The Newtown bee., 1905-06-09
Ten Pages.
EDITORIAL. INK DROPS.

Botsford, May 31, 1905.
 Editor of VIEWPOINT BEE,
 Dear Sir: In your issue of May 26 l find under the head of Editorial Ink Drops your endorsement of the views of the New Haven Leader in regard to the demurrage laws of Connecticut. Now. MT Editor, it is one thing to sit in your editorial chair and write for the benefit of monopoly and trust com panies and it is another thing to get up and unload car of from 25 to 35 tons of feed in the limited time of AS If you had it to do am sure you would sing different song after little ex- perience. Now in the first place the railroad company cannot move the freight that is offered to them, on ac- count of not having motive power to do the work (they say so themselves, when 1t takes from six to ten days to get car from Harlem river to Bots ford after it has been ordered out. This ought to show you that it is not the fault of the demurrage law. which gives the receiver of freight 96 hours to unload his car after it arrives at it's destination, but the fault of the rail- road company, and I wish to call your attention to the fact that in Danbury, the past winter, receivers of freight have told me that after their cars have arrived there and in the railroad the company to place the cars so they could unload them, in from six to ten days. Is this the fault of the demurrage law that President Mellen has so much to say about, and which you wish to have repealed so as to put the rec ivers of freight to the expense of paying an extra amount of freight on each car. Now wish to say to you that it would be simply impossible for any one that has to cart their feed or gram from one to two miles to get it out in AS hours without 3 great deal of extra expense, which suppose you are will ing they should pay so this rich com pany can put more money in their pockets. Another thing wish to call your attention to is that have known cars to stand on the track from one to five days after they have been unloao- ed, and have also known the railroad company to load these same cars with wood and other local freight and send them off over their own lines instead of returning them to the other rail road so they could go back where they belong. Now, MT Editor, is this the fault of this demurrage law that Pres ident Mellen finds so much fault with, and which you think should be re- pealed, or is it the fault of the Con- SOlidated railroad company that wants to control everything that comes in it's way? I think, MT Editor, you show very bad taste in advocating the re- peal of this law, for it would make an extra expense to every receiver of freight and cause the goods to cost more to the consumers of flour and grain. Another thing, suppose it storms; no one can handle grain or feed in wet weather without damage. The railroad company make no pro- vision in such cases. You might as we'll say, why stop passenger trains long enough for passengers to get on or of? it would be just as sensible, as not to give receivers of freight reasonable time to unload their goods. :! never had to pay any trackage in my 4O years experience in business, but if this law is repealed shall have to be- gin to do so with my first car. Now, MT Editor, think if you would talk with ths freighters on the different lines of the railroad company you would change your opinion in regard to this whole matter.
 Respectfully,
 Henry B. Coger.
 While the editor of THE BEE cherishes the highest regard for his friend, MT Coeer, he finds himself differing on the question at issue. We that the manufacturers of as a rule desire that the present law should be altered so that the detention of cars should be limited to three days instead of four as at present. In a convincing speech before the Legislative Committee President Mellen pointed out that the New York & New Haven road could for itself stand the present law going to the legislature for relief tnasmuch as the company had in it's hands the simple remedy of raising freight rates so that they could offset 'he drain on the roads reserves made ~ASS' oAA0OAS oy oh uAJuou law. I1cSI- lent Mellen declared that he asked for 'he change in the demurrage law al- most wholly in the interests of the patrons of the railroad and as the lead ng patrons have declared themselves % be in concurrence with the railroad 'eople in regard to, the matter, the 'ase for a change in the demurrage aw to meet the requirements of pres- mt conditions is certainly a very 'trong one. In this connection we ind THE BEES position upheld by uch leading journals as The Hartford )ourant, New Haven Leader and Reg ster, and Hartford Times, Bridgeport l 1armer and Standard, Torrington Register, New Milford Gazette nd other papers. THE uBEE loes not claim to be infallible, but we ertainly think MT Mellen's conten- ions sound and reasonable.
 TOWN TOPICS.