Answer. In former years when the production of clover-seed has been large, the shipments of that article have been great, and generally on through bills of lading, in quantity ranging from 30,000 to 70,000 bags of 24 bushels, and nearly all has gone via New York. The present season but little seed is going forward and more of corn for Europe, but the quantity is not large. None purchased by railway or steamer lines. The direct foreign shipments are nearly or quite all via New York and Boston and Portland; mostly via the two last named latterly. No large quantity the past year. Question 3. The relative importance of Toledo in comparison with other cities with respect to some of the principal commodities of commerce.

Answer. In flour and grain Toledo ranks as the second receiving-point from first hands. The statistics for several years past classifies the leading grain receiving and shipping points, viz: 1st, Chicago; 2d, Toledo; 3d, Milwaukee. Toledo ranks first in shipments of hard wood, lumber, and logs, and staves, and in many other articles approximates Chicago.

Question 4. Please to present a statement of cotton received and shipped at Toledo during the year ending August 31, 1875.

Answer. Received 36,874 bales. A very considerable part of the cotton received goes east through Canada, some to Europe, and the remainder to the manufacturing districts of New England.

Question 5. Please to state the rule observed by you in reporting grain received. Do you include only such products as are actually sold at Toledo, or all products passing through Toledo ?

Answer. I report as receipts of grain all grain that goes into elevator to be sold in this market or that is transferred by elevator from railway to water routes. Of coarse products I include those handled here, i. e., that which pays a direct tribute by being transferred from one route to another or goes into warehouses to await orders for shipment or sale, or that goes on the dock, say lumber, staves, salt, &c., to await removal. "Of the total amount of grain received at Toledo in 1875, what proportion came direct from Chicago or Milwaukee?" Of the total receipts of grain at Toledo in 1875, we received from Milwaukee by lake 15,600 bushels; that was all that was received, (of which account was made by me,) directly or indirectly, from the cities named. I have so far been unable to reconcile myself to that kind of statistical accuracy which justi fies the use of through-receipts and shipments as local. This is practiced, I know, by some statisticians for the purpose of swelling local commercial reports, and for that reason it is at present impossible to approximate the movement of grain at some of the leading receiving and shipping points. The credit for the receipts and shipment of the grain belongs to that point where it was received from first hands and then shipped in quest of a market, and no mention should be made of it until it arrives at its destination and goes into elevator, when it may then be reported as an arrival in, and balances the movement eastward from, the interior point.

Question 6. Facts in regard to southern railroad traffic between Toledo and points in Southern Ohio.

Answer. I have no data from which to make a comparison. There has been a very large increase in the southern movement in building-materials within a few years past. The shipments of lumber, lath, and shingles have quadrupled within a few years, and during 1875 the bulk of our shipments of those articles by rail were southerly-mainly to points near the Ohio River-north of the river.

Question 7. Facts as to the relative growth of southern and eastern commerce. Answer. I have no statistic covering this subject. If I include the southern and southeastern traffic, the growth has been proportionately much greater than that going directly east, but this is based entirely upon observation.

Question 8. Statistics showing the increase of wealth and population of Toledo during the last twenty-five years.

Answer. 1st. Population:

1850, as per United States census..

1865, as per local census..

1860, as per United States census..

There has been no census taken since 1870. In 1875, (April,) as estimated by the popular vote, the population was 42,354; and by the vote of October, 1875, about 48,000. The general estimate is 48,000 to 52,000.

2d. Wealth.-I know of no better method of answering this than by reference to the books of the county auditor, showing the taxable valuation of property, and below is a comparison for twelve years:

1864

1865

1866

$6,441, 270 7,392,700 7,990, 850

For several years past, owing to the large amount of labor which it required, I have omitted in my statistics of Toledo all reference to the money-value of the receipts and shipments of produce, &c. The following table shows the growth in eight years, from 1858 to 1866, inclusive, since which time this work has been omitted:

To estimate the value of the business of Toledo in 1875, I should base it upon a comparison of the general business with that of the year 1866, when our grain trade was less than one-half of 1875, and every other article of produce shows a corresponding increase; we therefore place our estimate at double that of 1866, viz, $323,305,000, an estimate which every one will admit is not unreasonably large, and I feel confident that a careful investigation would show it to be much larger.

