The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-04-02

| x
are necessary to be shown if one would judge
correctly in regard to the true importance OF
| this port.
In other words, in amount of duties upon
consumption and warehouse entries, Portland
| Is the seventh or eighth port in the United
| States-in amount of duties assessed upon all
| goods passing through the Custom House 1t is
the third or fourth in rank e
| And what is particularly gratifying is the
| fact that the business of all kinds, with the
| exception of the Cuba trade, the decline of
which he thought was but temporary, is steady,
and some of it rapidly increasing. Last year
though there was a signal falling off in the
imports from Cuba, the entire diminution in
the value of imports was less than $215, 600
showing large increase of importations out
side of sugar and molasses, while there was an
increase in the exports of more than a million
and quarter. The size and capacity of the
Allan steamers had been nearly or quite
doubled since his time as Collector. The ter
increased the business of the Custom House
very largely. From the opening of the
Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal to the time
when this Treaty ceased, nearly the entire re-
ceipts from Canada were of free goods, all of
which are now subject to duty.
This report of the condition of affairs at the
Custom House he believed would represent the
general condition OF business in the city. While
he felt that city with such vast opportunities
as Portland enjoyed, was under peculiar OBJ
HSttlou W USE tIeill, anu was Crllillldiy ueSli-
gent if she'idly waited for them to bIild her
up without doing anything herself; while he
believed that in order to put Portland at her
best, new avenues of trade, grander in their
promise than any she now possesses, ought to
be opened,-and must be opened, if growth
and expansion were to be her destiny; and
although he knew that, after ALL the truest
strength and prosperity, and the surest
pledge of growth to a city was Manu-
features, and that this interest had been too
long ignored and ought now to be more special
ly attended to- yet it would be false to the actual
situation to say that that situation was not
healthy and encouraging. He believed that it
had never been more SO than at this time.
1t was true, after the fire in 1866, mechanics by
hundreds, if not thousands, came to the city
from other States and from the Provinces to la
Dor in rebuilding it. This work had been ac-
complished so well that the number of dwell
ing houses in the city was considerably greater
than before the fire, and he thought the num-
Der of stores was at least 20 per cent larger
than before Now, when this work OF re-
building had been performed, there was no
longer need of carpenters, painters and ma
sons to the extent that had been required by
the exceptional condition of things occasoned
by the fire. The excess had gone away as it was
inevitable that they would go. The men were
not wanted in Portland, but were in Chicago,
or some other place. So many could not 60
away without the fact being known and spoken
Of Then, for some years, the government APP
preparations for labor on the public buildings,
and forts in the harbor, were several hundred
thousands of dollars annually. These works
being III the main finished, the mechanics who
had labored upon them had found employment
elsewhere. But all this proved no falling off
IN the permanent business the usual indus
tries of the city. Two of the sugar houses had
found 1t necessary to suspend operations last
years. that occasioned diminution of certain
imports and an inevitable arrangement of in
dustry to a certain extent.
Again, an uneasy feeling has been occasioned
upon the street in consequence OF the inability
OF merchants to obtain regularly or in reasonsa-
BILE season, corn, flour, SC. from the west So
immense was the strain upon our great Rail-
way (Which heretofore had done so much for
Portland, and which he did not doubt would
do great deal more hereafter) to supply the
steamships, that it was impossible to also sup
ply the city trade-the ships must be loaded
promptly or they could not afford to come here
at all. This was evident. The Railroad was
compelled to give them the priority. The size
OF these ships was twice what it was few
years ago. Five are now in the harbor, three wait
ing for cargoes, and some of them must be de-
layed for weeks. This state of affairs, while it
indicated the immense and increasing import
ance of the steamship lines, and the position
that Portland must occupy, if true to herself, as
one of the largest exporting cities on the CONT
nent, had Occasioned a vast deal of complaint.
1t was not strange that it should have done SO
men have not generally reached that state of
christian submission that they can see profit
able trade that they had once enjoyed and feel
that they ought now to enjoy, pass by them to
other cities with patience and equinimity.-
Such were the shades Of the picture, but they
were after all such as should have been ex-
pected, and could not essentially dim its lights.
