New-York tribune., 1903-02-04
TO ENRICH NEW-Y0R
BARGE C4N4L THE WAY.
Otheruise. Merchants Say, Port S
Prestige Is Threatened.

Albany. Feb. s. The first hearing on lne
canal question this afternoon before the joint
canal committee Of both houses was the Bost-
wfck-Davis bill which would submit 70 the people
At the general election the project of issuing
bonds exceeding Ss2.ocooao to enlarge the tr1e
oswego and ChanpIain canals into 12-foot canals
available for l.eo1-tpn harses. and to change
the present the Erie that IL will follow
the Seneca River. onnn2asa and Oneida lakes ana
the Mohawk River.
Among those rresers in favor OF the bill were
George Clinton Major F. ". Synlons and Georse
II. RAYMOND. OF Rt-Telo. Gustav II SchWao,
Captain X. Z. Cleary y. F. King. s c Mead ano
" A Marble. Of the Canal Association o. Ireat-
O. Nep--York: Clarence Whitman. H ID. Dumon''
II. y Lockwood and F. F. Woodward. OF the Mer-
chants Association all Of New-York. ana r D.
Clarke president of the-Oswego Chamber Of COM
rneroe.
Assenblynnan Bostvyick explained the bill in de-
tail and fled number Of documents throwing
light on the question. He spoke briefly on 'he
history Of the present proposition
Richard Lamb Of New York. formerly an engi-
reer for Cooper Hewitt & Co. spoke in favor Of
electric haulage He said much smaller sum than
So on would provide smaller canal. ana that
e better system motive power would without so
great expense achieve ali necessary results
William r. Morris, OF Fort Ann for the Cnan1-
plain Canal Enlargement League spoke in faVor
OF the enlargement Of the Chan1Ilaln oanai Oh ="
basis as generous as that Of the Erie
1ohr I Plat OF Poughkeepsie. declared that the
rsssac5 Of this bill would be an act OF pao Ial'l
party had declared in favor q l@o-ton canal that
-he Republican party had in unnhstakahe IAN
c-lsee PLEDGED itself against any expenditure n
1olvine 2 direct He argued that the calal
men last year foreclosed the action Of this leGs-
laiure ley agreeing TO an amendment Of the con-
s-irlrfor providi-C that canal moneys may ne
raised hv indirect taxation
There vas 2 tilt between Mr. Platt and Senator
Hawkins Of NeH-York. in which The former as
te~ted that Governor Oden had assured him per
hat he OF n
this Eesr.
George Clinton Of Buffalo who was member
of the Rocse-et Canal Commission. spoke IN FAVOR
Of 1he bill He denied the assertion OF Mr. Lamb
with reference TO efficient electric propulsion IN
o-foot canal on the ground that no ehectlVe
method Of electric propulsion had yet been devised
He argued that 12-foot canal was needeo lot
rnv mode Of traction. and that every methoo OF
propulsion MAS covered by patents ans out OF lhe
peoples reach. He said the canal would be a MOD
if,-jns factor in freight rates. which had been
enascuated by the failure of canal improvement 10
l7-ep race With railroad improvement The I'M
proved canal would restore the line Of least re-
sistance along which commerce would return to
Aerr-Ycrk.
Gustav H schwab followed Mr.. schwab fully
a. lived the entire canal situation particularly
With reference TO his view OF the reasons 1or 'he
great proportonste decline which he said had taken
mace in the commerce OF the port Of New-1ork as
oompared with other important eastern seaports
Our Canadian neighhors' he added. by wisely
:rrrnyiuc canals have kept down their trelght
rates and thus have able 10 compete effective
IL with New York TO the latter's injury.
Steamship rates have been very low and the
transoceanic traffic has been exceedingly cheap
but the inadequacy canal facilities. both actually
and in effect upon rates. has lost TO New-Kork
port and State the immense advantage thus
brought all but within reach
Lake and canal transportation have not kept
Pace with the advance in science and the me-
hanical arts whereas the railroads have been alert
i1fTO T7Gp no i'm
we are firmly OF the opinion that any less com
tory that while the of money required 10
put this into execution is large, yet the resources
Of the state of NeW-1ork are SO eholiIous ula'
Mr. SchUab held that railroads have uniformly
benefited from paTallelng canal systems and C1ted
European instances 10 prove his case In closing
he quoted q speech Of Senator DepeW- as president
Of ihI New York Central and Hudson River Rail
road. effect that the canal competition brings
business to the railroads $780,
Major Thomas ". Symons. Of the Cnlteo states
Engineering Corps. spoke especially OF the en-
sineering features OF the project He said the
estimates had made so carefully ana eh-
hauetfvely that there could be doubt that
$50 eIo 600 would be amply sufficient for the work
George H. Raymond quoted hguTes 10 sho" c tha1
were from New York and Buffalo; that the coun-
chiefly opposed TO the canal received from the
point he Inc following nSures:
Duchess receives Sl1l.2l2, pays ss.a20- St Law
renee receives ses $50 pays si62oO; Monroe receives
359o3. pays Sl34 400 .OnondaSa receives S3+J5s2
pays sI44.2ao: Montgomery receives S9ol7s. pays
SO zoo: Madison receives S92eS pays Sl3S9e: Rens-
eeIser receives SOC 7g3 paws $40: Oneida receives
sSs gao: Columbia sS7.os5. pays s2S9s0; On
tario receives t11s694, pays S2o,S4o, and Chemung
receives sl2S560. pays S30.s6o
Captain Cleary. OF New ork also spoke.