New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-02-05
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
Memorial of the Chamber of Commerce
in Favor of Reciprocal Trade witt
Spanish America and Ocean POsta

| in Favor of Reciprocal Trade with
Spanish America and Ocean Postal
Service from New Orleans.
| The suboined memorial was presented
and approved at the meeting of the New
Orleans Chamber of Commerce on Monday
evening:
To the President and Senate OF the United States:
! The Chamber of Commerce of New Or
| leans are deeply interested in the improve
! ment of trade with the Spanish American
States, and especially with the republic of
Mexico. They learn with pleasure that the
| government of Mexico has at last relaxed
| its suspicious of the people of the United
! States. and manitests disposition TO con-
| tract with them 3micable and commercial
| relations. Mexican enterprise and capital
are now diverted TO the development of
that amty, and we hope very soon to have
! railroads and steamships connecting the
two republics with bonds which will make
any tuture wars injurious to each Both,
! then, will cultivate carefully those rela-
| tons which commerce engender. But your
| memorialiSt5 find other obstacles to trade
| with Mexico and other States referred to in
| the Iate of revenue and other internal
duties imposed by those States upon ali
| foreign commerce, besides the port and
1 other charges which are collected on ship
| ping and trade at the principal seaport
| cities of those States.
They therefore respectfully request your
| honorable ahuence in the adoption of some
| more uniform and reciprocal rates of du-
| ties, internal and port charges between the
| United States and such other countries.
The report of an American consul at
Mexico estimates the aggregate rate of all
| federal and State revenues and municipal
| charges upon a commodity imported into
! Mexico, transported to and sold at the capi.
tai city, at ninety-two per cent ad valorem.
Turning to the Spanish colonial posses
| sions in the Gulf of Mexico, your memo
rialists find among the principal duties i'm
posed upon foreign commerce The following:
! On corn, eighty per cent; on flour, seventy
| five per cent; on hog products, seventy-fve
per cent ad valorem. These are the lead
ing articles of American production In
/ addition yOdr memorialists find that not
withstanding the position OF absolute neu-
| tialty maintained by your honorable au
thority in the civil war now and
for four years past waging between
| the Spanish government and a portion
| of its subjects desirOus of independence,
that the Spanish government now i'm
| poses "a war tax of twenty five per cent ad
| valorom upon all foreign commerce, thus
| making the government and people OF the
United States depart from their neutrality
| by contributing to her expenses of main
| tanning by civil war the law of Spain over
her own subjects. This added "war tax"
makes the duties imposed on the American
| products stated more than one hundred
per cent ad valorem. AT the same time the
| duties imposed by the United States on the
products of Cuba imported into the United
States, are specific duty OF something
more than two cents per pound average
| upon sugar, equal to about sixteen to
twenty per cent ad valorem; seventy-fve
per cent upon tobacco and cigars; ten per
| cent on dry hides, while coffee, one of the
| Il ~Ft t,lN
ia admitted into the United States duty
J free.
! These are a few of the most signal in
| stances OF inequality in the rates of revenue
! duty imposed by the United States upon
| The products of her neighbors on this con
, tinent. and the rates OF duty imposed by
| those countries upon the products of che
! United States. The attention of the Presi-
! dent is respectfully called to sugges-
| tior in one of his messages that these rela-
! tiOns should be reviewed with a view to
! place them on footing of reciprocity. They
| respectfully suggest the appointment of
| suitable commission TO examine into and
| prepare such system as would re-
! lieve our commerce and Others from the
! burden and embarrassment to which it Is
| subjected, and the adoption on our part OF
| continental commercial policy. This
! would relieve the commerce between the
! valley OF the Mississippi, comprising moro
! than 20,000,0 600 Of people, and the countries
| referred 80, of all that impedes q fruitful
! and Sraternaf commerce,
! When the fact is remembered that the
| government of tho United States is the
arbiteE and protector Of these States-that
! she has guaranteed them against all at
tempts 20 plant the institutions of Europe
upon them-that she has aided these States
in their struggles for freedom by the most
| substantial sympathy-surely the wish for
oo,,np md inf 70 in
tercourse can not be attributed to any
| desire to invade their territory or restrict
their rights.
In addition TO this review of commercial
relations and this recognition of reduced
and reciprocal duties, your memorialists
would respectfully recommend the estab
lishment of New Orleans as
A POSTAL CENTRE
for the receipt and distribution of all mail
matter passing between the United States,
Mexico, Central and the west coast OF South
America and Australia. We have now a
system connecting New Orleans by 1000
miles of rail with all the principal cities of
| the Union. A postal ocean steam service
| would connect New York with the city of
Mexico via New Orleans in less than six
| days, with Panama in less than nine The
| capitals of the republics of the United
| States and Mexico can be brought within
| five days of each other. Forty years ago
| the mail time between Washington City
| and New Orleans was twenty-five days
| Congress now pays for mail service by
ocean steamers from New York to Vera
| Cruz and Panama. These voyages are re-
| spectively $500 and 2700 miles. They ira
! verse coasts and seas dangerous from reefs
and hurricanes. They cost in appropria-
| tions and pOstages certainly $20O,UO per
| annum. The government now pays at the
! rate of $500 per mile for double daily
| mail service by rail from New York. st.
| Louis. Chicago, Cincinnati and louisville
to New Orleans. If the Mexican and Cen
| trail American mails We're placed on these
| railroads their delivery at New Orleans
| would cost no more than the present mail
I service. The saving OF time. risk and cost
/ effected by substituting the time and dis
| tance from New Orleans to Vera Sruze Pa
| mama and Havana foy the present eess ana
! time schedules from New York Co those
. ports. are too obvious to Sustity speej1cs-
! tiOns.
! Your snemoTialists eomfaen6 s0 gsug
! honorable authorities the commercial
| condition of this, the great and nat
! ufaI outports and sntrepot 0S more
than half the territory and population of
| the Union. They appeal for specific relief
| and they respectfully ask such other and
! proper exercise of your influence as the
l great interests alluded to are eBtitIsd 20 as
| your hands
! Respectfully submitted,
| JOHN NJ. S&NDfOGEe
! Chairman of SOmmSteso