He had heard from some of the most wealthy
and conservative, from some of the most prac-
teal and intelligent men of the city, and upon
Inquiry he had elected facts which compelled
him to believe with them-that Portland had
on the whole never known more truly pros
porous year than the last-one in which she
had so much thickened up from the
bottom. The census of scholars indicated
yearly gain in population of over 1000, and
one OF the largest brokers in real estate had in
formed him that the need of houses indicated
healthy growth of population. He had taken
pains to learn in regard to trade and manufac-
lures, and for that purpose inquiries had been
made of some Of the leading houses and estab-
in the city. One wholesale dry
goods house had sold $400, 900 more in 1871 than
it had ever sold before, and the others with
scarcely an exception had sold more goods than
in any previous year. The wholesale grocers
made similar report-wholesale dealers in
paints, drugs, &c.,-and there were several
large houses in the city any one of which did
ten times more business than was done by all
that were in the city fifteen years ago-had sold
20 per cent in excess OF any past year. Traders
throughout the State who never thought of
buying goods in Portland ten years ago, had
found that they could effect an actual saving
by doing so, and they We're not slow to make a
practical use of this knowledge. NJ, re orders
to the wholesale trade had been received this
spring than ever before at the same time.
g. In regard to manufactures, he had been in
formed from intelligent sources, that as
whole they were largely increasing. Take the
iron manufactures and those in which iron was
largely used-the Portland Company, the Roll
ing Mills, the Presumpscot works, Staples
works, Quinn g. Co.'s works-and they never
had SO many ORDERS or employed so many men
as the last year-they were all taxed to their
utmost, and employed an aggregate of nearly
1000 men-perhaps more The Forest City
Sugar Refinery had never done so well and the
Eagle works had started up anew. The Glass
works had begun anew under an order of things
promising better results than had been hereto
fore realized. The shoe business had been
largely extended-he was surprised and graft
fed the other day to learn how largely,-the
kerosene and Pottery manufactures he under
stood had enjoyed more than an average year.
The carriage makers, now one of the most i'm
portant manufacturing interests in the city and
which had given to it reputation far and
wide and whose work found purchasers from
the st. John to the Sacramento, were steadily
increasing their business. And there were
other important industries, the canning and
packing of meats, fish and fruits, the manufac-
ture of furniture-of Britannia aud tin ware-of
harnesses and trunks-of matches-of tiles-of
brushes-he would not stop to mention them
all which as rule, had had as much or more
to do than ever before.
Now, these industries and activities were es-
tablshed and localized here-they were regular
and normal, and their condition, rather than
that of spasmodc and exceptional demands
gagged the true measure of the eity's prosperi-
ty. But he was OBTAINING his friends altogeth-
err too long with these remarks and he would
only say that he was glad to see them here to-
night, and to give them an opportunity to see
how well the government had provided for the
needs of their commerce and to express the
hope and belief that they would build up a trade
that had a fair right to the enjoyment of ac-
concentrations so complete and admirable as
he had had the pleasure to show them.
The Collector then very gracefully called
upon Mayor Kingsbury, who remarked that Mr..
Washburn had exhausted all that could be said
ON the subject. He had omitted, however, to
speak of one who had been an important agent
in procuring the erection of this fine building
We are indebted largely to the personal efforts
of Gov. Washburn for this elegant and commo-
dious structure, an ornament to the city, and a
beautiful recognition of the Importance of
Portland as a commercial port; and he could
not help expressing his qualification for this
recognition by the General Government The
Eh"Soi VIGIL S"Nc Soo Pl0"s"he "REMINISCENCES
of the old Custom House, which stood on this
spot, and related some amusing anecdotes of
former officials, under the late John Anderson.
Then, said he, Portland had population of
only $4,000 OF 10000 We had no foreign
steamships and our imports were small, being
chiefly confined to our West India traffic. He
hoped the interesting statements made by the
Collector in relation to the growth and present
condition of the business of the city would be