Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-20
Cheap Transportation.

One Oh tie leduIBS uuectiuBS tho'
must necessarily engage the atten
ton of the American statesman fol
the next few years, is the subject o
cheap transportation, and as this is .
non partisan question ii seems emf
nently proper for me to give public
ity to all matters Of interest bear
ing upon this important subject
The United States may properly be
called the granary of the world, and
he who can devise the best plan
whereby the food-products OF this
country can be carried to the foreign
consumer so that a profit can be real.
lied by the praducer, and competi-
ton with other food-producing ma
! tions be maintained, will prove
himself his country's greatest bene-
factor.
From an interesting pamphlet
now before me, find that it costs SO
and seven-tenths cts. To transport a
bushel of wheat from Chicago to
Liverpool, and A and five.tenths cts.
to carry bushel of corn over the
same route; that the average price
Of No. 2 spring wheat in Chicago du.
ring the year 1872 was Si.22 and six
tenths, and that the average price OF
the same wheat In Liverpool was
81 Sc and nine-tenths cost OF trans
portation as above, 50 and seven
tenths, which gives the English
merchant a profit of 10 and six
tenths cents bushel.
The value of American cotton In
England during 1872 averaged sls.44
gold per 100 pounds; the value OF
wheat per 100 pounds was $40, and
the value of corn sl.6l per 10O
pounds. The cost Of each Of these
three products from the point Of pro-
ductiofI To Great Britain was 80 cents
per 100 pounds which shows that
while the cost Of transportation was
only 5 per cent. of the value Of cot
ton at Liverpool, it was 90 per cent.
of the value of wheat and 80 per cent.
of the value Of corn at Liverpool.
The cost Of transporting cereals
from the northwest to the cotton
growing states ought not to be more
than one-third the cost Of transpor-
tation to Liverpool, and from this it
would seem much more profitable
to all concerned, for the south to
give greater attention to cotton
growing and expectation Of it than
food producing.
The import Of cotton growing in
to Great Britain from the L. s. in
1860 amounted to 1,1l5,S90, sos
pounds, and from all other countries
G5,0iS, IA F; during the year 1872 the
cotton exported from this country 10
Great Britain amounted to 625, 6O0,-
$50 pounds and from "all other coun-
ties" 783, 237 1892 showing that while
''all other countries, had increased
408, 1925 pounds we suffered de-
crease Of 400, 290, 52S. In other words,
the imports Of cotton into great Brit
ain from this country IN 1860, were
50 per cent of the total imports of
cotton, and In 1874 only Al! per cent.
During the five years, 1sG0-lsG4 in
elusive, this country exported to the
United Kingdom l27 ,047 ,12G bushels
Of wheat. During the years 1868 to
1872 inclusive we exported to the
same country ll6, 4G2, $3.50 bushels of
wheat a decrease of lO,53i, TAG bush
els.
During 1sG0-iSGi Russia sent A.
$40, 500 bushels OF wheat into Great
Britain aud during ls6s-l872 inclu-
sive Great Britain imported 1885,.
O22 bu hels Of wheat from Russia an
increase of 70,GS0,2l3, bushels. This
great increase on the part of Russia
is mainly due to her improved sys-
tenn of cheap transportation of grain
from tie interior TO The Black Sea, as
the decrease from the United States
is mainly due to the Jim Fisk sys-
tenn OF railroad management, which
under the new order Is rapidly be-
coming one of the lost arts.--Peila-
delphia Letter August 10.
The eirang In Marion counfy--
"sickIy Conditions.