New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-11-19
A pRoDunE EXCHANGE.

4 PRODUCE EXCHANGE,
The singular failure Of our efforts to re-
establish board of produce exchange in
New Orleans is still fresh in memory. 4
similar fate befel the subsequent endeavor
to combine the social feature Of lunch
club with q reading room, bulletin board,
and a daily exchange was not more sue
cessful. The expression singular fail
ure'' is used, because in each OF these
cases the enterprise was inaugurated IN
dep the auspices Of some most popular
officers. Mr.. Charles Briggs was preSI-
dent Of the one, and Mr.. 3. Schmidt
of the other AS the failure could not
have been the fault Of the organization, SO
the location Of these boards could not
have been responsible The Joint Ex-
change was held at the corner Of Poydras
and Camp streets. It was midway be-
tween the Ievoe and the cotton mart on
Carondelet street. The Commercial Club
and Exchange was at the corner Of
Tchoupitoulas and PoydTas streets,
"a the centre Of the -four and
pork business, yet in neither place
was the experiment successful, and both
were closed up and abandoned. To rem
der the failure more mysterious it must be
remembered that similar institution was
in successful operation before the war,
and that the cotton dealers have recently
inaugurated an exchange which takes
rank among the most authentic bodies III
the Union. The recurring demand for a
corn and provi4ton exchange requires the
argument in fts favor to be restated;
like that historical spider whose success
full repetitiors of experimental effort en-
couraged Bruce to persevere in asserting
the freedom of his people, We should
derive new resolution from disappoint-
ment, and solve the difficulty, if but to
satisfy the American mind as to what i'm
perceptible impeachment has hitherto pre-
vented its solution.
The reasons in favor Of daily exchange
may bestated shortly. The assemblage of
persons engaged in q common pursuit at a
given place, and at given hour, is an evl-
dent emanation of the associative economy
to which we have heretofore referred tits
manifested in the fairs and clearing houses
of Northern Europe, and especially in
England, and in the "court days" OF the
Atlantic and other States. These trade
assemblages in Chicago and ST. Louis en-
able dealers in provisions to do an i'm
mense amount Of business in a much
shorter time than if the same men were
dispersed throughout the city The pro-
vision exchange would have the same eff
feet here. AS ours is a city of some
magnificent distance" and as our eli
mate is, during much Of the business sea
son, quite too hot to make long walks
agreeable, there is every reason why our
merchants should employ this exchange
agency.
We have never imagined but one OBJ
stacle to the success of daily meeting and
sale by sample. Our Western produce
arrives in large quantities, and from a
long river voyage. Perhaps those who
deal in corn, pork or other commodities
subject to damage may distrust sale by
sample, and prefer to look upon the whole
stock to be purchased, that they may see
the order Of the produce and the packages
This should offer no impeachment. Our
dealers are as honorable as elsewhere, and
with the rapid transportation from the
upper country produce must come to New
Orleans in as good order as i would reach
any Eastern market from the same region.
Let our produce dealers then make another
effort, and we do not doubt but that q sys-
TEN so useful elsewhere will be successful
here.