The Portland daily press., 1899-07-06
RAILWAY MATTERS.
THE RAILROAD COMPLICATIONS
IN CANADA.

An Ottawa letter TO the Montreal Star
attacks very strongly. a biil.now pending
in the Canadian Parliament on the
ground that 1t fayors too much the Grand
Trunk and Portland:
II Is possible that the objectionable
features in the Intercolonisl-Grand Trunk
traffic arrangement which Ia now before
the Senate for ratification. will be SO
modified that it will pass the Upper
House.
The new agreement between Mr.. Blair
and the Grand Trunk which the Senate
is now discussing contains clauses which
were not in the old one Briefly stated.
thesei eiclausesgprovid for the incorporation
in the agreement Of a supplemental traffic
arranaem snt whereby the Grand Trunk
covenants to hand over all traffic originate
ing upon its system or connections west
Of Montreal and destined to IntercolonIai
points to the Intercoionial at Montreal,
the Grand Trunk forfeitine the haul over
its own line to Chaudiere, in part con-
sideration for the $40, 600 year which it
receives from the government. In re-
turn, the Iatercolonial covenants on its
part to route via Montreal and the Grand
Trunk all unconsignsd traffic originating
upon the Intercolopial or its connections
and destined to points west Of Nor treal
that can be reached by the Grand Trunk
and by the connections OF the Grand
Trunk. And this interchange Is to last
for period of ninety mine years, that is
to say, during the life Of the main con-
tract between the Interoolonlai and the
Grand Trunk, whereby the former OBJ
tains the use Of the latter's line from st.
RosaIie, where the Drummond road be.
gins. TO Bonayenture station, in Mon
treal.
Should this new arrangement become
law, it is obvious that the relations ex-
listing between the Canadian Pacific and
the ports of St John and Halifax must
forthwith come to an end. MIR. Blair Is
practically serving notice on the Cana
dian Pacific that hereafter there is no
future for 1t in the Maritime Provinces,
that It Is no longer to obtain any west
bound traffic originating there The
Canadian Pscific has made the winter
port to st. John what 1t is, ny hauling
wheat and other freight thither In compe.
tition with the Grand Trunk line to Port
land. The distances to st. John and Port.
land, respectively, are as follows; Mon
treal to Portland. by Grand Trunk 297
miles; Montreal TO st. John by O. p. r.,
4s1 miles.
The Canadian Pacific has to carr
wheat aud package freight to st. John for
the same rate as the Grand Trunk charges
to Portland, although Its haul, as will
be observed, is 1s4 miles longer. To put
it differently, Canadian Pacitc car
starting from Montreal laden with freight
for St. John has to travel thsrs and back
and about 7S0 miles farther than Grand
Trunk car laden with freight for Port
land, yet the Canadian Pacific is obliged
from the nature Of the case to aooept the
rate which the Grand Trunk makes TO
Portland. 1t Is notorious that there is
little or no profit on the freight thus car
ried to st. John by theiCanadian Pacific
from ST.. John, Halifax, or any other
point Within the Intercolonial system.
All the freight originating upon the sys-
nine years to the Grand Trunk, which is
actually engaged in building up Portland
at the expense of Halifax and st. John
This being the case, 1t will no longer be
possible for the Canadian Pacific to at
tempt to foster st. John ana Halifax, as
against the Grand Trunks efforts to fos-
ter Portland. Nothing will remain for
President Shaughnessy but to pull stakes
at st. John and establish the winter ter
minal OF the Canadian Pacific at Boston.
Boston has the advantage of distance
over st. John; it is 842 miles from Mon
treal, whilst st. John is 4S1.
The people Of st. John and Halifax are
Of course, vitality interested in this con-
troversy. twill be death. or, at any rate,
paralysis for them ii the Canadian Pa
oiac is forced to abandon them and go to
Boston. The responsibility will rest, how
ever, no&upon the Canadian Pacific, but
upon Mr.. Blair, or, IL 1t should pass this
contract into law, upon the Senate OF
Canada.
CROSSING All BEMIS.
At a hearing before the railroad com-
missioners Wednesday forenoon on the
mile extension of the Rumford Falls q
Rangeiey Lake Railway at Bemis and
two highwayIcrossings over the same road
at Roxbury, Hon. George ID. Biskbss
and Engineer Stratton appeared. The
commissioners gave their approval
HLNE SIS OF MR.. WADE.
Mr.. l.. c. Wade. for many years oity
editor of tha PRESS Ia an MT aha Naive