The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-13
Mr.. MCIVER INTERVIEWED
SAYS He FINDS PEOPLE GENER
ALLY IN FAVOR OF SALE.
SOME FIGURES SHOWING FREIGHT CHARGES
The Advantages of the Roads Presented to a
Meeting of the Business Men OF Beau
fort. Some Interesting
Figures.


Morehead City, June Editorial
Correspondence. MIR. w. j. Edwards
and Mr. ID. T.. Mclvcr, of Sanford, have
been spending the week along the line
of the Atlantic and North Carolina rail
road discussing with the business men
the proposition made at the last Legisla-
turc by the Edwards syndicate to buy
the States interest i'll the Atlantic and
North Carolina. They addressed meet
ings of business men at Kinston, New
bern, Morehead City and Beaufort |
asked Mr.. McIver what he had learned
as to the sentiment of the business men
along the line of the road as to the plan
to sell the States interest in the road
and extend it to Sanford and on to
Western North Carolina.
Il find the people almost unanimous in
favor of the sale of the States interest
in the Atlantic and North Carolina Rail
road to the Edwards syndicate on the
terms offered by them to the State.
Il saw on yesterday freight receipt
showing charges of SS.G7 on a buggy
shipped by the Tyson Jones Buggy
Company Of Carthage. to a citizen of
Beaufort-another citizen of the same
town had Il buggy shipped from Chica-
90. and the freight charges were S3.9S.
\ large oyster dealer has removed his
plant from this place on account of eX-
cessive freight charges. We find that
it is often the case that the oysters
which the people of Central North Caro-
ELL
folk oysters at all, but are shipped from
here to Norfolk and sold as Norfolk
oysters. These people get 40 cents for
them. while Norfolk gets 80 cents.
'There are hundreds of facts of this
nature that will explain why Morehead
and Beaufort are not building up. The
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad is
cut off at Gol,lsboro by the Coast Line,
and these people are bottled up so far
as business with the interior is concern
ed.
Mr.. M'IVER AT BEAUFORT.
In speech made on Saturday to ii
meeting of business men in Beaufort,
Mr.. McIver. among other things, said:
1T has been the established policy of
the State for years, not to own, operate
or build any more railroads. State CON
troll and State management has been q
dismal failure whenever tried: that it
has been a failure with the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad goes without
saying. 1t is not the fault of the men
who have administered the affairs of the
railroad, it is the fault of the system.
What railroad, bank, business house
or other enterprise could be made a sue
cess with a change of its head and its
policy. as often as three times in two
years?
1T is settled beyond question that the
State will not extend the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad. As it now
stands it is nothing more or less than Il
branch of the Coast Line System. tap
ped at its two main shipping points,
Newborn and Kinston by the Coast Line
itself.
1T is to the interest of the existing
railroads passing through our State,
paraleling our coast to build up the
cities and ports of other States, their
own terminals.
"You have extremely low rates on
your incoming freight, but the trouble
is that you cannot develop the trade and
the business that you ought to ENJOY,
and command in the exterior of this
State by reason of the fact that you
are cut off at Goldsboro, and high local
tariff prevents your getting further
west to this trade.
your low freight rates from North
ern points are guaranteed to you, by
your water facilities, which no corpora
ton and no power can take away from
you.
Our first proposition is to buy the
States interest in the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad and pay fair
price for the same. in cash. Second, to
extend the said road at least one hun
dred miles westward from Colds
boro within four years, and to give to
the State such guarantee of the extern
sion as will be satisfactory to the
State.
'Third. To maintain and operate said
road and extension as line Independent
Of any other railroad or corporation
now operating a railroad in this State.
Fourth. To take care of the interest
Of the private stockholders and to abSc-
lutely guarantee that they shall be
unframed.
ut is well known that the State has
made repeated efforts to lease on easy
terms or to sell this road to one of the
great Southern systems.
I'VE do not believe it to be best for
the State that all its railroads should
be owned by the great railroad monopo-
lies of the country. Now a new and
entirely independent syndicate. to ne
manned, managed and controlled by