The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-03-05

PROSPECT FOR THE COMING SEASON. =
We find in late number Of the Detroit
Rost some speculat!ons in reference TO the
probable range of lake freights during
the approaching season, which we copy
entire
mo one expects lake Heights the com
ing year to be kept down to the same low
range that prevailed last season. Al
ready offers at improved rates have been
made by shippers and refused by owners
and reasons plenty as blac,, berries might
be adduced to show why they will be high
er. but perhaps ali those rea ,ons comLin
ed would not be stronger than the one
naked fact that vessel, viii not and cannot
carry at last years PRICES MANY Ct
those which run at Il loss last year would
have promptly laid up Only for the fact
that owners had Oh hand IA fund left over
from the handsome earnings o. tha sea
son of 1866, and they we're led, io<ic!;ous
ly. as 1t were, into an experiment to de-
termine at how low Il sca,a nf. nricas
they could run with the existing bigh
scale OF expenses, and as the result. al
though they generally carr led The czDari
ment little too far, they kava the bene
mt OF their experience, and viii be far
from attempting to carry freight too
cheaply another year. Having now all
requisite practical knowledge on the sub
Ject, there IS no necessity for reDeatine
the experiment, and there is no surn!nS
from last years earnings TO back them
up In repeating it. Taking the gross re-
celpts OF our vessels in grand aggregate
and comparing them with the expenses.
the result would show an aggregate loss.
Meyer before did the receipts and eypen-
ses OF vessels run SO closely together.
The stock OF grain at Chicago and Mil
waukee are steadily increasing. and it is
estimated that upon the opening of navi
cation they will aggregate about 9. GOO
OUo bushels, against a merely nominal
amount last spring. There are also large
stocks at the sources of supply, in winch
respect there is striking difference from
las year: Then, what little wheat had
accumulated, was nearly all diverted bv
RAJ! tor the supply of the numerous 10
caiites where complete destitution pre-
vailed, but next season it will take it's
OLD channel down the lakes The corn
crop OF 1866 was failure, the effect of
which was very severely felt in the carry
ing trade, it being one of the very }arrrst
items n furnishing cargoes Last Year
although there was not an average crop.
there viii be an immense amount over
and s.oove the local wants of the country,
and the prices will be kept so high by the
active foreign demand that every bnshel
that can be spared will go forward. It
has been thought that the lumber product
this winter would show falling off, but
the season has been so favorable for get
ting out logs that this opinion is now re-
versed, and large as was last year stock,
that OF this year viii no doubt fully equal
It. The unfavorable results of last wears
stave trade would, it has been presumed
cause material falling off in the amount
got out this winter, but this opinion also
seemed to prove erroneous, A gentle
man who has just returned from the Sag
nav Valley, assures us that there viii be
1ui','s many got out as last winter, and
probably more.
Uran the whole, the prospect for fair
rates the coming season are quite fiatter-
ing, and it is to be hoped that our enter
prlslng vessel owners will fully overcome
the effects of past reverses. y