very important
that the export trade in grain at this point should
be encouraged, 1t Is fact that not one person IN
hundred in New-York has any direct interest li IN
the grain business our peop'e 90 not eau Wheas s
or corn oats. and II matters not to the rank ana
file of the populace whether gram arrives mere re- IN
it here. But to the three millions Of bread eaters
I'm New York, mostly poor, the question as 10 the
price Of freghtage on -four is OF enormous I'M
portance. -
wasteful method than is now adopted in relation
TO the frelghtage. receipt and delivery OF this
what II ought to cost now TO deliver -four from
buffalo at the foot Of the lake, which 1t reaches
miles by water, for the remaining hve nuhured
miles 1t is carried hither by rail-, and when re-
intolerable The delivery OF -four in the city from
points of receipt at the Battery to ne-hundIedr
rate per barrel than from Duluth to Buffalo, one
thousand miles But before it crosses the river
depot of the New-York Central transfer tax In
the shape Of ghterage is equal to the freight from
Duluth to Buffalo.
II is not at all improbable that the bread eaters
OF New-York paying NOWOO yearly more 1cr
their flour than they need to pay II the Erie Canal
could be used for it's transportation. and It's dis
trlbution can be made from points along; each
shore reachabe by canal boats. Instead OF from
fixed railroad centres with lghterage charges
greater than is exacted for similar service eSe
A startling circumstance has occurred during tnee
week In the fact that the steam engines requlreS o
New-York. involving an expenditure or over *Zco-
go are TO- De fTom th noint nv witch they
are to be used why is 1t that the home or the
Corliss engine has been transferred to Milwaukee: :
There is no natural assembaSe OF iron or coal at
Milwaukee any more than at New-York & yet ,0 the ,
citizens OF New-York are to pay out &oo"o to
milwaukee The reason is that food IS cheap In
Milwaukee and dear in New York its 1earness r,,s
in the city and especially by the fact that while
the railroads last year carried ten m1 Ths
result was that the Ave railroads from Bunalo 10
eSaG,sd yad wnpt charges T ON $50 COO with
maintalnance and ,ighterage. while they parameI
no axed charges which maintained by the state.
and the freight on which being a.enny aS". no hch
no charge FOR llghterage. ana the delVery OF wnen
can be made to any point on the front OF the city
without any extra charge ,.,., rho, vo,, will
c,vc q thorough Investigation to the necessity
OF making ample provision Tor restoration oi 'he
| flour traffic on the Erie Canal ,,.., ,
| But for freight In packages there are huhdred
| Of other articles deharred from freghtage on this
| great waterway New-York. Of AL things In the
| world needs the cheapest possible freight rates
mr0oss,h,ound which tho Erie Canal alone fur
nish together with the cheapest carriage OF food
which II also alone can AFFORD. Without some such
amendrnent i'm our economic condition the Indus
! frjal doom of New-York IL sealed For with taxes
| averaging As n head for ever man woman anu
cbtId in The CITY. with costly charges for transfer
across the North River with congested and slow
delivery I'm the CITY, there Is no hope unless the
restoration 10 the Erie Canal Of package freight IL
| effected. " .,. - Ill, AL,
/ this matter no with the same Intelligent interest
! which the decline IN the grain trade nus evoked
and broaden the most important inquest, which ihe
| Commerce Commission IL now engaged IN WIN
! high regard ! am, truly yours, ,,., ,,,,,,,,,