It is well known that Novi Bečej, until the mid-19th century, before the construction of the railway lines Temišvar-Kikinda-Segedin, Temišvar-Vršac-Bela Crkva-Bazjaš, was the main trading center for wheat. However, by the second half of the 19th century, it experienced a sharp decline. In this area of economic prosperity, Mr. Kasaš makes a mistake.
On page 15 of the book "Greetings from Novi Bečej," it is written:
"In the second half of the 19th century, these two settlements (referring to Novi Bečej and Vranjevo - LM), using the grain trade boom, became among the most important and significant centers for wheat trade in the entire Austro-Hungarian monarchy, but with deep-rooted traditions from the past. This fact led to the development of a wealthy bourgeois class, and in these places, the construction of mills began, banks opened, and many commercial and craft shops, sawmills, etc., emerged."
Contrary to Mr. Kasaš's claim, the second half of the 19th century was devastating for Novi Bečej. It was a time of rapid decline in its economic power, despite the fact that the first factories, banks, and savings institutions were established during this period, as nearby cities saw significantly more dynamic industrial development.
With the rapid development of production and trade, when individual capital was insufficient to support the swift turnover of capital, the role of money as - credit capital - increased sharply, leading to the emergence of banks and other savings and credit institutions.
Especially because railway lines were rapidly being built, which drastically reduced the role of Novi Bečej’s port on the Tisa. The railway line Temišvar-Kikinda-Segedin was put into operation in 1857, and Temišvar-Vršac-Bela Crkva in 1858. The line Veliki Bečkerek-Novi Bečej-Velika Kikinda was put into operation on July 9, 1883, and not as Mr. Kasaš states: “In 1884, the residents of Vranjevo and Turskobečej welcomed the first train that arrived at the joint railway station.” The role of these railway lines in the economic development of Novi Bečej and Vranjevo is illustrated by a quote from Vladimir Milankov's book “Draga Gavrilović,” Kikinda 1989, where on page 35 it says:
“There are two basic things that will practically rejuvenate these areas (referring to Srpska Crnja and its surroundings - LM): the construction of the Segedin-Veliki Kikinda-Temišvar railway (1857) and the introduction of steam engines into existing industrial facilities...”
“This railway passes close to Crnja, through Žombolj. Only a 4-kilometer walk or transport by horse-drawn carts separates Crnja from the railway, which connects to the main railway artery of the Monarchy. Starting from Vienna, through Budapest, Kikinda, Temišvar, Vršac, and Bela Crkva, it reaches Bazjaš (on the Danube - LM)... Here is specifically how this railway changed the fate of the settlement. Around 1840, Novi Bečej was the largest trading center in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, through which grain from these regions was exported. It had high, brick-built silos and a fleet of nearly 300 ships that could transport over a million bushels of grain annually. With the construction of the railway, faster transport of goods was enabled, and Novi Bečej ceased to be the main export port, with this trade shifting to Kikinda. Novi Bečej then began to decline automatically, all previous investments in grain transport failed, and Kikinda, thanks to its exceptionally active grain trade, accelerated its growth and development.”
Mita Kostić writes about the changes caused by the railway in the grain trade previously tied to river traffic:
“After the railway connection between Trieste and Sisak and Zagreb in 1862, and especially after the railway connection Budapest-Zagreb-Rijeka in 1873 and Budapest-Zemun in 1883, the diversion of the export of Hungarian and Slovak grain via the faster and cheaper railway route to the sea, rendered the previous water trade route Tisa-Danube-Sava-Kupa to Karlovac and then by cart to the Adriatic Sea: Rijeka and Senj worthless, and it was soon abandoned. The grain trade along this route from Karlovac by cart to the sea through Gorski Kotar decreased from 5,000,000 wagons a year in the late 1850s to less than half a million in the 1850s and 1870s, leading to the rapid economic decline of Gorski Kotar with its carriers, wholesalers, granaries and warehouses, commercial ships and boatmen. They soon fell to local trade - one-tenth of their previous turnover.”
“This shift from water to much faster, shorter, easier, and cheaper railway routes significantly damaged Serbian grain traders, shipowners, shipbuilders, boatmen, and railway workers, particularly in larger ports, causing a reorientation in their business and changes in social structure.”
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