The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-10-17

an example, merely because we are more fam-
liar with the charges here. We presume they
are not less at any other point of Shipment
The price for storage if your cotton goes into
the warehouse is 25 cts If it remain in store
more than two months you are charged 125
cts. per month after the expiration Of that time.
It often happens, as in the present season, that
your cotton is in store at this place four or five
months, and we have estimated that you will
save the extra charge for the time over two
months. But we cannot see that it will be ne
cessary for your cotton to be stored at all at
the point of shipment. even though you ship
by the river, if you may put your entire crop
on the cars and send to the river any day, in a
few minutes or hours at farthest.
ITEM 4th 1t will save your so cts. per bag
on the charge of "Drayage and Storage on
your cotton in New Orleans. You will find
this charge in your account Sales made out
against you invariably never less than we have
put it down, sometimes more. At present,
your merchant don't pay it. The reason why
he don't, is that the press is SO well paid, for
repressing cotton, that who owns It can afford
to haul cotton and store it for nothing, and the
competition between the presses has led to this
result. You ought then to have the benefit Of
this competition, but your merchant reaps it.
The charges is established by the 'tBoard Of
Commerce, is licensed by common consent
and is isuniversally adopted, and we have not
stated 1t here to excite your prejudlces against
your commission merchants AS a class, we
think them honest, and faithful to their en-
ployers, and entitled to your entire confidence
Considering their expenses, and the difficult
ties under which they now labor, in doing a
commission business, in New Orleans, we do
not think they receive more than reasonable
compensation for selling your cotton. Under
the next item, however, we shall attempt to
show how this road will compel the city of
New Orleans to transact business on terms
much more advantageous to you, and how it
will enable her to do so with advantage to
herself. s -.r....- .-.-'
ITEM 5. This road will have the effect to
bring down the freight on your cotton between
New Orleans and Liverpool, ehalf cent per
pound, or ss2 SO per bag of 500 pounds. The
difference in the price of cotton between New
York and Charleston Snd New Orleans, is the
difference III the freight and risk between these
places and Liverpool and varies from half
cent to a cent, IN favor of the two former mar
kets The construction of this road, with 9TH
ers now in progress, and that will be commen
ced the ensuing season, will place you in dl
rect railway communication with all three of
these faces and New York and Charleston
will compete with New Orleans for your cot
ton, and they would take it from her without
change in her present system Of business
This was the ground of the violent opposition
excited. in New Orleans against this road -
Commercial men, who have practical knowl-
edge Of the laws of trade, and know better
than we do the motives which stimulate those
cities to reach out their iron arms to us, foresaw
what would be the effect of fconnecting us with
those arms and did not see how they could SO
change their business so as to retain our cot
ton. This road will effect that change as one
of its natural results. Because New Orleans
is not an importing city your cotton has to pay
cotton to Liverpool comes to New Orleans emp
ty, and your cotton must therefore be taxed
with the trip both ways. 1t comes empty be-
cause New Orleans is not an importing city,
and she never can import to any great extent
while her trade continues irregular and un
steady, with sole dependence upon custom
ers who on y purchase once year. and most
of whom can't pay quite that often. With the
facilities which this road will afford for trans
porting goods to the interior country at any
season Of the year, the country merchant will
find it to his interest to purchase small stocks
and repienish often. This will make business
in the city regular and constant, and animate
with health and activity its trade and COM
merce. Then New Orleans will become large
importing city, and the ships which come for
your cotton will come laden with foreign mer
chandise, paying a, remuneratlng freight on
the home bound trip, which will reduce the
freight on your cotton to nearly one half the
present charge. This road will diminish the
expense of living in the city, by supplying its
citizens with provisions, beef, mutton, game,
flour, garden vegetables, &C., &C., at very re
duced prices. This will cheaper labor and re-
duce the salaries of clerks and enable her mer-
chants and factors to sell goods and transact
business on as favorable terms as any other
city. "" H" "@.' 7@ T.. "f
ITEM 9th. By enabling you to sell when your
cotton is ready for market, it will put you in
possession of its proceeds, on an average, six
months earlier than you now receive them
The use of the money during this time, is worth
at least the interest it will pay loaned on good
security. AT 10 per cent. on $40, for six
months, gives SO PER bag interest, this road
will save the planter on every crop he may
grow near enough to it to enable him to avail
himself of the facilities it will offer of sending
his cotton to market as soon as ready Wei
have now enumerated six items, and shown
what this road will save the planter under
each. If we addthem together, we shall have
an aggregate of 81 25 per bag. TO show
more clearly the influence which railroads ex-
ert in promoting the prosperity of a planting
community, let us extend our calculation a lit
tie further E59. W @l'7 1
Suppose planter grows 200 bags cotton.
Multiply this by 81 25 gives 81 ,450 per an
nun the road will benefit him, as shown above.
But he will be benefited in still greater ratio
in the purchase of his supplies. The country
which this road will accommodate, has been
taxed enough the past year, in the purchase of
family and plantation supplies, to nearly build
the road but we design to base of ordinary
years. We all now pay thirty per cent. more
for our dry goods, and twenty per cent. for our
groceries, making an average Of twenty five
per cent more on all of our purchases, than we
should do with the facilities this road will Give