, 1869-04-11
SUNDAY. APRIL II, 1860.


A0A %. AOO46 NALh4N 0Of1mGN
The project set on foot in St. Louis few
days ego to bug all the grain in the North
west With 500, 900 and send it down the
Mississippi to New Orleans, and thence to
Liverpool will probably be put in opera
ton about the tirno the Niaga1a Fails Canal
II built, the Erie Canal enlarged, and tho
trunk lines Of railroad eastward provided
with steel rails, whereby the osst Of trans
portation on the natural route of commerce
will be reduced below ths contemplated
rates On the Mississippi river.
Meanwhile, however, it is not
wise to ignore the Southern movement, or
to conclude that beranse st. Louis has
never done anything wise or great she
never win. There is one fact overlooked
by the St. Louis wiseacres, which viii cut
sn important figure in tho business, and
that is tho matter Of return freights. The
South could not carry On direct trade with
Europe before the war even with her mono
poly product, cotton, because vessels en-
gagcd in TINT trade could not obtain return
cargoea, From whatever Southern port
they might loaa they were compelled on The
return voyage To load for New York,
and it WIS found more profitable on the
whole to send The cotton to New York to be
reshipped to Europe than 10 ship it direct
from New Orleans, Savannah, or Charles
ton The game lnws will govern nov that
ruled before tho war.
Nevertheless, it behoovcs Us 10 look scri-
ously at the proposed diversion Of Western
tratle, and ascertain whether we have not
the nouns to rs,tain our supremacy in the
grain trade without relying wholly upon tho
the advantages which nature and custom
have given us. Obyi1usly the thing to be
done is TO lessen the cost OF conveying the
grain from the producer to tho consumer. II
person unRcquninted with the business
watch the couue Of u Gushl Of wheat from
the p1aHie fn1m to Liverpool, he will be
astonished at The number Of hands it passes
through before it reaches the European
market 1t Is first bought from the farmer
by collector, second, bought from the
collector BY shipper ut the railroad station;
third, inspected into elevator; fourth, sold
by commission merchant on Change; fifth,
bought By shipper; sixth, inspected out Of
elevated seventh, bought BY commission
merchant in New York eighth, bought by
shipper ninth, inspected; tenth, sold On
'Change at liverpool Here 1nre ten mid
dlemen, each Of whom takes toll from the
g1ist. AL tlis is Independent Of tho charges
for carriage, insurance, storage in elevator,
tolls on canal. wharfage and interest On
capital while the grain is in tranait.
Whle re expect butGtue, nara loss Of
money, from the ST. Louis movement, we
are glad to see TINT it is, opening the eyes
Of grain dealers along the 1ake and canal
route to the necessity Of effecting reduc-
ion in thar charges The aggregate of
those charges ia simply enormous, and
there is no doubt that they could
be reduced without loss to the
shippers, while the gain to
producer and consumer. would be rery
great The charge Of Isl cents per bushel
on the Erle Canal, for instance, conld never
be sustained with Il competing route, either
by the Niagara Canal OF down the Mississippi;
and ike competition would also materially
reduce the charges for handling. We sha]l
welcome anF movement which tends to pay
the producer more while it charges less to
the consumer, no matter. where the move
ment may have its origin. ::