The Portland daily press., 1899-09-06
ST. JOHN AND THE srEAmsuIPs.

4 ST. JOHN AND THE sTEAmsiIPs.
Sc. John IL still AgitRted over the
winter steamship service. and certainly
the situation 10 such as to afford reason.
able ground for fearing that It will moi
have any at all or very mnoh less than
it has been accustomed to have for
some years past. The trouble is not with
tae steamship companies, but with Can
ada's subsidized railroads, the Canadian
Pacific and Intercolonial. The Allan,
Dominion and Donaldson companies ara
ready to send their ships thsro provided
cargoes are assured. Only the railroad
companies can give this assurance, and
up 20 ths presont time neither OF them
has done so, though frequently appealed
to Their attitude. has been evasive, and
not at all encouraging, as will be seen
by the following extract from q report
which tho President of a steamship
line made TO the acting deputy minister
of trade and commerce at Ottawa.
I'VE have seen the freight traffic manager
Of the @. p. r., Mr.. g. M. Bosworth,
who said that their sending agents 20
Manitoba and elsewhere In the west TO
push business via Boston was correct, and
the road expected to do n large business
via that port during coming winter. In
reply to our question as DO how this
would affect st. John, he said he could
say nothing about St. John at present.
Our reply was that time was running on,
and that 1t would be absolutely necessary
for us to know before long IL the q. p.
X. meant TO give the steamers nc ST John
grain end general cargo as heretofore,
because. II not, we would require to en-
- a.. G~.I
abandon the service. which latter we
thought we could do without loss, as
there was good demand and profit able
employment offering for steamers else
where. Mr.. Bosworth said that such
might be the case, but he could give no
answer at present, but on our urging him
he went and placed the matter before the
general manager, MIR. Shaughnessy, re-
turning with the same reply, that no ar
ranpement was possible at present.
MIR. Bosworth further said that things
had changed good deal as regards the
Canadian Pacific Railways business and
interests in st. John. In the past he said
they had been able to obtain from st.
John and district between there and Hall
fax good deal of westhound freight
which helped them, but by q new ar.
rangement made by the Canadian govern
ment this seemed likely TO be lost, the
result of which would be that cars carry
ing lfelHub 70 ot. JOnu WOuiu require 10
return empty, thereby making IL almost
impossible to carry on the St. John ocean
steamship business except at a loss, and
such business they did not want.
just as unsatisfactory is the attitude of
the Intercolonial road.
The St. John Sun ascribes the trouble
to the Montreal extension, the purchas e
Of the Drummond railway and the deal
with Grand Trunk. 1t says:
Until new situation was created by
the Drummond railway aud the deal with
the Grand Trunk the prospects were good
for a gradual growth OF the winter port
trade at st. John. The present difficulty
is connected with that transaction. The
policy which now prevails regards the
Intercoionial route by the North shore
as the main line and the railway from
Moncton to ST, John as branch. This
seems to Us TO be radical defect in the
policy, for the true and natural route of
traffic between points on the Atlantic
seaboard and all western Canada Is by
the direct course through this city. Be-
tween points in the gulf oUast or the
st. Lawrence valley and then west the
other route is the natural one. MIR. Blair
may be able to change these normal con-
ditions. But he must not be allowed to
destroy the winter export trade through
Canadian ports In order co carry out the
terms of bis surrender to the Grand
Trunk. The acceptance of the Grand
Trunk as a national road is as far as he
should go. A line must be drawn short
of Portland as he Canadian winter port