APPENDIX No. 11.

ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES IN RELATION TO THE COMMERCE OF BOSTON, THE COMMERCIAL MOVEMENTS TO AND FROM THAT CITY, AND THE TRANSPORTATION LINES OF THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, BY MR. CURTIS GUILD, OF BOSTON, MASS. 1876.

Question 1. Please to describe the present Hoosac Tunnel Fast-Freight Line, mentioning the route over which the cars composing that line are run; whether such line is co-operative, (that is, owned by the various railroad companies,) or a private line owned by individuals. If co-operative, please to mention the names of the roads composing it; also, please to state approximately the number of cars now employed on this line.

Answer. The present Hoosac Tunnel Fast-Freight Line from Boston, Mass., to Troy, N. Y., is a co-operative line, made up as follows: 1st. The Fitchburgh Railroad, from Boston to Fitchburgh. This corporation on the 1st of January, 1874, leased the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad, from Fitchburgh to Greenfield, for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, so that practically the first-named road reaches from Boston to Greenfield. The terms of this lease will be found in the report of the railroad commissioners of Massachusetts for 1874, page 594. 2d. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad, which, when taken by the State of Massachusetts, included the Southern Vermont Railroad, purchased by it in 1860. This is leased perpetually to the Troy and Boston Railroad Company, for $12.000 annually. 3d. The Troy and Boston Railroad from the Vermont and New York State line to Troy, N. Y. For business purposes contracts have been made by which, in addition to the roads mentioned, the Boston and Maine, Eastern, New York Central and Hudson River, Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, Great Western, (of Canada,) Michigan Central, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Indianapolis and Saint Louis, Jefferson, Madison and Indianapolis, Detroit and Milwaukee, Saint Louis, Alton and Terre Haute, and the Boston, Barre and Gardiner Roads have been united for through-transportation. This is in no sense a consolidation, but merely a business arrangement, into which other roads may come, by furnishing their quota of cars. The number of cars now in use is

about fourteen hundred, and will be increased as business increases.

Question 2. Please to mention the roads composing the present railway line from Boston via the Hoosac Tunnel to its connection with the New York Central Railroad, mentioning the various roads and length of each road. Please also to state the nature of the organization in the State of Massachusetts and in the State of New York.

Answer. The roads composing the line from Boston via the Hoosac Tunnel to its connection with the New York Central Railroad at Troy, with the length of each, are as follows: Fitchburgh Railroad, (including Vermont and Massachusetts,) from Boston to Greenfield, 106 miles; Troy and Greenfield Railroad, from Greenfield to Vermont State line, 44 miles; and the Troy and Boston Railroad, (including Southern Vermont,) from Vermont and Massachusetts State line to Troy, N. Y., 41,5 miles. The Fitchburgh Railroad Company is organized under a charter granted by the State. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad, including the tunnel, is owned by the State of Massachusetts; and the Troy and Boston Railroad Company is organized under a charter for the State of New York in 1848, and has since been made subject to the provisions of the general railroad law of the State of New York.

Question 3. Please to mention the various roads entering Boston which have connections to the Western States, describing the roads.

Answer. The following roads from Boston have connections with the West:

I. The Eastern and the Boston and Maine, from Boston to Portland, thence to Detroit and Chicago via Grand Trunk and Michigan Central.

II. The Boston and Lowell via Boston, Lowell, and Nashua, Concord, Northern New Hampshire, and Central Vermont, to Ogdensburgh, thence to Detroit and Chicago via Grand Trunk and Michigan Central.

III. The Hoosac Tunnel Line via Fitchburgh to Troy, N. Y., thence west by New York Central or Albany and Susquehanna and Erie.

