The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-13
COMMERCIAL MATTERS.

JUM III ERClAL MAliEKS.
The decision of the Supreme Court Of tn
United States, in test case taken from Mich
igan to that tribunal, that State has tn
right to tax Immigrant lands while they arr
still in the possession Of the railroad compa
MES, will have universal interest as it vii
place upon the taX-list thousands if not mil
lions Of acres in the States where the STATE
itself has not formally exempted the land i
has granted to the roads from taxation. Ii
Illinois the decision will have no practica
operation, as the State in granting the land
to the roads, formally waived taxation. But
In States where no such exemption has beer
made, it will bring upon the tax list an i'm
mense amount Of land now lying idle and
producing no revenue either to the road or tc
the State. The operations Of the decision
Will practically be benefit to the whole
people as to the roads, inasmuch as the latter,
rather than to pay taxes upon unproductive
lands, will put them into the market more
rapidly and at cheaper prices, so as to induce
people to take them up and improve them,
which III the end would be benefit to the
road.
The result of the work Of retrenchment in
the custom houses, SO far as it has gone is an
annual reduction Of about 10 per cent. year
in the cost of collecting the revenue. The an
nual reduction at the several ports is fol-
lows 1921, 900 at New York, 500 900 at
Boston, $50 900 at New Orleans, SJ3, 600 at
Philadelphia, S3S, 900 at Baltimore, So, 900
at Mobile, and $4,000 at Norfolk At six
other ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts,
including Charleston and Savann alb, there has
been a reduction of $50, 600, making a total
reduction of 100000 at the custom houses
so far reached. The greatest reduction was
in the Office at Mobile, the whole
hoy haoy nuly - A
further cutting down Of expenses is contem-
plated in some Of the offices named, and
the work will be extended at once to all Gus
tOm-houses where the rule can be applied.
1t is proposed to bring the cost of the customs
establishment down to the basis Of the re-
duced importations and revenues from Gus
toms duties The trouble in the matter will
not be SO much in bringing down the expenses
as in keeping them down. There is time
honored abuse of which Collectors avail them
selves, in appointing temporary" officers
under any little pressure of business Once
appointed, these officers generally remain on
the pay roll for years, until under some sys-
tenn of economy they are displaced. Baltimore
American.
Pennsylvania Coal Trade.
From the Philadelphia Ledger, March :
The anthracite coal trade for the week end
ing OF the 9th ult. was without any special
feature, SO far as regards coal production.
The tonnage for the week was 1874, 1872, against
200 SAT in corresponding week last year. and
l,779, 446 for the new year, against 2, Isl, 335
to same date in 1874. The bituminous ton
mage for the week is Al, $50 tons. and for the
year 2Sl GAG tons, against 2Si, 256 tons to cor
responding date last year. The total of both
kinds Of coal for the week is 2S6, 351 tons, and
for the year 2, 060, 472 tons, against g. 465, 6Ol
tons to the same time in 1874, being de-
crease of 405, 100 tons. The retail coal trade
in this city continues fairly active, and the
stock on hand is steadily reducing though
there is no increase in the prices. At the
East coal is generally higher than it is here,
though our table OF anthracite coal production
shows the supply mined during the current
year is within some 400, 900 tons of what it |
was at corresponding date last year. compare
lively little Of which comes from the Schuyl- |
kill and Lehigh regions.
Railroads i'm the West.
A Chicago paper furnishes the following |
list Of Illinois railways which have passed in
TO the hands of receivers during the last six |
for the reason of their inability to |
pay their way. The list of miles includes
only SO much of the roads as lie within the
State Of Illinois: