264 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT J OR, 



" For terms of leases of Schuylkill Navigation and 

 Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad and 

 branches, see ' Manual' for 1871-72. 



" For nature of the consolidation of the Mahanoy & 

 Shamokin Railroad, the Northern Liberties & Penn 

 Township Railroad, and the Lebanon & Tremont Rail- 

 road, with the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Com- 

 pany, see < Manual' for 1872-73. 



" On the 1st of January, 1872, a formal lease and con- 

 tract was entered into, by which the possession of the 

 Susquehanna Canal, extending from Columbia to the 

 tidewater on Chesapeake Bay, passed to this company, 

 at an annual rent equal to the interest upon the debt 

 of the Canal Company, and one-half of the net profits 

 of operating the canal, after deducting rents and the 

 cost of all improvements; provided that during and 

 after the year 1880 the annual rent to be paid in addi- 

 tion to the amount of interest shall not be less than a 

 sum equal to three per cent, upon the present capital 

 of the Canal Company. 



"On the 10th of October, 1872, the Philadelphia & 

 Reading Railroad Company entered into a lease with 

 the Catawissa Railroad Company for its entire line from 

 the junction with the Little Schuylkill Railroad to 

 Williamsport, including the contracts of the latter com- 

 pany with the Sunbury & Erie and the Lehigh & Ma- 

 hanoy Railroads, the Empire Transportation Company, 

 and the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, for 999 

 years, from November 1, 1872; the Philadelphia & 

 Reading Railroad Company agreeing to pay the interest 

 on the bonds and such other sum as shall equal 30 per 

 cent, of the gross earnings, being not less than $77,000 

 on the 1st days of May and November, 1873 ; $89,000 