IV. The Boston and Albany, from Boston to Albany, thence west by New York Central.

The first-named line transports considerable freight at times between Boston and the West, but is not usually reckoned as a competing route.

Question 4. Please to mention as concisely as possible the various plans which have been proposed for utilizing the Hoosac Tunnel in the interest of Boston and of the State of Massachusetts, and in the same connection the policy now pursued by the State with regard to the tunnel and the entire line of which it forms a connecting link.

Answer. The most prominent plans for utilizing the tunnel will come into one of the following four general classes:

I. The toll-gate plan, under which the commonwealth retains control of the tunnel, and allows freight and passenger trains to pass through it at certain rates.

II. The consolidation schemes under which the property of the State in the Troy and Greenfield Railroad will be consolidated with other lines, and placed under the control of one management. (The details of this plan are embodied in the bill presented to the legislature of Massachusetts by the corporators of the Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railroad Company, January, 1875. It will be found on page 30 of their report, which accompanies, marked "A 3.")

III. State ownership, the purchase by the State of the lines which connect Boston with Troy; some plans proposing State ownership even beyond that point.

IV. The sale of the tunnel to some corporation, a plan which has few friends.

V. The plan of the Bay State Transportation League, which will be found in accompanying documents.

The policy now pursued is embodied in the law passed in 1875, chapter 77; vide general laws passed by the legislature of Massachusetts, 1875, here with accompanying. Further detail of these plans will be found in the "report of the corporators" hereinbefore mentioned, pages 21-24. The State is not financially interested in any other road, except the New York and New England Railroad, in which it holds 3,600 shares of stock. The State has no "plan" in relation to this road, except to hold the stock until some future day, precisely as individual stockholders do.

Question 5. Please to state approximately the cost of the Hoosac Tunnel and any facts of importance which may occur to you as to its ownership.

Answer. The cost of the tunnel cannot be accurately stated, owing to the fact that moneys appropriated for, and expended upon, the enterprise have been used for the construction of the tunnel and the Troy and Greenfield Railroad, and so far as accessible records are concerned, no separate accounts are to be found. The cost is thus stated by the auditor of the commonwealth in his last annual report:

Issued to Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company before possession was taken by the State.

Since possession was taken by the State, there had been expended to January 1, 1875, including interest paid on scrip, less material sold, rents, &c

Paid in 1875 to W. & F. Shanly.

Paid in 1875 interest on scrip

Paid in 1875 for contracts, engineering, &c...

Deduct receipts from rents, tolls, &c......

Total cost to January 1, 1876......

$970,680 00

12, 003, 142 31

131, 000 00 500,367 09 1,571, 213 99

15, 176, 403 39 82,492 78

15, 093, 910 61

Two unpaid warrants remained in the treasury at the close of the year, amounting to $30,053.05, which, being added to the above, makes the aggregate cost $15,123,963.66. There was also an unexpended balance of appropriation amounting to $1,575,252.30, which will be required to complete the work, which the State will do. The cost, therefore, to date, is as follows:

Expended to January 1, 1876
Unexpended appropriation.......

Total cost to the State....

$15, 123, 963 66

1,575, 252 30

16,699, 215 96

To this should be added the amount subscribed by the various towns in the State on the line of the Troy and Greenfield'Railroad. This cannot be accurately ascertained, and is variously estimated at from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. The cost of the tunnel and railroad will not vary much from $20,000,000. As to its ownership: the Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company was incorporated in 1848, to construct a road from Greenfield, Mass., to the New York or Vermont State line. In 1855, under chapter 226,

Acts of 1854, the State loaned the company $2,000,000 to enable it to construct the tunnel. A mortgage of the road, dated July 23, 1855, was given to the State to secure this loan. In 1860 another mortgage (bearing date July 6, 1860) was executed by the corporation in behalf of the State, pursuant to chapter 202 of the acts of 1860. On the 5th of March, 1862, a third mortgage was executed as security for the same loan.

