﻿732 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  somewhat 
  greater 
  revenue. 
  The 
  commissioners 
  replied 
  to 
  this 
  

   communication 
  at 
  length, 
  giving 
  in 
  detail 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  toll 
  levied 
  

   on 
  different 
  articles 
  transported, 
  and 
  finally 
  concluded 
  with 
  the 
  

   statement 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  impossible 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  toll 
  

   materially, 
  because 
  the 
  articles 
  transported 
  were 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  

   taxed 
  all 
  they 
  would 
  stand. 
  If 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  toll 
  were 
  made 
  

   materially 
  greater, 
  many 
  articles 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  transported 
  on 
  the 
  

   canals, 
  but 
  would 
  go 
  by 
  other 
  channels, 
  as 
  by 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  

   river 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes. 
  The 
  State 
  would 
  thus 
  lose 
  the 
  

   benefit 
  derived 
  from 
  carrying 
  them. 
  

  

  About 
  1833 
  to 
  1835 
  railroads 
  began 
  to 
  attract 
  attention 
  as 
  

   means 
  of 
  transportation, 
  and 
  in 
  1835 
  John 
  B. 
  Jervis, 
  Holmes 
  

   Hutchinson, 
  and 
  Frederick 
  C. 
  Mills, 
  the 
  principal 
  canal 
  engineers 
  

   of 
  that 
  day, 
  were 
  instructed 
  to 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  relative 
  cost 
  of 
  

   transportation 
  on 
  canals 
  and 
  railroads. 
  In 
  an 
  introduction 
  to 
  

   their 
  report 
  by 
  William 
  0. 
  Bouck 
  and 
  Michael 
  Hoffman, 
  Canal 
  

   Commissioners, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  show 
  

   that 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  transportation 
  on 
  railroads 
  is 
  materially 
  

   greater 
  than 
  on 
  canals. 
  But 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  this 
  there 
  were 
  other 
  

   important 
  considerations 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  canals 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  A 
  canal 
  may 
  be 
  compared 
  to 
  a 
  common 
  highway 
  on 
  which 
  

   every 
  man 
  can 
  be 
  the 
  carrier 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  property, 
  therefore 
  

   creating 
  the 
  most 
  active 
  competition, 
  and 
  thus 
  reducing 
  the 
  

   expense 
  of 
  transportation 
  to 
  the 
  lowest 
  rates. 
  The 
  farmer, 
  mer- 
  

   chant, 
  and 
  manufacturer 
  can 
  avail 
  themselves 
  of 
  the 
  advantages 
  

   of 
  carrying 
  their 
  own 
  product 
  to 
  market 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  best 
  com- 
  

   porting 
  with 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  each 
  individual. 
  

  

  2) 
  Much 
  of 
  the 
  property 
  carried 
  on 
  the 
  canals 
  is 
  carried 
  by 
  

   transportation 
  companies, 
  although 
  the 
  largest 
  portion 
  is 
  carried 
  

   by 
  individuals 
  and 
  small 
  associations. 
  The 
  individual 
  who 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  the 
  carrier 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  product 
  has 
  the 
  advantage 
  of 
  paying 
  

   nearly 
  one-half 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  transportation 
  in 
  the 
  regular 
  

   course 
  of 
  his 
  business, 
  and 
  the 
  cash 
  disbursements 
  do 
  not 
  often 
  

   much 
  exceed 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  the 
  tolls. 
  To 
  the 
  farmer 
  the 
  profits 
  

   on 
  return 
  freight, 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  give 
  a 
  full 
  indemnity 
  for 
  

   the 
  expense 
  of 
  taking 
  his 
  cargo 
  to 
  market. 
  On 
  railroads, 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  the 
  proprietors 
  must 
  necessarily 
  be 
  the 
  carriers. 
  

  

  A 
  fixed 
  popular 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  principles 
  laid 
  down 
  by 
  

   Messrs. 
  Bouck 
  and 
  Hoffman 
  in 
  their 
  introduction 
  to 
  the 
  trans- 
  

  

  