The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-10-30
From the Lynchburg Virginian.
The Production of Salt Report Of the
Boasd Of Public Works.

\ DOdxu Ol Z uU1lC w OIkS.
We have been favored by member of the
Board of Public Works, with a copy of theil
recent Report to the Legislature upon the
management Of the Salt Works. Having giver
!. the Report careful reading, we propose tc
submit some views upon the subject, basec
/ upon statements made in the Report. ana
some derived from other sources, which VIZ
deem to be reliable. The importance Of tn,
/ subject will justify more than passing refer
ence. and we regret to be compelled to say
that the Board have not made IA Report thai
will prove satisfactory. 1t is on some points
obscure, and fails to bring ont all the facts in
| volved 1t might be better tyled "A Defence
! Of the conduct Of John N Clarkson. Super,
| intendent Of the Salt Wsrks, under the Su-
pervsory control of the Beard Of Pablo
Works respectfully submitted by that homo
| rabIy Body"
With all Difference to the Board, it seems
to us that they have not been consistent with
their own record upon this subject; and we
propose to show that, while the Board, i'm
pressed with a. sense of the Importance Of
stimulating the production Of salt to the ut
most extent possible. and If giving every
facility of transportation to the public salt
to the exclusion Of that produced on private
account and sold at enormous rates.-they
have SO acted, or permitted their Superinten-
dent to act. in manner. that has served to
diminish the quantity of salt, and to tarow
private salt upon the market, to iorestsll the
public supply.
In addressing the Legislature. upon this
subject, the Board say:-.'And FIRST in ini-
portance, it becomes necessary to state that
the facilities for manufacturing salt, placed at
the command IF the Superintendent, are in.
sufficient to produce an adequate supply of
salt for the State, in d-,e time. 1t is proba-.
bly, true that the ten furnaces leased by the,
State could, in a years operations, if unim-
peded, prodsce salt enough tn sapply the
State year; bat be it remembered that a
very large proportion Of the years supply Of
salt is needed for use in curing meat in the
beginning of winter.
1t is impossible for the furnaces now in the
use of the State to furnish suHicieacy Of salt
to meet that necessity in due time. For this
deficiency, inevitable in the present state Of
things, there is no remedy except ~,ch as the
wisdom of the Legislature may devise
Now, let us see whether this deficiency
is inevitable The State leased from
Messrs. Stuart, Buchanan 4 CO., ten furna-
ces, ard Of these ten, eight have been sub
leased by the Superintendent to.othcr parties.
The ten furnaces leased hv the State, contain
573 kettles, and the eight furnaces snb-leased
contain Al kettles. The rent paid by the
parties, sub-easing is loo bushels monthly.
for each kettle, and it is estimated that TO
enable them to pay this reat, they must make
at least l25 bushels. 1t is assumed then, that
the monthly product of the eight kettles held
Nv the lessecs is SIS. lbs bushels, A. 100 of
which they must paw to the State in the, shane
Of rent. New, it would appear that if the
1872 furnaces worked by the Superintendent
were worked M well as those operated by the
sub lessees, there would be a monthly yield
from them. Of 1880 bushels. But what is
in the shape of rent from the sub. lcssees, and 4
only aids Z, 293 bushels to that, to make the
Is 1913 bushels which, the Board say, he has
supplied monthly TO the State. This, taking
The assumed operations Of the sub lessees as
the basis of our calculation, shows that the
does not produce more than
one-fourth of what he should from the l32
kettles included in the furnaces he works.
From this statement, it would appear that if
all the ten furnaces were worked on State &C |
count. We should have monthly supply &c
1925 bushels Of salt, instead Of 48, $685.
But, if be said that this is above the capa-
city Of the ten furnaces, let it be remembered
thst Mr.. Ciarkson. when he was using all his
arts to induce the Legislature to press the
works and give him control Of them, told some |
Of the members that he could make them
yield 10000 bushelSper month But again:
if tits important, as the Board say it IS. and
We believe them.-thnt larger quantity of
salt should be supplied to the people, why do
they permit their Superintendent to pursue
such a course as absolutely to arrest and sus.
pend the operations Of other furnaces en- gagged
in filing contracts with the Confederate Go.
vernnient and counties Of the State? The
firm of Chas. Scott & Co., Of this city, were
largely engaged in supplying salt to fill the
contracts of this character made by Stuart.
Buchanan & Co. These gentlemen purchas-
ed an engine and hired cars Of another road.
to enable them to transport their wood and
salt. They had the consent of the Virginia
and Tenn. Road to this effect, and paid all
the freight demanded of them. They were
thus prepared to manufacture 1000 Bushels
Of salt per day, had not the running of their
trains been suspended by the action of Mr..
Clarksou, whereby their works were stopped.
from which loss in production Of at least
SO, 900 bushels Of salt has occurred. These
facts do not indicate that the Beard of Public
Works, or their Superintendent, have noted
in manner calculated to increase the pro-
duction of this great article Of prime neces-
sity. VI
We now address ourselves to the second
branch of the subject. The Board say that
..the officers Of the railroad companies we're
instructed to give priority Of transportation
10 supplies necessary for the State Salt Works,
and to the salt manufactured by the State as
as for that which had been previously
contracted for, either by the Governor or BY
agents Of the various counties, and which had
not been delivered or removed" They then
cite resolution adopted by the Board Of Di-
rectors Of the va. and Tenn. r. r. Company
to the same effect, giving priority of transpor-
tation in the following order: "First, for the
army Of the Cenfederacy; secondly, for the