These facts are from the opinion of Attorney-General Prain, which will be found on pages 11-14 of Senate document No. 112, bearing date March 9, 1874, which is herewith submitted:

I. The closing paragraph on page 14 embodies the opinion of most of the best lawyers in the State. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company, however, takes a different view, and claims that it is entitled to resume possession of the property upon payment of the $2,000,000 loan, to secure which the road was mortgaged and finally taken possession of by the State. This claim will be found embodied in a memorial recently presented to the Massachusetts legislature, which will be found in Senate document No. 48, herewith inclosed.

II. There is no probability that this claim can be sustained, and the ownership of the property unquestionably vests in the commonwealth.

Question 6. Please to state the amount of interest now paid by the State of Massachusetts on bonds or other obligations contracted for the construction of railroads, mentioning the amount paid toward the two or three principal roads or parts of roads. Answer. Massachusetts is now paying interest on the following bonds issued for the assistance of railroads: Southern Vermont, $200,000, 5 per cent.; Troy and Greenfield, $13,569,972, 5 per cent.; and Boston, Hartford and Erie, $3,599,024, at 5 per cent. Total amount of bonds, $17,368,996; total amount of interest annually, $68,449.80.

Question 7. Please to state what proportion of the entire amount raised by the State from taxation is required for the payment of such interest.

Answer. The amount raised by the State by direct taxation has been $2,000,000 each year for the past two years. This year it has been reduced to $1,800,000. The amount of taxation in the State, including State, county, municipal, and highway taxes, in 1875, was $27,712,396, besides which, about $2,280,000 is collected by the State, as special taxes on corporation bank-stocks, savings-banks, and insurance companies, making a total of direct and indirect taxation of about $30,000,000 annually.

Question 8. Please to mention the year in which the Hoosac Tunnel was begun, and the year when completed.

Answer. The Hoosac Tunnel was begun about 1853, but very little was accomplished until 1855. The final blast which connected the two headings of the tunnel was made on the 27th of November, 1873. The first train passed through the tunnel February 9, 1875. The first freight-train passed through April 5, 1875, and the first passengertrain July 8, 1875. The first passenger-train over the Troy and Greenfield Railroad, and through the tunnel to Troy, passed on the 13th of October, 1875, being an excursion-train with the governor and council. The tunnel is not yet completed, though trains are running regularly through it. The existing contracts call for its completion by July 1, 1876, and it will doubtless be nearly finished by that date.

Question 9. Please to describe the contest which has been going on for several years in regard to the transportation of Boston freights to the West, between the Boston and Albany and the Grand Trunk and the Central Vermont lines, and state the terms of the present agreement under which Boston freights are made equal to freights from other cities. Under what arrangement is it supposed that such agreement has been brought about?

Answer. For several years the Grand Trunk and Central Vermont Roads, in fixing the rates of freight to and from the West, have claimed that they should be allowed to make lower rates than the Boston and Albany, in consideration of the fact that their line was longer, both in distance and time, and unless they made lower rates they could not get business in competition with the Boston and Albany. During 1875 there was a sharp contest between these lines, the result being a reduction of rates to a very low point. Eventually the other trunk-lines became involved in it, being compelled to reduce rates to the other seaboard cities in order to prevent traffic which belonged to them from coming to Boston.

After this "railroad war" had continued several weeks, the officers of the various companies interested met and agreed upon a tariff by which all should be bound, it being the same for all the roads. The terms of this arrangement have never been made public, and cannot be ascertained. The officers all deny that there is any "pooling" of earnings, and assert that there is merely an agreement to establish uniform rates. Whether any compensation is made to the Grand Trunk cannot be ascertained. A part of the arrangement was that the Boston and Albany should withdraw its solicitors of freight, while the others were at liberty to solicit business. The arrangement has already been broken, and at this writing (May 1) a general "railroad war" seems to be impending.

Question 10. Please to describe the route from Boston to Saint Albans, known as the Central Vermont line. Has that line one or two connections into Boston?