The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-30
COMMERCIAL MATTERS.
A New Orleans Merchant speaks.

COMMERCIAL MATTERS.
A New Orleans Merchant Speak.'
We find the following Interesting ''no
truthful exposition of affairs in this city lfon'
one Of our prominent merchants III Inc
american Grocer, of New York. Coca "'ne'
it is said, needs no bush, and for like rea-
son this letter needs no commentator
NEW ORLEANS, April 1c, 1870
Editor American Grocer:
In response to your inquiries l shall, IN
condensed way, give my views, AID l feel
thew will be sustained BY the facts. All
branches of business have suffered IN New
Orleans from different causes, which l will
endeayor to enumerate and explain. Owing
TO the corrupt State and city government
creating laws and passing ordinances, with a
view of perpetuatlng their power, tn value
of all real estate and securities has so depre-
ciated that the corporate moneyed institu-
lions, as also capitalists, have sustained a
sbrinkege of values frightful to contem plate.
Hence they have been extremely conserva-
tive in their operations. For this reason all
railroad enterprises actually indispensable to
the commercial advancement of New Orleans
have been virtually abandoned for the lack Of
confidence in our Legislatures, and the enor-
NOUS blackmail sums necessary to obtain the
proper legislation and to protect it ct each
session, and until a change for the better We
can have 70 railroads penetrating the vast
territory naturally looking to Us FOR its sup
plies.
Again. Western cities, and especially St.
Louis, have infested the interior Of the coun-
try with drummers doing wild aud iliegiti-
mate business, giving credits right and left,
and selling inferior grades Of short weight
everything, which has delnoralizsd a large
proportion of dealers TO such an extent that
they have been equally careless in selling
and the result has been commercial disasters
in the interior (and the parties availing them
selves OF the State exemption laws. and very
many Western failures Right here let me
say that the Western banks have discounted
this wild cat cross road paper, and it form to-
day part and portion of the capital stock Of
most of tho banks doing such business.
The grocery business of this city has suf-
fered less than any other line for the reason
that we are headquarters for sugars, molasses
and rice, and importers of coffee, and in fact
everything appertaining to groceries proper,
and to the reliable buyer Of regular goods
there is no market superior to ours. The re-
sponsible and prompt merchant in the inte-
riOr can obtain as good terms here as ia any
other city, but he must be known to be all
sentative character of the business done di-
minishes the volume but am satisfied that
the commercial condition of New Orleans
will compare favorably with any city in the
Union. One of three things must be true.
We must either have more money, more
brains, or more honesty than in many OF our
more pretentiOus cities, for the reason that
we have fewer failures and more reasons for
failures than any city in the Union. Our
merchants are generally capable and give eX-
traordinarily close attention to their business.
In fact, it is one of the characteristics of
tie New Orleans merchant that he labors too
many hours in the day. They are economi-
cal, also, in their mode of living; fast horses,
or fast anything, followed in this city by
business man, would ostracise him, CONNER.
cially speaking. It is expected here that the
present business Llen should keep up their
old prestige, and amid all our political
troubles maintain their integrity as business
men; hence cur motto is, equality of trade if
not quantity" We have more recuperative
capacity here than probably any city in the
world, and if we could, by accident, have an
honest government and q guarantee that it
would continue SO any length Of time, the
country would wonder at the sudden pres
perity that would speedily ensue.
Our sugar planters this season, that were
not inundated by overflow, made good crops
and received q remunerative price for same.
The crop will likely be 5000 hogsheads,
and probably $50, 600 barrels Of molasses, and
il they have favorable season this year the
crop may be one-third more. The rice crop
for 1873 was about sc, 500 barrels against
about II, 500 barrels the year after the war;
and had the levees of the Mississippi River
(caused by several crevasses) not occurred,
the crop Of 1874 might have been 10000 bar
rels. Several of our large sugar places on the
coast have been converted into rice planta-
TONS. and with seasonable weather the Louis
lana rice crop will be large one. Money
matters are easy here, and healthy, small
business doing
Our factors will assist worthy planters after
q while in the way Of substantals, and the
laborers, as q general thing, are doing very
we'll. In fact, had it not been for the decep-
ton practiced on them after the close Of the
war, in the way of promises Of farms in order
10 obtain their votes, the same laborers
would have been thrifty and earned enough
30 own their little places. ! am glad to say
that believe there is q better feeling and out
look, commercially and agriculturally speak
The recent withdrawal Of two of the lines
Of New York steamers was occasioned by very
low through rail freights, and . saving Of !.
per cent insurance
Give us q railroad to the Pacific, canal to
the Gulf, levee to protect the eight States
washed by our magnificent river. and honest
State and National Government,
and the Crescent City will hold her own
against all competition.
Respectfully yours, ALE. H. IsAAcsoN.
Trade with NIaracaibo.
The Government of Venezuela has issued
m order closing the ports Of Maracaibo and
La Vela del Coro to commerce. MarAcaibo is
the chief port of entry in the republic OF Ven
ezuela, with which our trade amounts to
about 81, OOO, 600 in imports and $4,000, 600 in
exports, four-8fths OF which is done through
AIaracaibo. Our receipts of coffee from that
port average about 10000, 900 pounds year,
Or ten per cent of our whole importations Of
that article. A custom-house has been estab- |
lished at Puerto Cabello, to accommodate the |
trade driven from the closed ports.
Puerto Cabello is situated about four hun |
flred miles to the east Of MaracaibO and will |