The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-12-15
RAILROAD TALK.

dent f. W. Cram.
The Twentieth Century Club held its
annual meeting at the Bangor House
Tuesday night, Dec. 18th. After the
supper addresses were made by Col. F.
E. Boothby, of the Maine Central, and
President Franklin w. Cram of the
Bangor & Aroostook. Col. Boothby in
closing made the following reference to
new railroads:
had thought that on the completion
of the Washington County railway,
Maine had all the railroads needed and
some industries are sure to spring up
with the help of the good people who
live along its line to the betterment of
that county with its grand name, even
if it is only in the summer resort line,
for, as DIR. Bartol has said: "While the
Lord lets the population grow so that
now we claim S0,000,0O0 yet He is not
increasing the extent of the seacoast, -
the best part of which is right here in
eastern Maine. The time is probably
not far distant when the ST. Croix will
be bridged, affording another line in
connection with what already exists
from Maine to st. John. The Somerset
railway is now at work to extends its
line from Bingham to Moosehead Lake,
and the Waterville, Wiscasset & Farm
ington is looking with longing eyes to
see how they may bridge the Kennebec
and extend their line to Franklin cove.
Lately much talk has been made with
reference to the extension of the Ban
gor & Aroostook to tide water Whether
this might not result in the extension
of other lines into Aroostook county is
problematical.
Col. Boothby's address was spiced
with numerous clever little anecdotes
which served to vastly entertain his
listeners. He told the story of the
young man who remarked to a very
charming girl that in future there
would be but 25 letters in the alphapet,
"when . and | are made one," and
added:
81 have sometimes hoped to say the
same thing to my brother Cram-to
lessen the railroad alphabet in Maine
by making his road and mine but one ~
(Which one?" asked several voices:
and, i'll the laughter which followed,
Col Boothby's reply-supposing there
was reply at all-became inaudible.
President Grams address was both
practical and suggestive, but we can
only quote his closing remarks, as fol-
lows:
Finally: Maine needs that every ave-
nue. possible shall be opened, and kept
open, for the marketing of its lumber,
produce, slate, granite, ETC., etc. They
are what are called coarse products"
the great ultimate money value is not
in them, but rather in the aggregate of
expense for putting them into market
able form and moving them to where
they can be marketed. Accordingly all
savings which may with justice to the
transportation companies be made to
the shipper should tend to encourage
the utilization of a great deal which has
been and is now being wasted. There
are instances where, if nothing more
than the cost of marketing slabs, ETC.,
was assured to manufacturers it would
make, on close market, all the differ
ence between success and failure. In
other words, the cost of wasting-let
alone the magnitude of the WASTES
serious. One railroad company was Of
fered fifty cents per cord for permission
to throw edgings onto cars.
If anything can be said to impress
upon the people of Maine as a whole
the magnitude and richness of their
God-given resources, and the profitless-
ness of sectional preferences or preju-
dlces, it will help. We want the family
idea: All Maine for Maine. If, once
impressed, they will remain SO, and live
up to and into the creed, the railroad
facilities can readily be strengthened
and expanded, every railroad company
IN the State participating must become
stronger to help the family, and there
cannot fail to be such an advance as
never before: one which may, as it
ought, end discussion upon the posi-
bllity of New England's commercial
decline.