The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-03
CHAMBER OF conMERcE.
ADDRESS OF COL. BURwELL.


Commerce in their hall last evening. Its prnci.
pal object was to hear the report of Col. VIM. NJ.
Burwel, who sometime since was delegated by
the chamber to proceed to vsrious Northern and
Western cities, there to discover the probabilities
Of the turning Of the grain trade to this city and
to point out to the several boards of trade of the
various cities the excelencies of the gulf route
| and the facilities We are willing to give to
the trade IL, or rather when, we get it. 10
the discharge of this miss on Colonel
boards Of st. Louis and Chicago. has con
versed with the leading men of both those com.
mercial ceniers, has examined their method of
doing business, and ITS adaptability to our city has
given to the people of those towns Information as
20 the trade facilities of New Orleans, her eli.
mate. her atmosphere in its effect upon both grain
and human health; the amount of enterprise her
| people exhibit-in short everything that would
interest men who for the first time have heard of
| strange country, wherein they may shortly make
a venture. He has collected, too, a vast amount
of information, both statistical and other WISE and
pow comes back to the city which sent him, to
report the result of his mission. The regular bus.
mess OF the chamber beng concluded, Col. Bur-
| well was called upon for his report, which was
substantially as follows:
He recounted briefly the message with which
| be had been charged to the great Western cities
81 Louis and Chicago, to which he had been sent,
| which was the expression to Them of the desire
OF New Orleans to be linked yet closer with them
=, ha ,nose o9nds, which only are enduring the
the proht which will accrue to themselves by the
use Of the gulf route, for both expectation and
importation, and the proving to them that we are
IN earnest in our desire for their trade by the ex-
hibition to them OF the reduced rates Of charges
recently adopted by the merchants of New Or.
leans. He said be had been cordially received
wherever he delivered his message, had found
The people anxious to hear him, willing 20 give
all Information, and glad to learn everything he
tell could them about what we expect and wish.
He had, wherever he had gone, bat especially in
Chicsgo-whch city, and her wonderful rise and
FrA al Ill I'll
to demonstrate to the people two great points,
which proved, as he proved them, conclusvely
that the grain trade must come here. But
still he said, although to him these arguments
seemed 80 conclusive, he put them very modesty
TO the great capitalists and men of business with
whom be had come in contact, merely stating
facts, leaving themselves to make the Deductions
Those two points are briefly these:
Frs-By way of New Orleans and the gulf
aud by no other route can Chicago get her grain
to market from November to April. During that
time the canals and lakes are closed by the ice,
and the railroads, taking advantage of the block
ade as soon as the frost commences, put their
fregbts up. This is done in such proportion that
the freight on barrel of -four which, in summer
Is transported for Csc. in winter comes to 81 80
Besides ID increased cost of 4 Q ghf, the rail-
roads are not adequate at any price to carry ALL
or 1.-THE, Of the grain of Chicago. Mr.. Burweli |
showed that the expectation of in the winter
months did not average over q third Of q million |
OF bushels per month, while In the summer months
~ iOcc W lOuE lLiillUue Vi Dubnele. NOW the |
wheat crop GENES in in August, and therefore a |
portion OF II may be shipped East before the 18th
November, when the freeze comes. But corn is |
not harvested till October. and therefore but |
small portion OF il can be sent East before the |
freeze the balance, except that insignificant part
which can be sent by rail, remaining idle all winter
in the bins of Chicago. Storage must be paid on |
this grain, interest must be lost on the money |
which II represents, insurance must be paid and |
above all the owners must sit still and xirI their
thumbs, while prices may 60 up and 60 down aud |
their grain not " in reach Of a u ark T. and not
likely 10 get to one for three or four months.
Chicago cannot afford this loss of time and money
this ideLess Of labor and of capital. She
wants some immediate outlet TO the ten
million bushels Of grain, which in November are
placed in her bins, there TO remain till April,
utterly useless and dead weight. And this out.
let we offer. II, when the lakes and rivers of the
far North freeze, the merchants of the Northern
N etropolis, instead Of boarding their grain till
spring, making meanwhile small bits Of shipments
by rail, should at once change the coarse of their
grain, send it by the shortest rail route To the
great Mississippi, Of some Of it's tribu.
taries, thence by barge to New Orleans,
and thence by steam or sail in bulk to
the markets of the East and Europe they would
employ their capital, they would yet control the
market. they would transform their four months
business lethargy into four months of activity as
great, if not greater than that of the balance of
the year. Col. Burwell also told how he demon.
straied to those men their advantages in obtain.
through New Orleans, over the present route
which Is via New York. He showed ia the one
item of hogshead Of sugar, which pays s23
freight from Havana TO Chicago, via New YORK,
which can be transported, and is transported for
sll via New Orleans. On this poot Col. Bur-
well dwell at length, and clearly demonstrated it.
The second item which Col. Burwell had dis
cussed with the men of Chicago was the refuta-
ton OF the idea that grain could not be trans
ported through the gulf stream without serious
and permanent injury. This was very prevalent
belief two years ago amongst men of all classes,
but later Investigations and inquiries bad demon
suated its falacy, and now the speaker had the
opinion of the best and most practical Western
men, such as Mr.. Douglass, president of the II.
linols Central Railroad, and Mr.. Highly. recently
90 e1os nco now Of our e proprietor OF the
is FULLY as safe as any other. So that objection
may be considered disposed Of
Col. Burwell next showed that although st.
Louis and Chicago may contend for Northern aud
Eastern trade, yet their Southern expectations
must both come through New Orleans
COL Burwell then took up the obstacles 10 the
wsy Of the grain trade. They are ia the first
place natural the bar at the mouth of the river
the bars bove and the rapids. To remove these
is the work of the central government The next
are trade barriers. OF these the speaker ennmer- !
ated, first: The enormous wharfage dues now de-
maIded all along the river from here to St. Louis |
which actually amount in the aggregate to over
$500 for one round trip. Second The high rates
of insurGnce-a thing TO be remeded in time.
Third: The cumbrous manner of conducting BUSH
ness IN our Custom House. Fourth High freights
bale Of cotton can now be carried from here |
to New York by rail for the same price, barring |
slight additional insurance, as it can be transDor-
ted coastwise. Fifth: The lack of proper reci-
procity treaties with the countries south OF US.
sixth: The lack of government announcement,
such as is now given to New York by mail paw |
and di ect subvsn lion of money, and which ae
have an equal right to demand. To overcome
tfese obstacles is what our own best interests
demsnd If us, and in the work we will find rich |
II ward.
Next can e discussion of the fact that freight |
can be brought from San Francisco to st. Louis |
cheaper via the isthmus and New Orleans, thanit
can by overland rail.
The speaker then proceeded to tell of inmigra-
ton, past snd to come, through this port. At
this point his other duties called reporter away
so be Is unable to report the balance of the lee.
ture, which. however, was then drawing to an end.
Before closing we would suggest that public
report OF which due notice should be given,
from Col. Bnrwell would be an extremely inter-
es ing event to the citizens of New Orleans.
With the stores Of information which he has
gathered, and his recent interviews with the men
h< vAl