The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-05-03
The Mysteries OF Traffic.

The mysteries of traffic, like those of some
other things, are past finding out, except by
those who have been initiated into the arts Of
excepting what you've got and catching what
you can" of buying cheap and selling dear,
and of converting the "nimble sixpence" into
the "slow shilling" 1t is getting to be pretty
well understood, that when Government adds
fourth OF cent to the tax of anything sold
by the pound, the wholesale dealer at once
adds whole cent to his price, and the re-
taller two, while the additional middle-men
put on perqusite Of from one to three cents
EACH so that the consumer, instead of simply
paying an advance equal TO the increased
amount ofthe tax, actually pays an increased
price of from ten to twenty-five per cent be-
cause of that two-and- a-half mills which go
into the national treasury.
There is another singular kink in this bust
ness Of traffic, or, rather, in the medium of in
telligence through which the seller becomes
informed OF the fluctuations in the market
Let -four, sugar, coffee, meal, molasses, Goldfish,
etc, advance only the millionth fraction of a
ligence reaches every retail dealer comeatable
by lightning or lightning expresses, and the
consumer feels the effect in the enhanced cost
to him as promptly as the water in the spout
of the tea-kettle is raised by pouring an
additional quantity into the body of the
vessel, but let the same articles decline in
price in the wholesale market, and the news
travels to the retailer, and through him to the
consumer, with the velocity of a four story
brick block under the influence of Jack screws
OF course this is all right and proper, and we
have not the slightest disposition in the world
to complain; we only refer to these things TO
Illustrate how great are the mysteries of traf-
fe.
We have been led into this train of thought
by rejecting upon the difficulty which the
people find in telling on which side their bread
is battered. This unctuous condiment-the
taste of which may be remembered by the
more wealthy classes, but which has become
thing of doubtful recollection with very
many-bas gone up, up, UP, To such fabu-
lous height that the common people couldn't
see it" long time ago, and have probably
seen less and less OF it ever since. But while
it is still up here, it has been tending down
ward in the large markets for some time,
though the news has not got about to any ex-
tent in this latitude. The reports in the New
York Independent for Saturday, April 23d,
showed a decline in that market from As cents
,er pound to p cents. The best lump was at
this lowest figure. 1t fell ten cents per ID.
in the week proceeding the report alluded to.
The Independent says:
The reason prices were run up so high was
because old butter was sold to gold-paying
countries, and followed the price of gold close
ly. Now the new make of hay butter comes
in plenty, and Is OF such character that it can
not safely be exported, SO down goes prices
by the run, as predicted in the Independent
all through March. This Monday morning,
(April 2jth) the market is more steady at %
26 l-2 cts. for good lots Of new, and we no.
tice few trifling sales for European account"
$50 down goes prices by the rum Com
forring, isn't it2 But how long will it take
them TO go as far "down" as Down East ?"-
That's the vital question with those who
would apply this lubricating article TO their
dry toast before swallowing it. VIII 1t run
down or "go down by the run" except under
the heat ola summer sun? We ask the q ues-
tioa pro bono publico; who will answerp