The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-05-31
DAILY PRESS.
CORTLAND.
Tuesday Morning, Nay 81, 1870.
lde statisttcs.
FcgEI'lA.NH r.

'ie eonniheIce OF Tue country, Mr.. Il. III. Walk
er, of the New York Produce EXCHANGE. a
gentleman Of large experience and informa-
tion as to such matters, was solicited To SUBJ
NIT such suggestions in reference to the sub
has kindly contributed the following paper,
which should have the attention of business
men throughout the country:
REQUESTED SUGGESTIONS.
Supply and demand, as general rule, re-
gulate and determine the prices of all COM
modlties, the instances being only exception
al where they do not. Hence it is of the first
Importance TO the Agricultural, Commercial
and Financial interests of the entire country,
that the best possible statistical information
in regard to both these primary regulators of
values, as applicable to all the staple agricul-
tural products of the country as well as its
animals and their products, should be careful
ly and correctly prepared and periodically pub
lished Tor Il public benefit.
To this end the Government Agricultural
Bureau has been established and organized
under the Government auspices for the pur-
pose of gathering information, which is pub
lished monthly and annually, and distributed
to those who ask Tor it. in regard to all the
crops OF the country, as well as its animals in
cuding horses, mules, cattle, sheep and swine
The results of the workings of this Bureau
are as yet imperfect, and are not generally con-
sidered very reliable. They should not only
be accurate, but, besides the conditions of
crops, should include the acreage of each COM
pared with previous years.
The census being taken every ten years by
the General Government, and every ten years
by the States, with five years intervening be-
tween them, gives the population of the coun-
try every five years. The decennial increase
since 1870 has been i'll the ratio OF thirty three
and one-thiid per cent, or a traction over
three per cent. annually. The population
being known, the consumption OF the country
can be approximately estimated, more especi-
ally Tor meats and breadstu9s, and this with
reliable statistics of the crops and of animals
used food for man, would approximately give
the surplus. The monthly reports of the con-
diton OF the crops should be compiled from
such accurate sources of information as to
quite surely indicate, even before the harvest,
the per cent. OF deficiency or surplus. as COM
pared with the average OF previous years.
The supply and price OF animal food has
become OF vast moment. The cities of New
York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, re-
quire for their annual consumption about five
million head OF live stock, including cattle,
sheep and hogs. The interior cities north OF
the Ohio require enough beside, to swell the
amount to nearly eight million head Beside
these, about three million hogs and two hun
dred thousand cattle are slaughtered and
packed annually in the Northwestern States.
The stability and safety of the commercial
and fnanci"l operations resulting from this
vast production and consumption, require ac-
curate and seasopable statistical information
in order to prevent financial disasters among
the merchants engaged in the traffic in live
stock, provisions and wool.
hpr( 4 sarno rnrl rr1I on tn1 n
O29,400 bushels against ,450, $4,000 bushels
in 1868. The cereal crop of 1869 is believed
to have exceeded that of 1865. Our cotton
crop of 1869 is estimated to be 2,700 600 to
3,SO0O0O bales The tobacco crop is of no
inconsiderable importance. The value of the
foreign exports OF the latter two nearly equals
that OF all other commodities
Seasonable government statistical informa-
ton accurately compiled would in great
measure prevent ruinous speculation in adj
vance of the maturity OF the crops or imme
diaiely after it, and would keep the busnes
| men of the country financially sound. Sucl
| information would alse be of great impor
| tance to the internal and ocean carrying trade
the insurance and monetary interests of tn
country, as well as to the government itse
that requires SO much money by taxation.
| 1t is within the province of the Natona
| Board of Trade to urge upon the Agriculture
DEPARTMENT of the limited States. The INN,
! rions necessity of correctness In its report
and 2romptness in their publication.
THE MOVEMENTS OF THE STAPLE PRODUCT
| supply AND DEMAND REGUl AT
| PRICEs"-IAIPROvFME ON MoyEMEN
| OF PROPERTY SUGGESTED.
| At nearly all the important points in til
| country where surplus products center fo
market, Boards Of Trade or Chambers q
Commerce are established, and through thes
organizations or the public press, the daily
weekly, sometimes monthly, sometimes semi
| annual, and yearly receipts and shipments ar
| given-although in the main these trade or
| CARNATIONS are the medium through whicl
| this organization is obtained. At ocear
| ports the receipts from the interior and coast
| wise, and the foreign exports are given, ant
| from some the coastwise shipments.
At Chicago the Board of Trade prepares ant
| keeps record of the daily receipts by al
routes and the daily shipments including al
routes, water and rail. During the season O
navigation on The Lakes the port list OF the
| shipments OF flour and grain by water is bull
letined on Change, The Chicago press de
rives its information entirely from this source
but the statistics placed on record embrac,
the receipts and shipments OF all importan
commodities, the routes by which receive,
and by which shipped, including however th,
destinations only Of the. flour and grain ship
ments by water, during the season OF LAX,
navigation. The Chicago press formerly pub
| lished the receipts by each railroad and the
| Illinois canal, and by lake, and their aggre
gate, and the shipments by lake with raj
| shipments aggregated, but these only includ
ed flour and grain. Latterly the Chicago
| press published the receipts and shipments il
gross, without specifying the routes by whicl
received or shipped.
At Milwaukee the Chamber of Commerc,
of that city keeps record of the receipts b,
all routes including rail and water, compris
ing each separately-of -four and grain only
The shipments by water during the season O
navigation, are given Of flour and grain, ant
some other articles, and their destination
1he rail shipments of -four and grain, are ais,
| gwen, but without destination.
At Detroit the Chamber of Commerce @
that city keeps record of the daily recept
OF the principal agricultural and animal prod
ucts, which ale published by the daily ne VS.
papers, but there is no account given nv th
daily papers OF the shipments or their destina
ton, and 1t is believed none is kept by tn
Chamber of Commerce.
At Toledo, the Board of Trade of that cit
give the receipts OF breadstuffs by each ra
ana water route, and their aggregate daily an
weekly, put 90 not include particulars, bl
only totals OF other products by all TO ute
The shipments OF breadstuffs are given dali
and weekly, Including the destination of thos
Dy lake. The destination OF those by ral ar
not given.
AT l'nffalo, the receipts of all i,nportan
products by lake and the Grand Trunk Raj
way OF Canada are given daily, weekly an
monthly The Lake Shore Railway termina
ing in that city will not allow the receipts {
property by it, daily, weekly, or monthly, I
be made public, its officers alleging that put
lication of such receipts would be injurious
the business Of the road b, giving competin
roads an advantage which their suppressio
prevents.
For like reason, the rail shipments frol
Buffalo by the Erie and Central Railva,
have never been made public, excepting lin
stock, the shipments OF which ale given wee
ly by each road. The only daily public r,
cords of the shipments OF property eastwa,
from that city are those by canal, which il
ciude Hour and grain only. The weekly sbi
ments, however, OF all important commo1
ties could be obtained. The Canal Depar
ment give them in ful detail at the close
each navigation season. This is useful an
necessary, but is of comparatively little bent
nt 10 the business public, Interested in th
prices OF property transported by canal. IN
shipments OF all important ariIc.es 10 DC
practical benefit should be given at least ono
a week.
At Oswego, the daily shipments by canal {
, flour and grain only are given. The receipt
of all important products by lake are give
daily. The canal and rail shipments of a
, important articles are given once a montl
? NJ ho t nraptic,l hpnpft IN tho hnsipaSS ~, n,