British Whig (Kingston, ON), 24 Aug 1897

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MARINE INTELLIGENCE.

The schooner Acacia is discharging a cargo of coal at Swift's steam hoist today.

The yacht Minnie, of Alexandria Bay, called at Swift's wharf this morning and left for a trip down the Cataraqui.

The steamer Arundell left Swift's wharf at ten o'clock this morning, with a full passenger list, for Charlotte.

The steamer Arundell was delayed on her incoming trip, yesterday afternoon, and reached Swift's wharf an hour late, last evening.

Called at Swift's wharf today: R. & O. steamers Corsican, from Toronto to Montreal; Spartan, Montreal to Toronto; Hamilton, from Hamilton to Montreal.

The past few days have been unusually quiet in marine circles. Very little is being done along the waterfront, and only the regular lines of passenger vessels, pleasure yachts, etc., are moving.

After September 13th the regular boats of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co. will go east on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They will continue on this schedule until September 30th, when the service will be withdrawn for the season.

Laborers started work at Brockville loading the steambarge King Ben with ties. Upon learning that the captain intended paying only fifteen cents per hour, they quit work. The barge is now being loaded by the crew. The scale for such work is twenty cents per hour.

Welland Canal Report.

Port Colborne, Aug. 23rd - Up: steamers Aragon, Prescott to Chicago, light; D.D. Calvin and barges, Kingston to French River, light; Myles, Kingston to Duluth, light; Langdon, Ogdensburg to Chicago, light; Nipigon, Ogdensburg to Chassell, light.

Port Dalhousie, Aug. 23rd - Up: steamer D.D. Calvin, Kingston to French River, light; barge Ceylon, Kingston to French River, light; barge Augustus, Kingston to French River, light; steamer Myles, Kingston to Duluth, light; steamer Arabia, Ogdensburg to Chicago, light; barge Sapolio, Ogdensburg to Chicago, light; steamer J.H. Langdon, Ogdensburg to Chicago, general cargo; steamer Nipigon, Ogdensburg to Chassell, light; barge Melbourne, Ogdensburg to Lake Linden, light; barges R. Watson, Ogdensburg to Marquette, light; steamer Glengarry, Kingston to Fort William, light; barge Selkirk, Kingston to Fort William, light; barge Dunmore, Kingston to Fort William, light; steamer Persia, Montreal to St. Catharines, general cargo.

Passed down: steamer C.H. Green, Chicago to Prescott, steel; barge Our Son, Chicago to Prescott, steel; barge Genoa, Chicago to Hamilton, steel; steamer W.P. Ketcham, Chicago to Prescott, corn.

GRAIN ELEVATOR SCHEME.

A Shoveller Has Something To Say About It.

"The proposed M.T. company elevator will not, in my opinion, do any injury to the Mooers elevator," said a grain shoveller to a Whig reporter last evening. "On the contrary I think it would assist the Mooers company. For suppose that more grain would be sent here than the M.T. company could receive, under existing conditions the surplus would be sent to Prescott. But if we had two elevators, the M.T. and the Mooers, the surplus would be sent to the Mooers elevator. This would lead to the establishment here of a greater trade than could be secured in another way.

"A second elevator would be in the interests of the grain shovellers also. Very frequently a larger quantity of grain comes here than there are barges to receive. In such a case, the shovellers are obliged to await the arrival of other barges and to be idle during the day and work at night. This would be changed if there were elevators, and there would be no all night work.

"The M.T. company, I am convinced, would still keep their floating elevators in commission, even though a stationary one were built. This would mean the employment of a largely increased number of men.

"The cry that one elevator is sufficient for this city is, to my mind, ridiculous. Buffalo has fifty elevators. Surely Kingston can give employment to two or even three."

What Are The Facts?

Kingston, Aug. 24th - To the Editor:

I notice in your issue of yesterday a question, Will the erection of an elevator by the M.T. company damage the Mooers elevator? and answered by a leading grain dealer. It does seem that this leading grain dealer, who has been opposing the Mooers elevator from its start, has turned and now takes a great interest in it by saying it will aid the first company. This second elevator is just a scheme to offer further opposition to the first bonus, and the projectors will continue until the end. The M.T. company never wanted an elevator very badly, or they would have had one here some years ago. Or it is because this city would not give them a free site and build it for them? I don't think they would have ever accepted a bonus of $35,000 if another had not started ahead of them. They had repeatedly said we prefer putting our money in floating stock rather than building elevators. Then again it is said they will move to Prescott or elsewhere if they don't get a bonus. The people have heard this for years. They have a contract with the city now that binds them here for seven years longer to do their whole business of Ontario in the city of Kingston or forfeit the sum of $2,000, and they are not living up to it, nor have they for the last year or so. They can handle every bushel of grain they carry in this city; they have done it before and can do it again. Why don't they? Because there is more money for them in carrying from Prescott to Montreal than from Kingston. It's money they are after, not the interests of this city. It is reported that the company paid a dividend of thirty per cent last year, and if the people contribute $35,000, why it will be sixty per cent next year. In your article of yesterday it was said that what grain they could not handle would be sent to the Mooers elevator. Capt. Gaskin said at a council meeting that the Mooers elevator need not expect any business from them. They would send it to Prescott first. Which do they mean? Where would their surplus go?

I also hear that the board of trade is to have a meeting soon to prepare pointers for the people. Why should it support this second elevator scheme? The members are going a long way out of their road in pushing it. If they had ever shown at any time that they were favorable to the first elevator it would have been more to their credit rather than passing resolutions and sending delegates here and there to oppose every step taken. And those that opposed the first elevator are the ones that are saying let us have the second. ONLOOKER.

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A Startling Statement.

There are many people in the city who do not fully realize the extent of the work that the M.T. company has done in Kingston. It will surprise many when the statement is made that the company has built and rebuilt more wooden boats in this city during the time it has been here than has been constructed during the same period in the entire province of Ontario. People in coming to a conclusion regarding the proposed by-law should take that matter into consideration. It is not necessary to refer to the total cost. Were it made up it would be an exceedingly large sum of money, and all of it went to the homes of workingmen. Kingston is quite a shipbuilding port, but who made it so? If the M.T. company goes will the shipbuilding continue? The question is a serious one.