Petrović, Nikola: Hajózás és gazdálkodás a Közép-Duna-Medencében a merkantilizmus korában (Vajdasági Tudományos és Művészeti Akadémia, Novi Sad - Történelmi Intézet, Beograd, 1982)
Summary
CHAPTER XV - A STATE COMMISSION INSPECT THE FINISHED DANUBE—TISA CANAL. EXPLOITATION OF THE CANAL AND THE CHAMBER ESTATES UNTIL 1826 Because the completion of the Danube—Tisa canal had been delayed again, a commission of five members, led by a lieutenant field—marshall of the engineer crops, Baron Froon, and including F. von Redl as the company representative and representatives of Regent Council, the Hungarian Chamber and the Chamber administration for Backa, arrived in Somboron June, 24, 1801, and set to work at once. It strictly observed the protocols issued in 1796 and 1797, and particularly carefully examined whether the errors of the original builders (the Kiss brothers) had been corrected. The commission began inspection from the inlet side at Monostor. Its observations and judgements have been preserved in a report which is reproduced here in full. On the whole, save for a few minor and easily correctable defects, the commission concluded that the canal was in such good order that it could be filled with water without a delay, particularly with a view to making use of the high water in the Danube at that time of year. Thus, after eight years, this huge hydaraulic scheme was finished. This was a great day for the company, but not for the initiator of the project, József Kiss, who spent the rest of his life as a lonely and rejected man in Vrbas. However, he finally had the satisfaction in seeing his brainchild being born. After passing through the usual administrative procedures, the report was accepted by the Court Chamber, on 20 August 1801, and handed over to the emperor for his endorsement. The commercial exploitation of the canal began in 1802, when the company finally struck a bargaining with the State on the four big Chamber estates. For the first 25 years of exploitation, i.e. during the validity of the concession, the canal and the estates were managed in conjunction. This was an original combination of two economic enterprises of quite different character. Without going into the details of the 25—year exploitation of the canal and the estates, I only review some typical features and trends significant for the history of the company. When the canal finally went into commercial use, the company debts stood at four million forints. In spite of that, it was paying high dividends to its shareholders, which made its position even worse. In 1825, the management realized that the canal was operating with an annual loss of 50 000 forints and that its debts still amounted 1 200 000 forints. In addition, it had fallen behind with the rent for the Chamber estates, and for the period 1811—1823 it still owed just under 460 000 forints on this score. Among the various smaller holdings, the company operated the 510
