Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-10-08
For tie tnQu1rer
What Should the Government pay for
Hfourf

Bl0uft
ia nnc Of the people, thank you lor the
kind, frank and candid spirit with which you
have criticised, approved and condemned the
action Of our Government otSciais. "NOrdc-
cai," in your issue Of the first, with ali his
acu,eness has failed to justify til. arl'on OF
The Commissary Department, IN the purchase
OF il1ur 1t may be true rs alleged, that as Il
general rule, country extra is only equal 10
city supei fine -four: yet it is equally true that
there are number of country mills whose
brands are in every respect equal to those Of
the city mills, and yet these mills, because
they happen not TO be located in the city OF
Richmond, are not allowed u fair price for tnclr
hour. But the rules Of the CommlSsary U:-
par,ment works still more glaring ard wide
spread Injustice. By the laws Of trade, as
understand them, the vender pays the cost of
transportation to the point Of consumption,
whc,hrr it be Liverpool, Richmond, South
America or Manassas. So that for Hour bought
for consumption at Liverpool, tue vender
obtains the Liverpool plice, deducting
the cost Of trallspol tatiun To Liverpool,
(ncluding Of course commissions, &G,
az a part of this cost and that with
out any regard aS TO what had been the
usual market Of the vender For example, the
usual market Of flour manufacturer OF Au-
susta county, may have been the White Sui
;,hur and other Springs, i'll Western Virginia,
tut he meets with Richmond merchant hny-
iny fur the South American market; he is not
required to sell his -four for the Springs price,
dcducting the cost Of transportation 70 Tho
Springs in Greenbricr county, when this sau!c
merchant is buying flour Of the same quality
in Greentrier county at the price for which
this vender had usually sold it there, and is
having it transported thence through Augusta
county and Richmond city to Liverpool
On the contrary the Augusta vcnder will
get the Greenbrier price, with the cost OF
transportation 10 Augusta added thereto But
contrary to this just and we'll established law
.ne trade, the Commissary Department having
fixed $525 as the market price in tjchmnnd,
in purchasing -four for the Western aru,y from
the manufacturer in Augusta, instead OF adding
;he cost of transportation from Richmond t.
StauntOn Oh lho price which iS paid for -four
pur chased in Richmond Tor ;!c Western ARMY.
actually requires the Augusta vender to deduct
from this Richmond paid price, what would
be the cost to tie vellder Of transportation
to Rcluond. So that the pecuniary results
t. the vender in Stauntcn, are the same a, II
lie were required to deliver in Richmond, Hour
which Innst be brought back 10 Stanton, II
be sent TO the wcStcriI army. | kno" not
what the cost ci transportation is h.i"''ii
Staunton and Richmond For illustration |
will assume it 10 be 81 per barrel. The
Government would in that case only pay 80 ctS.
The Government buys in Richmond Of the Cay
Mills flour for the western army at $5.25, de-
liVered in Staunton it costs the t'uvcrnnrr't
S5T5 So that ths Government pays the
City Mills manufacturer s.. - for his tlour in
StauntoD, and gives him thu Government pri-
vilege of having it transported oy railroad al
half price. On ll:e other hand the comm;a>. /.
ry department buys. unJer its rule, q 'hr An
gusta honr manufacturer, Hour of tne Same val
ur for the western army, and requires him 70
deliver it at Staunton at $5.2o, deductlng
therefrom what he would have to pay for tran.
portatun to Richmond, some $50 Ioaies IN an
opposite direction from where the Government
intends to uave It consumed. The Augusta
man thus gets for delivery aS Stanton 81 %
Tor the sa,ue article Ior which the Eic!iuud
miler ut the salne point gets So.22, aud
benefit Of half the COST Of transportatlon.-
Thus palpable inequality and lnJu"ilcs
is perpetruted by the Government ne
tween its own citizens. do not b-''
lieve that any sach injustice was design
I'd By the CommiSEarY department. In the
present condition Of the country il Is very dl-
ticult to establish these things on the CORRECT
basis at first We can only do so by adopting
what seems TO be the best regulations. and
after testing their practical workings make
such corrections as experience shall dictate t"
be wise and proper. As to the l"rss'sn rndsr
consideration, am satisfied viii the price ii
$5e5 fixed by the Government Bat re
spectfnlIy suggest that the Government ons ht
to pay that price at :he nearest points 10 the
places OF consumption that the Hour can he
had This will be compromise between the
two rules eontended for, and will, think, give
general satisfaction. PIEDMONT