Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-10-20
FIGURES.

Tho Merchants Exchange has just
compiled some important and signifiean,
statistics, to.vit: the importations oil
Atlantic merchandise per the Western
Pacific Railway during the months Of
September and October. It will be seen
that during that time they amount to
hundreds Of tons, and embrace = wide
range of merchandise. Hereafter, the
movement of goods by this line will con-
stitute almost as important an element
of port statistics a. those by the 1sthmus
of Panama. But they possess a peculiar
Significance, aside from their mere
volume as merchandise. A large pro-
portion of the goods, like those on Horn
manifests, comes as unspecihed mer-
chandiss ; but a sufficient quantity is
specified to indicate the important
changes which are being introduced in
u commercial relations. Most con.
~spicuous among those articles are boots
aud shoes, dry goods, clothing, hats,
carpets, glassware, butter, tobacco,
books, paper, machinery, hardware,
fancy goods, wagons, eggs, cheese, SHOW
els, drugs, tools, yeast powders, maps,
figs, sewing machines, and a most mis-
csllaneous line Of minor articles. Msr-
chants will recognize in this imperfect
list, an abstract of Isthmus manifests.
We see, then, that q largo part Of the
goods which have heretofore been
brought by that route may now be eI-
pected overland. A close calculation
will show that, assuming the rail freight
to come through in ten days, and allow
ing interest for the difference in time Of
transit at one per cent. per month, all
goods costing 10 New York $500 per
ton or upward, can be brought by rail
moro cheaply than by Isthmus. 1t may
be some time before this rule will be
established in its integrity; but 1t may
be taken to indicate the tendency of
As yet the railroad is not pre-
pared to handle the full amount Of traffic
which tends toward it, nor a it be re-
lied upon to deliver goods in ten nor
twenty nor thirty days. Shippers are
now compelled to take large chances Of
But. this list, too, points to another
important conclusion. Many interior
(most notably and most success
fully those of Sacramento and Virginia
City are trying the experiment Of i'm
porting on their own account. Many
Western merchants, too, are trying the
experiment. of selling them goods. 1t
appear a commercial %absurdity
that Eastern Goods should first pay full
freight through to this city, then the
expense Of handling, storing, re.ship-
ping to the interior, and freight thither,
when it might all be avoided by landing
at tho very point in the interior where
il is wanted, on It's first overland pas
sage. If this thing were found to work
in practice as the theory would indicate,
il would follow that we Of this city
should lose the interior trade in all the
long line Of articles comprising the liit
Of W. P. R. r. Importation. But in
practice the rule does. not work rigidly.
The interior dealer, needing au assorted
Of goods, and but little of each
separate article, will find his account in
making his purchases in the commercial
center where extensive stocks and com.
plets assortments are kept always on
hand. Notwithstanding the nominal
therefore, the fact will con-
tinue to be, that goods will come down
over the Pacific rail, past the points
they are wanted for consumption
be landed in this city, and after
ward sent back over the same rail to
The Same points Of consumption.-S. +.