The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1848-03-17


example bearing exactly on the proposition
now submitted To the people Of this county.
The following statement is taken from the
Ohio Safe Journal Of February II, lS17:
"Greene county subscribed 10 the Little
Miami Railroad Company. as a county, $780,
600. Since the completion of the road, coun-
,y stock has been sold by the County Com
mssloners to the amount of 23,700, and the
county still owns $3l,0O0 in stock, which
| is worth IN market now about $2S, 900.
Whole investment OF the county, ,.."..,.. $40, 600
Stock heretofore sold, ''.'',...,, $23100
stock on hand ...,,..,........ 2S000
Total, l,.,.,,.,',,.,....,.., --- ~ 700
Making net profit on the investment Of. 81, 700
1t ls, however, proper to slute, that dur
lng the construction Of the road, and before
the stock became productive. the county paid
some 5000 dollars interest, from which the
Sl,7OO should be deducted, leaving the loss
on the investment, say 3,3O0 dollars; and
this is The price paid by Greene county for an
Improvement that has, during his uintcr atone,
paid The farmers ot The county three .toh whal
il cost hcm,"
This is aconvincng fact, and the more so
as TINT road cost much more per mile than
there is any probability Of this road costing.
We have likewise seen ii stated that Knox
county, which subscribed TO the Mansfield
and Sandusky City Railroad Company's stock,
has disposed Of the stock at par, after paying
only one or two years interest on tho loan.
These facts clearly demonstrate that the
subscription by our county will make but
81 iul Ia, Al tnN,n
and that the tax on account of it will not
continue, at most, more than one or two
years; and that in all likelihood, the county,
either in the sale of tho stock or the receipt
Of the dividends, will fully receive back the
whole amount of interest puld on the loan.
With these facts before them, the people of
this county would scarcely hesitate to vote
the subscription, even if the railroad we're to
be Of no other use than merely to keep up
n constant communication with the eastern
and southern markets, and thus give them al
opportunity to avail themselves of all tho ia
yorabe turns of prices in those markets.
II is a well known fact that produce deal
crs who have to depend on canal navigation
to get to a market, make large deductions
from tho price in That market on account of
the uncertainty Ms to the tune Of getting the
produce there. For instance, merchant
buying wheat IN Lancaster IN the fall, will
not give the price which would yield fair
proilt at the then price in the east. And
why Because, before he can ret that
wheat to market the canal may be frozen
over, and he may have To hold on till sprlng,
when possibly the price may be much low
cr; and even if the price did not fall, he
would have TO lay out of his money all the
season. This is the reason, and good sub.
stantlal reason il is. Hero are chances to
calculate, and allowance must be made for
them, The merchant, therefore, in fixing
the price here at such time, looks at the
eastern price, aud from that he deducts, first,
something for the range Of the market, Sec
Ond, the freight, next a reasonable profit,
and then perhaps fifteen or twenty cents per
bushel for the probabilities of having to hold
over ill spring aud the chance of the market
when navigation opens. No wonder that
when all these deductions arc made, there is
but lllde left for tho wheat grower. And
these facts influence not only the fall, but
the winter aud spring business, and are APP
plIcublc 10 other matters as we'll as wheat
Now, If our communication with tho mark
cts was by railroad, the drawback of an un-
certain conveyance would not exist to take
from the farmer the fair market price of his
produce.
But there is another view of this matter,
railroad conveyance TO the farmers Of this