The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-02-24

~
mond, and we bave to look chiefly % the
water.liuc for relief. sss-zqa.sfsSs
r Richmond Is TO be commercial city It
must get Its principal trade by the James,
River canal and the Chesapeake and Ohio
railroad--the grain of the West,-the coal
and iron,of the James river and Kanawha
valleys. Thus was the commerce of Buffalo,
Of Cleveland, Detroit-aye, aud New YORK
built up. The Erie canal has been the best
feeder 10 the city OF New-York, and 1t has
created Buffalo; Cleveland, and Toledo And
now we see it stated in the March No. OF the
Golary magazine that one company atone
are going to put one hundred steamers on
the Erie canal, which steamers are running
from Buffalo to New York exclusive of de"
tention.) in FIVE and half days $500 miles,.
On the other hand, il Richmond Is TO be a
manufacturing city, where is she to get her
wheat from if she is to be excluded from the
| western market? And where Is the iron to
come from until our iron fields are deVa.
| oped? And how are they to be developer
without coal? And how can our pig'iron be
worked up here In Richmond without coal!
Even our tobacco factories are now bringing
the Quinnimont coal here by rail. ....,..
Now is all question Of arithmetic !:
Can we stand still for eight years? To in
crease the liabilities of the city is, we are
fully sensible, very grave matter, and 1t
ought not to be done lightly. II the project
is not. after mature examination, deemed q
safe one, we ought not to add one cent to our
present heavy debt. Lotto this point our pro-
perty.holders ought to look, and look well,
before they lend their ccuntenance to this
or any other hypothecation Of the credit OF
the city. ..-.. -.
The law requires that all such questions
shall be submitted 10 the qualified VOTERS
and to adopt them requires three.hftbs OF all
the voters, and majority of those who pay
property tax. The friends OF the pry:ct,
| we are assured, have no desire to impose any
additional burdens on. the taxpayers OF the
CITY against their wishes; if they do not
wish the step to be taken their decision Will
be cheerfulIy acquiesced in. We are in'
formed that large number of our leading
business men have already signed the petl
ton to the Legislature which has been cir
culated, and that only small number nave
declined to do so. , KS.
There is one light in which this scheme
NAV be viewed, not heretofore discussed
we mean the financial aspect of the question
| in connection with the consumption oil fuel
in our dwelling-houses. We have not the
exact figures, but we presume that hcn'
mond consumes every year 10000 tons OF
coal. Now, if we save one dollar on each OF
| these tons we shall save annually Sl5o,OOo;
or, if we only save fifty cents, We Shall save
ST, 900; or, if we save twenty-five cents
we shall save $4,000. We do not .kno"
whether this can be certainly done, but If 1t
can be it is argued that we could reimburse
ourselves in, this way for any loss Ii the ca
nal company failed to meet their interest.
The cost of the Qunnimont coal delivered
here would be about S4.05. What the retail
price in the city would be can only DO an
swered by coal-dealer. ...u
If the work failed to realize expectations
there would still be mortgage on the canal
and railroad, and the further chance OF the
Government taking the Improvement.
The questions for business man to ask
himself in this matter are: The probable
cost Of the improvement; the amount for
which the endorsement of Richmond is
asked; the probable cost Of transportation
on the canal; the probable development
which would take place Of the iron.felds in
the James River valley the increased ton.
mage on The canal from that source; the pro-
bable coal:tonnage over the canal tothe sea-
board; the ability of the Kauawha Goals to
compete in the port Of Norfolk with the
Cumberland Goals for steamng purposes.