East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-12-03
3 "A 1T.


tention frequently, and at length, to the
promising development of the Salt inte.
rest of this Valley, The lengthy article
copied today from the Detroit Free
Press, recites many facts heretofore pub
llshed by us, but is of Importance as
connected history Of the salt business
to this time. The estimate it max Is of
the value of the new business 10 this
Valley, and the State of Michigan, can
hardly be said TO be extravagant. Mr.
Benton said in the U. s. Senate in 1880,
that reduction in the price of salt,
next to a reduction in the prics of land,
was the greatest blessing which the
Federal Government could confer upod
the West. And if we can credit the
quotations from Southern markets, our
brethren in Dixie to-day would scarcely
except the land. Twice during the eI
istence our government, the necessity of
revenue for war purposes has compelled
a heavy tax on this necessity of life,
when the small native production threw
the burden on all who wero consumers,
and a revenue of 100000 was derived
from an article whose whole cost was
only $3.50 600 Coming from countries
where 1t cost almost nothing, as the
e,nnssna ebn ',.,s.ant the ovarscar- ,Ctnrr; -
w est INDIES, SpaIn, oitu8al, anu lnU
Mediterranean, where it was made by |
the heat of the sun on the sea beach,
and whence it was freighted as ballast,
the tax constituted large share of its
cost to the consumer. Salt, whose first
cost was ten cents per bushel on the
Gulf of Mexico, five and six cents on the
coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal,
three and four cents in Italy, and less
than three cents in Sicily, all bore one
uniform duty of twenty cents per bushel
The direct injury this worked to the
whole country, particularly to the agri-
cultural portion of it, can hardly be cal
culated A high authority in England
once testified before committee Of the
House OF Commons, to his belief, that
the use Of salt free of tax would benefit
the agricultural interest, in the increased
value of their stock alone, to the annual
amount of sl5,Oo0,000 The effec. or
the United States would be proportion.
ate, and any development like that in
this Valley. that lessons the danger Of
recurrence of thi, state Of things, is to
be hailed as Of infinite value. With all
the ., oduction of the United States to
this day, the annual importation of for.
eign salt exceeds it, and No one car
foresee how soon a state of war, or
high tariff consequent on it, may consti.
tute home production like this of Sag
NAV an element of immense wealth, by
making us independent of such contin.
gencies.
But We do not need to wait for con.
dition of foreign war and high tariff. to
constitute our salt trade an item Of great
value. The rspidty with which it is
extending, in the hands of men of means
and business sagacity, is evidence of
this. Every week adds to the number
Of operators on the river, and We have
yet to record an instance Of even partial
II Al -.
all business was dull and nearly sus
pended, tho brisk and steady demand
for salt, and the hopeful spirit awakened
by the trade, have sufficiently marked
tho character of this new branch Of
business, and indications now assure US
that it is fast assuming the proportions
of an important manufacture.
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