The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-27
|OITY LICENSES AND WHARFAGE
DUES,

There is no city in the Union worse gov
erned than New Orleans. There is no city
where the Legislature has done more to
cripple its resources, retard its progress
and damage its credit. And there is nc
city, the people and municipal government
of which do less for its welfare its material
development and commercial prosperity.
| The levying and collection Of taxes with a
view to their expenditure and appropria-
ton seem to be the >all-absorbing object,
and beyond this nothing appears to attract
any attention.
The fact seems to be forgotten that we are
beset on all sides by dangerous AID powerful
commercial rivals. The immense trade Of
the West and with Texas is a rich prize, and
st. Louis. Chicago, Memphis and Galveston
are each putting forward all of their strength,
and are untiring in their efforts to secure
50 important and 50 valuable an acquisition
to their commerce. Cheap freights, low
rates Of insurance. rapid transit, close con
nections and moderate storage, are induce
ments held out by these competitive cities,
to seduce from its legitimate channels and
natural outlet, the trade of New Orleans.
Whilst this undermining process is slowly
but surely progressing; whilst we see, day
by day, gradual dminntion in our re-
ceipts; whilst we see thousands of bales OF
cotton going to st. Louis that formerly
came here whilst sugar and molasses are
shipped from the plantations to Cincinnati.
Louisville, st. Louis and Chicago; whilst
the trade of Texas, which formerly was
monopolized by New Orleans, is finding its
way by rail through that State from Calves
ton to st. Louis, aud whilst even North
Louisiana is transferring its business from
this city to st. Louis and Memphis. we find
our own people and our own municipal
government blind to til. Sc serious facts and
resting supineiy in state of security, doing
absolutely nothing to counterfeit the work
of ruin that is making such rapid strides in
the commerce and general prosperity of
New Orleans.
Some of the greatest drawbacks to the
rapid progress of this place is the system of
license that has obtained for SO many yeare
and the excessive charges for wharfage.
Whilst the one intimidates the small mer-
chant aud dealer with limited capital, the
other drives frOD our port the shipping and
tonnage necessary for the commerce of the
place.
Under the present system, adopted for OBJ
tanning a revenue to the city, the trades
men, the mechanic and the professional man
must before he will be permitted TO engage
in his occupation, pay such tribute in the
way of license to the city as virtually
such men, who would contribute to the
good of any community, by their industry,
their talent, their skill and their capital
however small it might be, driven to other
places where they are not met by such serious
mpediments to their e,nbarking in business.
Hence we find no capitalists making invest
nents here and no artisans, or professional
men seeking this place. On the contrary
hey are leaving New Orleans for other
places where brains, labor and industry are
rot taxed beyond endurance.
Again, instead Of making the port OF New
orleans as cheap if not the cheapest in the
world, it is the most expensive but one.
instead Of offering to the shipping and the
commercial world the most powerful and at
ractive inducements, by nominal wharf
ge and levec dues, free pilotage and re-
uced towage, we find the most excessive
ates fixed for all those items, and as con-
cquence the levee is comparatively desti-
uted of shipping and commerce is crippled
y scarcity Of tonnage or restricted by the
Ugh rates OF freight, made so by these un
sual taxes cxacted by the city to fill its
offers at the expense of the general vel
ire of the city.
When our people and the City Fathers
,alze this condition Of things, and take
teps to remedy these crying evils, we may
'ok forward to some change f,r the better
the business of our city, which is now
and on the verge Of ruin.