The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-10
THE WANTS OF NEW ORLEANS.


The Bulletin of yesterday morning has an
article taking substantially the same ground
as that assumed by the CRESCENT few days
ago, in relation to the responsibility of ithe
| merchants of New Orleans for the relative
decline of our commerce, consequent on the
absorption of portion Of our traffic by more
enterprising competitors. Our merchants
have to contend not only against the energy
of sagacious rivals, but against a weight Of
obstinate monopoly over which they have no
control. New Orleans suffers by obstruc-
tons which make this port not only the
dearest, but very much the dearest in
America. These distractions are not put in
the way by our merchants. 1t is their inter-
est to remove them, and they have tried to
remove them without avail. 1t is monopoly
that is sapping the vitals of New Orleans.
| There is monopoly everywhere-either sane
| toned by law, or the growth Of what seems
| imprescriptible custom. There is monopoly
on the river and monopoly on the land-tow-
boat monopoles, pilotage monopolies, wharf
age monopolies, and monopolies even in the
traffic in food Added to this our policy has
been to increase the burdens of our COM
merce by compulsory charges violative alike
of freedom of trade, and Of the rights Of the
citizen. Whilst we require as near an ap-
proach as possible to unrestricted CONNER
cial freedom, we have allowed our represen-
tative bodies to foster a system of monopolies
which is deadening to enterprise, and para
lying to industry. In the face of these facts it
is idle aad useless to look for causes which,
even if they exist, are removable by the effects
of free competition, and which free competi-
ton will assuredly remove. If our mercantile
charges are too high, such charges will neces-
sarily, in the end, accommodate themselves
to the requirements of trade. If insurance is
too high, the competition of foreign insurance
companies will, in the end, rectify that evil.
Yet we do not mean to say that, in regard to
insurance, it would not be desirable that a
more liberal system should be adopted On
the contrary, there is something that looks
like monopoly or at least like want of sa-
gacity in the manner in which our insurance
system is administered. We had occasion to
refer to this subject in connection with the |
direct trade recently opened between st. |
Louis and the basin of Red River, and to show |
that in some cases the New Orleans rates are |
prohibitory. The Shreveport papers say that
it is owing to this fact, that the trade is leav-
ing New Orleans and going to st. Louis. We |
understand that the hulls of river steamers |
are generally insured elsewhere-that is to say, |
where they can be insured at the cheapest
rotac Rnf fha fraiobf fro,,o tb;S ,,ort ,s,,,ct L.
insured here, and it is the practice of our COM
panies to discriminate against stern-wheel
boats, and thus keep them out of trade for
which they are peculiarly fitted If the in
spector decide against boat merchants will
not ship their freight by it, because they can
not insure it except at ruinous rates. If such
is the case it is very short-sighted policy; |
but, as We have stated, the law of competi-
ton will, in the end, remedy the evil.
What we need is to get rid of those bur-
dens which competition cannot overcome,
because they are devised expressly to suppress
This is the point toward which
all our energies should be directed. We want
the navigation of the great river to be free in
fact as well as in name We do not want il
to be perverted to the benefit of few monop-
olists whose interest is to make the most that
they can by the expenditure of the least labor
and capital, and who, therefore, desire to
restrict commerce to the lowest point COM
patible with the highest profit. We want free
trade in fact as well as in name. We do not
want commerce to be burdened by excessive
charges devised for the sake of putting money
INTO the pockets Of superAuous officials. We
want to get rid of the pilotage monopoly.
We want towage charges reduced to reason
lble figure. We want unobstructed entrance
INTO the river for the large vessels required
~ the wants of modern commerce-for large
Iessels are the cheapest carriers-or in de-
ault of this we want access TO our port for
UGH vessels, by some other and more eligible
cute. We want our wharfage dues to
e reduced to point just high enough to
roduce revenue sufficient to maintain the
7harves We want all compulsory charges
n commerce abolished; and also all compul-
DRY inspections, and finally we want free
rade in food. When we succeed in accom-
fishing these things we shall have done much
oward making New Orleans the commercial
mporium of the country.