Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-04-29
SALT, COAL, AND LEAD.



te,ests Of the staie is under discussion 10 The
Senate II is liled IAN act to encfeass Inc
revenues Of the state, by exendng he ME
market to salt. lead and coal" Ii was in-
.lroduced by Sensor PORTER, OF CayOga.
Whether il will increase The revenue OF ne
state. is question: but ,ha, 1t will extend
the market. If not salt, at least OF lead and
coal. ihrre cannot be doubt
The bill proposes 10 pay bounty on the de-
livery Of those articles at tide wa,er.---that 10,
a, Albany or Troy. al certain points on The
Ohio canal or river. W bssh canal Indiana;
and al Owego. Elmira. Dansvile. Blngham,on.
Buffalo and Oswego. in this State. This
bounty is nothing more or less than REDUCTION
of tolls. and theretoo. to the amount of IS per
cent. on these articles.
So far as the depression 10 the sal. business
can be acssibed to the present high rate of tolls
or 10 duty Of six per cent on every bushel man.
ufaciures at our salt works, and not to the gen.
era depression of the times. the provisions of
this bill may he material. II is supposed that
if the duties were reduced so per cent. that is,
10 3 rents per bushel. il would benefit the man
ufaciurer. increase the revenue Of The state. and
extend the market Of our salt even so far as
the Mississippi river.--ihrough Indiana. Hill
NUS. FviSNOboih' i"to SUP
position may ormay not be well founded. Last
year 1922. The state revenue from the salt
duties was sll4.966 99c: while in Al it was
1894 34c showing falling off OF over
II per cent. The Canal Board believe. that
unless this bill or something similar is adopted,
the reduction will be still more serious during
The coming year. But opinions on this SUBJ
ieci differ both as 10 The cause and extent of
ID, I'D f,l,ah ,,,r
canal revenues Perhaps this bill goes too
far. Upon salt deiveId al tide water il a.
mounts To all entire refundlne of the duiies and
75per cent. OF tolls---and this is intended for
the purpose of enabling our salt TO compete
on fair terms with The foreign article, on The
tide wafer regions of the Hudson.
Baw would call The particular attention
Of the commercial community 10 The proposed
bounty on lead delivered at tide water. and the
effects il may have on the business and reve-
nues Of this stale.
Few are fully aware Of the University Of the
western lead trade. 10 the year 1912. the pro-
duel If all the lead mines in The u. S. was a.
bouihirty III &c millions ofpounds. and thirty
millions of this was manufactured nj Galena
and in its vicinity Nearly all of this went
down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and
from thence 10 New York and different parts
of the world. Lead can he afforded at N York
a, 3.cis. per pound. This price is so low,
and the supply can be so infinitely extended ia
this country. that our merchants are now ship
ping il TO China-for lining Of tea chesis-and
we are even underseling England in her own
market. for we have been informed by great
lead firm in tho city Of New York. THAI they
shipped 10000 pigs Of lead to England during
the last season. al profit, and this is only The
beginning Of This trade.
Four years since. there was scarcely q ton
Of lead that came by way of Buffalo and Os-
wego to New York: but during the last year
we understand there was something like two
millions of pounds. This has arisen from the
discovery Of new and extensive mines near
Rock River, about GO miles west of Lake Mi
ch rrin
To encourage this great staple TO come to
market 10 this direction, the Canal Board Of
40 and Al reduced the tolls TO 3 mills per
on every 1000 pounds of lead coming from the
west Under this wise and fostering impulse,
the lead trade has already reached two millions
of pounds in The course or TWO years, and its
future increase is almost beyond calculation
But the prescott Canal Board deeming that
their predecessors had no constitutional right
10 reduce the tolls. were impeted by their con.
viclions. 10 their regulators for the year 1913,
10 restore the old rates. and now the tolls on
lead are Al mills. whereas, in AZ II was only
2 mills; thus raising The Tolls on that article
60 per cent. We had been Informed that even
the tolls of Two mills per mile was deemed an
enormous tax. But If the present rates be ad.
hered 10, and no provision be adopted similar
10 those introduced by Senator Porter, the
lead Of Wisconsin must he entirely cut off
from transportation on the Erie Canal. and il
il goes 10 market al all, il will seek the valley
Of the Mississippi the injury Of the rev.
enues and the business of this state. The bill
in fact reduces the tolls or lead IS per cent.
This will have the happiest effect. IL will ex-
iensively increase the manufacture in Wiscon-
sin. increase he revenue Of The State (for toll
on The ADDITIONAL Bumber of boats that
would be employed, would more lhsn
counterhaiauce The decrease on tolls on the
leadl aud it would materially add TO the ahil
ity Of western debtors to pay their eastern
creditors,
The same remarks are applicable TO the pro-
posed bounty on coal. Last year the tolls
were mills per mile on every 1000 pounds
Of Bl1sshorgh coal delivered at tide water; but
this year, pussoani TO a constitutional require
msnI, The rates have hesn raised TO 4 mills
for every le00 pounds per mile -an incFe 'se Of
90 per cent. on The tolls. Under ihis regula-
lion no Bios ,burgh coal will be brought to this
market. The trade cannot yhnve. or rather,
live.
oae reflection should induce the Legislature
IN give this bill favourable consideration.
The coal Of Pennsylvania. aud the lead Of
Misronsia have ex,ensi' civ mined under the
encouragement of tie past low rates Of tolls.
k.l......l 81.