The New York herald., 1872-08-29
The GRAIN. TRADE.
lpsyicw Of the Present Condition Of tho Bread
STATS Trade Of the Interior and Its Rela-
aH tion to The Port Of New York.
The Great Erie Route a POliti-
cal Machine.
Amount Of Grain Received at New
York, Montreal and Philadelphia
During the Last Six Years.
HE CANADIAN OUTLET FOR EUROPE
Freight Advantages offered by the Phna-
delphia and Baltimore Railroads.
What the Competing Rail and
Water Routes Are Doing.
The New York Port and Custom House Policy
Driving Trade Away from the City.
Railroad Transportation the
Main Evil.
Twenty Thousand Miles Of Railroad Pass.
ing Through the Most Fertile Grain
Districts Of the World.
The Trade of the Port of New
York Rapidly Diminishing.
The Remedies Cheap Tolls, Immediate
Widening Of tho Erie Canal, Abo-
htion Of the Petty Annoyanoes
Of the Railroads.
Twenty Thousand Miles Of Railroad Pass.
ing Through the Most Fertile Grain
Districts Of the World.
The Trade of the Port Of New
York Rapidly Diminishing.
The Remedies Cheap Tolls, Immediate
Widening of tho Erie Canal, Abo-
htion Of the Petty Annoyanoes
Of the Railroads.

Nearly fifty years have elapsed since the Erie
Canal, as first projected, was completed and opened
Jer our interior commerce. The lateral canals, as
feeders to 1t, were completed at later period. The
growth OF the city Of New YORK In population and
commerce ia the measure Of their usefulness. The
value Of the property transported upon them to
and rom tidewater aggregates o sum sufllcient to
Shrice pay our national debt. For thirty years we
have had no competitors for the Western ana
Northwestern trade. The unparalleled success Of
che State canals, commercially and financially, was
the moving cause Of the projection and completion
Of the Canadian canals on scale Of such magnitude
~ It was believed would turn the tide OF interior
trade through the st. Lawrence. The Pennsylvania
canals have also been completed and brought into
use for the purpose Of securing to Philadelphia
portion Of the trade OF the great West.
To counteract this
THREATENED DIVISION OF TRADE
che enlargement Of the Erie and Oswego canals
was projected at an early date, and completed in
seven or eight years after the Canadian canals had
been opened for navigation. The enlarged Erie
and Oswego canals and the diminished tolls on the
property passing through them 30 far cheapened
the transportation charges as to prevent serious
diversion OF trade prior to 1856. Since that time
the Western trade through the st. Lawrence has
reached immense proportions-between 100000
0uu AO,VVV,VVV uubhciS VI kIulu uOue, mO6ty IrOm
Lake Michigan ports being annually transported
by that route. The rapid extension Of railroads
during the past fifteen years. including the through
lines to Baltimore Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal
and Portland, connecting those cities with the
West has largely changed the course Of trade.
NEW YORK, BEFORE TIE ERA OF RAILROADS.
was the distributing port for several Of the sea-
board cities that now have direct trade with the
West. Then New York had about 90 to 95
per cent OF the entire breadstufrs trade Of the
interiors but the comparison Of the receipts at New
York with those Of the lake ports does not show the
extent OF the loss OF trade. There have been large
rail shipments of breadstuns from interior Western
points other than the lake ports direct to the
sumers In all the small towns In the East. The
trade in nearly all products other than breadsturs
shows similar changes. The centre OF population
IN this country will be in few years In
THE LAKE AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATES.
These also will be the centre Of production and
consumption. Can the present or prospective
trade OF the West be secured and retained by the
imposition Of high tolls on canal commerce, high
transfer charges, dockage, storage, &c, at the
points OF transfer, when there are SO many active
competitors seeking to secure 1t This Is q ques-
tien Of the utmost Importance to the mercantile
interest OF this CITY, The Mississippi Valley States
are organizing system Of barge transportation on
the Mississippi River, which, taking into account
the capital required is cheaper than any other, as
has been demonstrated practically for many years
on the Hudson River, between Albany and New
York.
These are facts that demand the serious consider
alton Of our merchants, who should prepare to
meet them by system Of cheap and rapid trans
portaton.
The next important item Is review OF
OUR CANAL POLICY.
The low toll policy in operation for two seasons
has tended towards checking but not srrestng
the direction oftrade from this CITY, The eastward
movement Of cereals from the interior through the
st. Lawrence and to United States seaboard ports
other than New York has been larger than in any
previous one. The eastward and westward
through movement OF property by all routes rail
and water, north Of the thirty eighth parallel,
aggregates about ten million tons annually The
railways and canals OF New York carry less than
one-half OF this through movement In this are in.
cluded about six million head OF live stock, all
eastward and all by railway, more than 6ve-sixths
Of which are for the annual supply OF New York,
Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore.
The through movement OF property between the
interior and the seaboard Is being rapidly aug
mented as the population, consumption and pro-
duction increases, and what is now 100000 tons
annually will be In short period 2o,oOo,ooo. d.
minish the cost of transportation 81 per ton and
$4,000 900 are saved annually to the producer and
consumer-further reductions in proportion.
TIE rNADEQUAcY or OUR CANALS.
Even with low tolls, IL our legislative Solops de-
eide upon 80 important On Improvement, or with
no tolls on property passing through the canals, t
win be difficult to keep the trade they now have
from being diverted to the competing rail and water
routes without the greater speed Of transit through
them that steam as O motive power nnd better
modelled boats to diminish the resistance OF water
can give.
The locks IN the Oswego and Erie canals, with
the rreserIt lock Rates will admit boats e8k feet In
ionath. The chambers OF the looks are about lao
feet long, The adoption OF the tumble lock gate
now in Use in the locks Of the Delaware aud Rar-
tar CaraL would bring the entire length OF the
chambers OF the present lock into practical use ior
the admission Of boats l40 feet long, moulded Win
sl,aru bows and sterns and eaay lines favorable Tor
sneed giving about 40 tons additional carrying ca
seSxs Mifh an attained Rpeed Of : mnel PEI