The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05


York Allies. Takes ~ Cents n Ton
tribute From Canal Grain-Ftve
oy Them Don't Have to Work
How They BEAT the Ontario Route.
BrpYALo. July 4.-As the swift steamer
~ The Northern Steamship Company
ybeeled from her dock tonight. Gov.
BENJAMIN B. Odell, Jr.. stood ON her upper
dsck viewing the harbor from which he
ras taking leave of the State of New York
sor his months vacation in the West.
Over the city the flaming rocket and the
mrlti-colored bomb were trying to paint
m the purple tone of the sky the towns
oppreciarion of Independence Day. From
many quarters came the strains Of music.
some near and some distant. some drowned
In the roar Of the cannon or cast out Of
harmony by the sharper sound of the fire.
cracker. Near by on the deck OF heavily
laden excursion boat just putting in from
narodv called when You and I We're
Going Through the Guy" This compost
ton. which in day has leaped into popular
fame hereabouts. is said to be the work
Of new adventurer in the field of music
who wrote it while he was a poor clerk
in a big grocery house in NewbHrgh. 1t
is dedicated to the Governor.
Turning from the field Of color ashore
the Governor could see around him In the
harbor the stanchest supporters Of the
proposition to spend SOL ,00O, 900 for an
enlarged canal Twenty-three elevators
lifted their bleak, black sheet iron sides
from the waters edge. Scattered through
the harbor they stand, some. the giants
the eye travels to James ]. Hills monster,
which can store more than 5000, 900 bushels
of grain in it's capacious belly. They have
fought among each other in the past, warred
for the business, cut rates. been put to
sorry discontinue by the floating elevator
pirates; but now they are banded together.
All but two are combined in the Western
Elevating Association, apportioning the
business and dividing the profits according
10 an agreement which does not calculate
the quantity Of grain handled by any one.
The rate for elevating is as high as the
law OF the State Of New York permits.
Only few months ago bill was offered
AZ Albany to limit the charge for the steam
shoves used in trimming the cargoes in
the boats TO so cents a thousand bushels.
The price then being charged was $l.2O a
thousand bushels. When, on the last day
of the Legislature, the bill issued from
committee the figures had been changed,
making the rate $3.50 thousand bushels,
or 30 cents more than the pool had been
charging before any limitation had been
placed by the Legislature. Allied with
the lighterage combine at New York these
elevators put tax Of 70 cents a ton on
every shipment of grain down the Lakes
and by canal to New York. With the grain
tonnage Of the canal increased to 10, 900 900
bushels per annum the elevator pool would
take in 37sOO,OOO.
While the grain receipts at the port of
Buffalo this year have been far heavier
than for the same period last year, Ave of
the elevators have not put a leg into vessel
thus far and probably will go through the
season without working. But the stock
holders in these properties will draw the
same fat dividends as if the elevators were
working; for the floating elevator. the
medium of sharp competition, has been
driven from the harbor and the two ele-
vators not in the pool provide but insgnifi-
cant competition.
The Richmond, recently leased by Thomas
NJ Ryan, the venerable pirate, who never
has been In the pool, needs repairs, and
hasn't started work this season. II is on
an island, Inaccessible to railroad ira ffic
and must depend on canal-boat business.
The Kellogg, owned by Spencer Kellogg,
president of the Commonwealth Trust Com
papv pofa Tx abara Of vciposS hv c,,tt;ptv
rates. II the Governor were to nvesti-
gate the elevator pool. he would learn that
they collect in charges thirty-three times
the cost Of running their elevators. If,
when in New York, he should look into the
hghterage charges, he would find that they
are now fourteen times greater than the
same charges in New Orleans and from
four to six times as much as at any other
seaport on the Allan tic coast.
II the Governor, in his meditations on this
quiet "Trip up he lakes, should canvass these
things he might understand why theee
allies az Buffalo and New York want slOl,-
100000 of the States money spent on a
larger waterway. II is only on canal grain
trade that they can extort these prices
II has no choice. 1t must pay these charges
Gates have told the Governor that the larger
ditch would mean tonnage Of 10000 900
season
The DAVIS act doesn't seem 10 look for
'har much II only provides that the
water supply for the enlarged canal shall
be sufficient for a tonnage of 100000
season. Should the tonnage reach
100000, the honest friends of the propo-
si'lon would have to concede the failure
Of the enterprise, but IL 100000 tons of
mat should be grain. the elevator pool
would gather in s3,12o,OO0 a year. True
'he State would be paying 5000, 600 year
Tor nifty year, to come TO assure this bust
ness for tbs elevators. No one else would
harvest any benefits To get these larger
dividends the elevators would be willing
70 vote away $500 900 900 Of public money.
Why n5r -
II was these huge elevators that argued
win the Governor when he was disposed
70 favor the Lake Ontario route for the
canal II was these elevat ors, repre-
scented by their well-paid stockholders.
mat said that tho representatives from
fre county would oppose any canal i'm
provement scheme which was projected
siohs that route. The Governor thought
lor a while that il would be well to save
%'MooOO by taking the route which would
'ake advantage Of Lake Ontario and he