The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-20
COMMERCIAL MATTERS.

AS an HluStTdIiOn showing the nulnDer OF
persons who were seeking employment, the
Philadelphia Ledger mentions that one of the
importing houses in that city being in wan,
OF a night Waterman, an advertisement
was put in the Ledger and it brought over
eight hundred applicants.
Stauffer 4 Johnson, Of Philadelphia, whose
failure was noted last week, have settled with
their creditors by paying twenty-fv per cent.
Among them were thrty-one members of the
Commercial Exchange Association. hu.Iel-
piid Commercial List.
The Albany 1Tyts says: Several prominent
business firms in Utica have gone under
Some are reported to be bad failures; others
it is said, will probably pay all demands if
they can have little time.
A European contract has Just been offered
to an American firm for the manufacture of
$500, 900 pounds of saltpetre.
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams. Jr.. has a
happy knack for working up statistics that
makes his lecture on railroads as enter
tanning as it is instructive He shows con
cluslvely by the official tables that if a person
travelled as passenger on Massachusetts rail
reads eight hundred miles day every day Of
his life, he would. by doctrine Of chances,
be seventy years old before he would receive
an injury in q railroad accident French sta
tlstlcs showed that stage-coach travelling was
at least fifty times as dangerous as travelling
by rail- The danger OF being murdered in
MASSACHUSETTS was greater by lar than that of
being killed III a railroad accident. In 1873
the railroads carried AZ, 0G0, 900 passengers
without killing one; in the same year in Bos-
ton alone five persons were killed by tum-
bling down stairs, seven by falling out of
windows. In fact, MIR. Adams's figures seem
to prove that there is not a much safer place
of refuge in the world than Massachusetts,
railway car We know OF many, however,
that are cheaper and more comfortable
There are two and perhaps three savings
banks In Boston, each of which has larger
amount OF deposits than all the savings banks
N Chicago put together.
There was an upward turn again in mining
stocks in San Francisco last week, and hun
dreds Of spectators are reveling in golden
dreams again. On the oh consolidated Viz
ginia advanced from $50 to 4l2, Ophir from
65 to s. etc.
The aggregate production Of pig iron in the
United States in 1874 was about 200, 600 net
tons, or two-thirds tho product Of each Of the
years 1872 and 1873. The quantity Of pig
iron unsold at the close of 1874 was 40, 900
tons Pennsylvania, with 1862 stacks. makes
nearly one-half Of the pig iron made in the
country.
An s'od merchant of New York who is |
disguised with the narrow mindednoss which
has got up the present raid against all COM |
mercial subsidies. writes to New York paper
of the Pacific Mail subsidy as follows
"in Germany especially, whose transat- |
lantic lines nearly outnuHber those of every |
country, at least for toe port Of New York |
where hardly German steamer was to be |
seen few years a1o, subsidies are freely |
granted to the Bremen, Hamburg, even TO the |
Stettin companies, in one form or another, |
mail contracts, etc. In England the Cunard |
line would have soon passed ont of existence,
if this line, Of which the Britishers are so
proud, had not been protected against the
White Star line, which, despite the swittness
of its steamers, has yet been denied share
in the mail contract. In Italy, the same
system of Subsidy is building up the Italian
mercantile navy, whose ships begin to be seen
pretty often in orr American harbors.'
The whole rountry has been mislea by the
word tsubsidy." This term. as applied to
the overland railroads (Which, for their selfish
interests, have combined in their effort to
destroy a company with which they can not
successfully compete in business), is correct,
as the United States Government loaned them
its currency bonds to build their roads, and
they are to-day heavily in default to the gov
ernment-in interest only many millions
But it is not applicable to the contract with
the Pacific Mil Steamship Company, which
came in as the lowest bidder on a contract for
additional compensation lor additional mail
service
l.
expended millions on iron ships to carry out
in good faith their contract with the Govern
ment, and are now ready to do so for the COM
pensation agreed upon. Now let us, for one
moment, compare the price which the United
States Government has contracted to pay for
this service with the prices paid by other Gov
ernments TO their subjects
For twelve round trips out aud home, 3D.,
600 miles, the Urited States Government has
4, = |
mile.
England, for the same service, pays So 20
per mile. or $50, 100 per annum more than the {
United States.
France, for the same service, pays 81 IS per
mile, or $5l5, $50 per annum more than the
United States
s'Flurry" in Alcohol.
The proposition t, place IN additional tax !
of tifty-six cents per gallon on alcohol, has !
within the last week caused a decided advance {
in the price of that article and has stimulated /
activity in the trade, not only for the usual +
purposes of druggists, etc, but for the ac- $
count Of specua i've buyers latter num- J
boring some Wall street people, 1t is under !
stood Previous to the agitation of the new !
tax bill the price of manufacturers stood IN @
almost nominal position at one dollar and
eighty-five cents, whereas within few days it 0
has advanced on actual sales to two dollars s
and ten cents, and not all OF the manufactur-
ers would sell at that figure some being out OF *
the market and holding for two dollars and 7
twenty-five cents. r,
There are only three distileries Of any &
magnitude here, the most of the alcohol ?
being produced at Chicago and Pekin, 5
illinois; Cincinnati, st. Louis, Peoria and II
some other places. The manufacturers out :;
Vest, advised Of the state of the market here, +
however, have advanced thsir prices to Of
Utmost as high as those ruling here. regard il
ess Of the fact that adding freight their n
igures might be even above this market. 81
Strong efforts are being made on the part OF
he Western men, both of those in =
crested in alcohol and whisky distil- Il
ers, to have the Committee of Ways "
nd Means spare whisky and alcohol IN jll
heir design to increase the revenue, and to bl