Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-01-20
JAMES RIVER rARIEr
To he Editors ofthe Con,t;t,.t;o,,,, trys,


Al tnis time, II nay not be amiss to advert 10 Oh,
views oi .ne Board OF Public Works, which led TO th,
new 'ari OF tolls on James rveriaeIy the subject O
discussion IN and out of the House. and Iltely Coo,
again 10 occupy the attention of the Legislature
by an act OF the General Assembly OF March 9Th
1894 the duty of reporting tariff of tolls ,yas re
CURED oil the Board; and accordingly committee q
IFS body reported, the 9Th Feb FOLLOWING .f,.r I,,
and iaborious consideration of the subicc, which ro
was adopted and sent up the House of Deeraes FL,
their cons Iteration e "
III deemed unnecessary 10 go into full detail of this
report which Will be found ut length Oh the Journals Of
the House of last year, but as the chief ohecions
nave oeen made To the increase of toll on tobacco the
extract viii be chiefly confined TO that part of the Re-
port
The committee having set forth the difficulties which
attended their search after general and eopitab
principle TO guide them through the difficulties ,ba,
oeset their course, thus proceed:
fonr committee have therefore acted as far as uroc
e"pIe on rule, compounded of value, wenht and bu
out as these properties varously combined in dren
communities, was obviously necessary accommodate
our rule tn their various combinations i,b ts , =;
view we have made flour and the present rate of toll
IT. the standard In this follow the examuc f
economists VINO nave hitherto IN assuming
as the Firest standard of value. And -four
ny me o"re seems To combine best the properties cnbruc
t" ny our rule Nor is your committee aware t,, ,,
s ION on lhS aitirle has been considered TOO
high: although in comparison with that ON obncco ,t
o'e' great agricultural staple Viuina il has lono m
justly been subject of serious complaint And here w,
WI" "f'eiy illustrate rule by its apple ton to these
wv S'e"' staples tiour
co. iorty twi|Per i1gShead. Assuming Eve dollars n.
2verage price of both barrel of flour and one hum
eh pounds OF tobacco, and that hogsrad of tob1cc
"rsS heen hundred is apparent upon the ad loren
principle, that the hogshead tobacco, cuutainup fre
tunes The value at barrel of -four ought to nav fifteen
times as much toll 81 so. And the matter be consi
ueIed Win reference 10 the weight the articles resnec
tVeiy' the argument Is greatly strengthened in favor of
farther increase o! toll tob for it demuustra M
just mat II the toll be increased directly as the value So
ought inVersely as the weight. Bat here accomno-
daoh ri our rule aud 100 Of tobacco con-
tanning an equal value in about half weight of bar-
rel oil Hour, pa! toll and is thereby exemtcd
from that part OF the freight the which is CHARGED
upon lis excess of weight above 100 lbs that is one fin
moieiy OF its feishtage.
ut may be here added, there is a farther ADVANTAGE
m IA v"r nj the tobacco grower in comparative cost of
me hogshend III which the toba barrels in which
,he nour IS packet the hOgshead costing about 81 So the
fifteen barrels at 81 cts IS 624.
your committee admits that the correctness or ,hese
estimates depends Othc the AVERAGE r,ce
ana wight assumed; hut ii is believed, that the estimated
average price of tobacco is lower that of -four ud
consequently more favorable the former than the latter
Let II also be remarked, that if fifteen hundred weipt is
ABOVE Tue present average Of tobacco late enlay"ne
OIL the hogshead by law, with the care by which skifl
Planters before that enlargement, up IL that vcir
VIII enable all 10 obtain il easily"
I'll is proper to say, that tie Increase upon any article
except COAL has not followed from improvements made
D tween Richmond and Maidens AIvenurc''-but has
o'en the result ct "a strict of pruprey in their n
aeaYor to place every article far practicable upon
the footing of equality.