Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-04-13
The state Tobacco warehouses.
From the Marlboro, Gazette.

OF the present. loDaCSo w dIoHouccS, anu
She construction Of one or several con-
tiguous new buildings on deep water, are
briefly these, viewed with reference to
location at Canton.
The present Warehouses are most Of
them old, and some of them dilapidated,
not at all freproof, but on the contrary
of very combustible character. Three
of them are situated on the shallow water
of the basin, and two of them inland at
some distance from the water.
A new building may be constructed
upon lot having two fronts of $50 and
700 feet respectively, upon the deepest
water of the harbor; and railroad track
is now in use upon the street which is
one Of the boundaries Of the lot.
The situation Of the property is such
as to admit the entrance of the railroad
track from the street into the second story
of the Warehouses for receiving Tobacco,
and in the basement other railroad tracks
may be constructed running out upon
the piers for the delivery Of Tobacco to
ships or for the receiving Of it from
steamboats, and schooners.
The new building might and ought to
be constructed in far more durable and
substantial manner than those now in
use, and is required by law to be fire.
proof.
The labor might be principally per-
formed by means of 10 horse power
steam engine certainly the hosting of
Tobacco and the moving Of tie trucks
upon the railway to and from the piers
might be done in this manner with great
economy
The saving in drayage would be an
important item. At present Tobacco
arriving by the Baltimore & Ohio Rail
Road incurs an expense of drayage to
Warehouse Of III and 1871 cts per hid.
The Philada. W. & Baltimore Rail Road
Co. offer to haul it over their track from
that of the Bait. & Ohio II. r. for 10
cents per ton, or less than 5 cents pen.
hid. Tobacco arriving by water would
incur no drayage. And the present ex-
pense of BIZ to 37A cts per hid. upon
Tobacco shipped from Baltimore would
be entirely saved.
The labor expenses would be greatly
diminished by having regular work for
the hands and by having tho force pro-
portioned to the need for it, instead of,
as at present, maintaining separate
corps of laborers at each Warehouse
whether required or not.
The new Warehouses ought to be
readily accessible by City Passenger
Railway and such is the case at Canton
The opposition to the great reform con-
templated in the removal of the Tobacco
Warehouses is all traceable to the pur-
ehasers, who rest thoir objection to the
measure upon the ground of the greater
convenience to them afforded by the pres
ent locations, in watching the progress
and act Of inspection of the various de-
scription Of Tobacco.
Now it is respectfully suggested, with
out any intention of imputing unfair
motives to any class of persons, or to any
body, that so long as the inspection of
Tobacco is confded to officers of the
State, and so long as the existing practice
Of selling Tobacco by samples continues.
it is obviously proper to remove those
officers beyond the reach of any infu-
encies calculated to affect them.
Another advantage which it is under
stood was one of the objects designed to
be gained by the trainers of the bill, was
the greater security for the proper per-
formance of their duties by the action of
the Inspectors jointly, instead of sepa-
rately us heretofore.
A most important aud imperative con-
sideration in favor Of the change is the
obvious necessity for increased accom-
mediation for the storage of Tobacco in the
Warehouses of the State.
1t has been ascertained that the great
est capacity of the present Warehouses
does not exceed &c, 500 hhds, whereas
the quantity of Tobacco on hand at one
time has reached 32,751 hbds. The
expense Of storage upon this excess of
Tobacco, which the present buildings
were inadequate to receive, together with
other costs incidental to the use of pri-
yate Warehouses, has been a heavy
charge upon the Tobacco fund. The
ample accommodation required by the law
10 be provided in the new buildings will
obviate any such necessity in the future
and thus effect an entire saving of this
large item of expense.
The improved economy Of the whole
arrangements, which is shown in this
hasty outline, must result in O material
reduction Of the cost of Tobacco Inspec-
lions, and in few years tho improved
condition Of the Tobacco fund would
justify lower charge Of outage than
that now fixed BY law.
The following is an official copy of the
Law referred to in the above commune
cation
AN ACT
Entitled an Act, to propide for disposing Of he
States Tobacco Warehouses, and for The
building Of new Tobacco Warehouse or
Warehouses en- deep soater.
Section 1. Be IL enacted blythe General
assembly of Maryland, That Richard H.
lilies. John D. Bowling and William
Thompson, (of r.. } be and they are here
By appointed Commissioners to dispose
# the property known as the States To-
sacco Warehouses in the city of Balti-
more, or Of so much thereof as may be
necessary for the purposes of this Act,
md to erect new Warehouse or Ware
louses IN their stead as hereafter provi-
led.
Section 2. ABIDE Il enacted, That be-