Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-02-21
Business Men Are Wait
Ing With Interest
Effect Of Grand Trunks Ell.
fort 10 Enter Rhode Island.
PortIand's Business Seems to Be
Safe in Any Event.

Postum Feb. 20.--Will there be war
,c,reen tho New York. New Haven &
| ;artforG- Boston x Maine system anu
| he Grand Trunk Central Vermont al
| ;,ncesp This is a question when i'll
| ne present time is ct Intense interest
! . SINNERS and business men of the
| COW, I,np.and states and Canada. The
| ,,n;;cation for charter permitting
he Central Vermont Line at Palmer,
| Mass. to be extended to Providence,
recently submitted to the Rhode Island
| legislature by the Grand Trunk peo-
10 and comments on the situation by
| President Mellen of the New Haven
Railroad and President Charles NJ.
.iaves of the Grand Trunk have STIR
red political and business circles IN
hode Island, and it is expected not
able contest over the issue will be
fought out the state house at Provi-
! Dc nee.
Certain ode Island business inter-
| SITS favor the granting Of charter to
| ne Grand Trunk on the ground that
shippers are at the mercy of the New
| 1aven Road. the only one In that state.
| freight traffic the New Haven sys-
IN has an alliance with ;he Canadian
| tactic Railway, a competitor with the
Grand Trunk. The latter road con-
| ,rols the Central Vermont and the New
! london and Northern.
In Providence it is thought that the ex-
listing hostilties may lead to a break in
| the interchange of freight between the
Boston & Maine and Central Vermont at
White River Junction. The interest in
| the situation is in the fact that the pres
| ent the Central Vermont depends on the
Boston & Maine system for reaching Bos-
ton and a large part of New England. On
| the other hand. the Boston & Maine has
| three strings to it's bow for reaching Can
ada
Canadians are interested in the coming
struggle for the reason that the Grand
Trunk people, assisted by the Canadian
government, are building a new transcon-
tinental line. Portland, Me-, is the At
lantic winter port of the Grand Trunk
and if Providence is made another termi-
nus they fear that Canadian ports may
| lose some of the rapidly increasing grain
export trade to the Rhode Island city.
In a recent address here President Mel
| len of the New Haven system said no
reason occurred to him why the New Ha-
| ven and Boston & Maine should not con-
| tinus on friendly relations with the Cana
| dian roads. He added however: -
Should the long established relations
be endangered in the future, it will, | am
| sure be because of unprovoked attacks
| by Canadian lines upon the business of
| the New England roads. Such might
change the relations of both the New
Haven and Boston & Maine with their
| Canadian neighbors.
Certainly there will be no good reasons
for such attacks. and l have every reason
to believe that if they should occur, with
one great Canadian system at least the
relations of the New England roads might
become more intimate and closer than
heretofore
The lone great Canadian system re-
ferred to is the Canadian Pacific Rail-
road.
President Hayes, responding to Presi
dent Mellen's remarks said:
II cannot see what Mr. Mellen means
when he talks of unprovoked attacks of
the Canadian lines upon the business of
New England roads. The Central Yer
mont Railway is applying for this charter
for the southern New England company
at the request of the people of Rhode Is
land. who need this further outlet for
their business.
I'VE have no desire to attack the New
Haven or any other road, or bring about
any complication in our relations with
other New England systems. In fact, l
cannot quite understand what Mr.. Mellen
operate through that territory and ex-
change traffic with the New Haven at
several points. Our only object is this
New England business I do not see why
this extension should cause any antago-
nism on the part of the New Haven or
other New England roads"