Political Economy Club. 1 1 3 



ported from Liverpool to London, for one-half the rate 

 charged upon English grain from points near Liverpool 

 — I give this as one instance out of hundreds. The 

 defence of the railway company is that unless they 

 carry the foreign article at half rates the ships will 

 carry it to London direct, or that it will go by sea from 

 Liverpool. I attended a meeting of the Political 

 Economy Club, in London, where the question of legis- 

 lative interference with railway charges was ably dis- 

 cussed. The prevalent opinion seemed to be that it was 

 doubtful whether the evils could be cured by legislation. 

 Being called upon to state our experience here, I gave 

 them an account of the unwise policy pursued by the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad Company (now happily reversed) 

 at Pittsburgh and its consequences ; for the great riot in 

 Pittsburgh had for its real source the practice of the 

 Railway Company of carr^ang the manufactures of the 

 East, from New York and Philadelphia, through the 

 city of Pittsburgh to the West for less than it would 

 carry the same articles for from Pittsburgh, although 

 the distance was twice as great. Many such anomalies 

 as this still exist in England. 



The members seemed interested in hearing that the 

 result was that the railway company finally agreed that 

 in no case should the rates to and from the shorter ex- 

 ceed those charged for the greater distance, and Pitts- 

 burgh manufactures are now taken East and West at 

 ten per cent, less than the through rates between 



