New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-01

|
The general result of the years business
| has been satisfactory in some particulars,
| but the reverse in others. There has been
| large increase in our receipts of cotton,
| sugar and molasses three staples of such
| oyershadowing Importance that the trade
| in them alone may be regarded as a suth-
cient basis for the commerce of populOus
| city. There has also been a considerable
| increase in the receipts of tobacco, although
| hardly equal TO general anticipation at the
! commencement of the year. We also no.
| tice an increase in lard and number of
minor articles, including corn meal, butter,
beans, candles, hides, lime, lead, white lead,
coal oil, lard oil, oil cake, malt liquors,
| packing yarn. soap, slaves and starch.
| These present an aggregate sufficient to
| materially swell the volume of business.
| But on the other hand there has been a
marked diminution in articles of greater
| Importance including pork, dry sailed
| meat, bacon, beef, wheat, corn, oats, flour,
bagging, rope, bran, cotton seed, cheese,
coal, eggs, glassware, hay, horns, leather,
| onions, pickles, potatoes, rice, rosln,
| spirits of turpentine, deerskins, tallow,
| shingles, manufactured tobacco, vinegar,
wool and whisky. This presents a formi-
| dable array, that may well cause the
| thoughtful merchants to pause and inquire
| into the cause of such serious diminution.
| As a general proposition, it may be said
| that there has been large increase in our
| Southern staples, but formidable falling
| off in Western produce. The former is due
| to suspicious weather and wider culture
| of the principal staples; the latter to de-
| creased consumptive demand, and large
districts OF country, which formerly re-
| ceived all their supplies from this market,
now purchasing directly from the Western
| dealer. The cause Of this is fully under
stood. The extension of railroads has not
| only brought nearly every part of the South
| and Southwest in direct communication with
| the West and Northwest, but Western mer
chants have run their freight boats up the
| principal tributaries of the Mississippi, with
| the view of supplying the cOnsumptive de-
mand for Western produce at less than it
! could be met from New Orleans and thereby
| inducing Southern and Southwestern buyers
! to purchase from them the various other sup
| plies they require. The decreased demand
for consumption is owing in part to planters
| having devoted wider area to the culture
| of corn, and paid more attention to raising
| stock, and although they may have made
much less of the former than would suffice
/ to supply their wants, yet enough was har-
vested to materially restrict the demand
| for the Western product. This Will no doubt
! prove to have been still more the case in the
| past year, when, from the low prices rea-
| lied for the previous crop of cotton, the
| terially circumscribed and that of corn pro-
| portionably extended.
| Not withstandng, however, these checks
| to our commercial progress, and the unsat-
| isfactory results of the years business in
| several branches of the trade, the entire
| volume of our commerce has been enlarged,
| and our commercial classes, far from being
| disheartened or discouraged, are entering
upon another year with undiminished en-
| terprise and energy. From every branch
| of trade we hear expressions OF determine
! ton to offer greater inducements to country
| merchants and planters to lay in their sup
| plies in this city, to extend every accom-
| mediation possible in credits 10 solvent men,
and to sell for cash even cheaper than New
York prices. Not, only the regular
| wholesale trade, but our large auction
| houses are prepared to meet the de-
mand literally and generously. In other
| words. to adapt their business to the
| new departure Of their Western and
| Southern friends. Upon this head we hear
of but one opinion. If the merchants of
New Orleans can offer to the merchants
and planters on Red river and other tribu-
| taries of the Mississippi such inducements
| as will retain the trade of those important
districts, they will be happy to continue
| their old relations; if otherwise, although
| they will part from them with regret, 1t will
| be with no i'll feeling to any party, but
rather an honest wish that they may profit
| by their new connections. In the course of
| time the temporarily diverted trade will no
| doubt be recovered. The same ramltlCatlon
| of railroads that has covered other States
| and sections will be extended through the
| States and section naturally allied to this
| city, With the large increase we conf
| IDENTIFY anticipate in our ocean steam ma
! rine-lines running to Liverpool, Havre,
! Hamburg and Bremen-which require the aid
| of no towboats to cross the bar or ascend the
| river, we may fairly expect such an in
crease in our import trade as will enable
our merchants to supply all kinds of foreign
| goods as cheaply as they can be bought
| from first hands in New York. This is sure
to come, however long it may be Deferred
| and the return of old customers Will not be
! DELAYED by their recollection OF how much
| New Orleans merchants have suffered from
| the war-of the millions of Indebtedness
| from planters and others extinguished by
| it's unsuccessful issue-losses which not only
reduced individuals to restitution, but de-
stroved banks. the sohdity OF which was
regarded secure beyond any emergency.
In the meantime, to retain our present
trade and secure that which we have lost,
no effort should be spared to tighten its
burdens aad cheaper freights from the in
terror.
1t is not, however, on river freights only
that more economy is required. The barge
system, we are assured by underwriters, if
judiciously managed with suitable boats,
would be attended by material reduction
of insurance premiums This would greatly
increase the disparity between the river
and the rail, III favor of the former. With
cheap freight and trifling insurance, there
would also be no inconsiderable saving in
the wastage prevented by the cotton being
delivered in perfect order, without any loss
from broken bales or exposure to weather
or water. 1t should then remain to cheaper
all our local charges wherever possible.
Commissions are undoubtedly low enough,
and afford no more than moderate remu-
neration to the factor for his risk, care, at
tention and counting house expenses. But
in other particulars such as drayage, COM
pressing and storage, stevedores' charges
and towage of sailing vessels, there is I'M
doubtedly room for reform and retrench-
ment The most onerous and least defensi-
BILE of all these exactions are those of the
stevedores. The charge for drayage is said
to be no more than fair, considering the
condition of our streets and the extent of
the service. The value of cotton press
stock does not indicate that the business is
extravagantly remunerative. This remark
applies also to towage. The towboat lines
in some instances have been heavy losers,
and their shares have sold at large dis
count. In others they have paid only
light dividends. Their business, moreover,
diminishes with the steady increase OF
steamships superseding to corresponding
extent the use of sailing vessels, the former
requiring no assistance, and rarely any ON
the bar; meeting, in fact, with no obstacles
either in their ingress or their egress. but