The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-03-31
WHAT THE CITY NEEDS.
Shall we Support Reputation or let
.......5 it Starve7
Where all the Money is Drained to.
A Word Of Advice to the Old Fogies

Money judiciously invested in manufactur-
ing will pay better tLan any other invest
ment which can be made. Do not think
because yon invest little that your son
ought to be secretary, your brother superin-
tendent and your next friend general travel
ing agent. Put in the money with the
determination to elect the best men to
that they have the capacity to manage, and
energy to prosecute whatever they under
take, and it will not be long before you will
see the towering chimneys, happy operatives
and good dividends.
1t has been estimated that there are 100, :
coo persons engaged here III commercial pur-
suits, and employing a capital Of millions of
dollars, but should the different manufacto-
ries now in the city, including the various
home industries close up, you would find
that fifteen hundred out of the two thou
sand merchants, would also close up inside
OF thirty days. ..-.t.
But, suppose that we had ten millions of
dollars more invested in manufactures
what would be the result. Let us look at
the figures. 1t would give employment to
eight thousand operatives, and these opera
tives would support, at the lowest estimate,
two persons each besides themselves, which
would make in all TWENTy-FoUR THOUSAND
PERSONS who would be supported direct
from the factories, to say nothing of the
number or mechanics who would be re-
qured to build the factories, additional
chants, and in short time, palaces for the
bankers and princely stockholders.
Those factories would turn ont in the
aggregate not less than twenty million dol
lars of finished product, per annum. About
eight million dollars would be paid out for
raw material; about eight millions for
labor, etc, and four millions to the mana
gers and stockholders. This is no fancy pic
ture. 1t is what may be realized in ten
years. -"
If we could, by any means come to a set
tied determination to invest 100000 per
year for ten years, and act mp to it, we could
hardly keep the other five millions away,
if we wanted to; and, in place Of studying
how to keep the 23O 900 inhabitants we now
have, we would have 100000, and more
coming.
1t is time to open eyes to the fact that a
manufacturer is producer of wealth. that
however small his beginning, it is benefit
to the community, and ought to be encour-
ed. even though his business be making
wheel-barrows or wooden pumps, for every
one made here is so many dollars paid to
labor, but every one brought here is so many
dollars sent away from here.
The forests contain untold wealth in the
finest timber, suitable for making furniture,
wagons, agricultural implements, etc. Yet
we are daily sending the money West for
their labor, and in many cases, inferior ii M
Der, and with oak bark enough to make
leather for the whole country, we are ship
ping the raw hides to New England and
paying their laborers to tan our leather and
make our sh oes.
Congress may legislate on currency and
vote the South her full proportion, but if
they should send it all here, we wonld send
it back North in less than one week to pay
for what We ought to make at home.