New Orleans Republican., 1875-11-18
Foreign Markets for American Cotton
Goods.

Foreign Markets for American Cotaol
| Goods.
| The following able article ia from th
New York Times of November I3:
The wholesale dry goods trade ia ius
now in ferment Of excitement over th,
discovery of probable means of relie
from its long stagnation. Before tie wa
American dealers enjoyed q large expor
trade in cotton goods, sheetings and print
| with India. Africa, China and South Amer
| lea, where the apparel of the natives con
| slsts mainly of this class of material
| The rise in gold, the increase In the price Of
labor and of cotton. the abundance Of
money in the hands of the people, and othel
causes consequent upon the civil strife
made it Improbable to compete with the
manufacturers of England, and this expnrj
business fell off to almost nothing.
While matters were in this unsatisfactory
condition, somebody bethought himself Of
the condition of things in ante bellurl times
at the ruling prices to ship goods abroad
The Americans have one tat advantage
over their English brethren Competition
has kept their goods clear of chalk, size
starch. and other rubbish with which the
latter have weighted theirs. The shrinkage
| of American cotton cloths is only from two
and half to three per cent, while that OF
''ie''-A Soou5 40 iioH tull W W tllEty-uN6
per cent. Consequently the former had
been immense favorites in the colonial mar.
| kets, and the natives only awaited an op.
portunity to purchase them on anything
like equal terms.
Then came the panic, followed hy the
hard times, which occasioned o decrease OF
consumption far greater than the increase
OF the population. The home markets be.
came glutted and prices fell steadily down.
ward until at the present time many grades
of cotton manufacture sell for less in cur.
rency than they did in gold in 1861; to say
nothing of forward dating, longer credits,
the guarantee system, and other modern
Innovations.
hesltatlug venture was made and was
rewarded with success. Others followed
and after while the new enterprise began
to be noised abroad. Orders began to come
in for samples, and then other orders for
linee of goods. So the infection spread
Agents we're sent to this country from Man
chester. the very heart of the British manu-
featuring interest, and they returned home
with their purchases, to the astonishment
of the English public. The London Times,
in its financial column, October %, said:
Owe learn from the Drapers' Trade Journal
that Manchester firm has begun to import
calicoes from the Unit I'D States The fact
is significant, and, as the importers say that
eio aoouo uiO VI iuuSu bctlSf uudllty anu
appearance than ours, Manchester, it ap-
pears, has found d competitor at last; but
that must depend upon the price"
Germany was the next to send out an
agent-Mr. Drey he-who is row in this
city loaded with samples. He is to return
home next week, and is enthusiastic over
the quantity OF orders he will be enabled
to send back when he reaches there. Since
his arrival fresh ENJOYS from England have
been sent out, and at the present writing a
number of foreigners are busy in this mar
ket selecting goods for export abroad.
Samples have been freely furnished, and
there ID now little doubt of our surplus
being rapidly cleared off by European Job
bers, who, it is estimated, have taken with
in the past three weeks between 4000 and
oOOO packages, besides considerable guam
tity in Boston. The following comparative
tables Of exports of domestic goods for
each week since the first of July last will
show what has already been done, although
it is evident that the goods tiat have been
sold for export have not been shipped as
as rapidly as they were bought, and that
competition will be required to stir the
foreigners up;
The returns from this city next week will
probably show much larger fgures-S2OO
packages, it is said. AS an instance of the
possibilities opened to the dry goods trade
by this new export business, q gentleman
familiar with the Indian market furnishes
the following estimate:
In India 800 600 persons wear cotton
clothing, almost to the exclusion of any
other. Some is of native manufacture. Of
English production is annually consumed
f70000,000 worth. The English stutf is ac-
cepted with deserved distrust. the native
buys it only because it is low priced, and he
can not get better material for his money.
These natives are keen bargainers, and ex-
perts in the value of the fabric which forms
the principal part of their clothing. Every
yard of better quality than the English stuff
at a fractional decrease in price would be
sold at once. The natives are fastidiOus,
and, except in Cochiu, Travaucore, Csnara,
and the Malabar Colltc.orste, on the West
ern coast, will not wear coarse goods. To suit
them goods should be selected ranging here
from ten and half TO fifteen cents per
yard. Stuff purporling to be Of the best
quality of English make brings thirty six
cents per yard at wholesale, and Is sold by
the piece by retailers at forty.eight cents
per yard. suppose a venture should be
made. Madras would be the best objective
point, 1t would be advantageous to be the
first in the field; therefore, no long sea voy-
age should be undertaken. The route
should be by the way of the Suez canal, and
days. In ten days more the goods would
be sold, the hard cash received in silver
rupees, aud transferred by cable to New
YORK. Suppose 5000 packages be shipped.
TIE cost, of course, would be greater than
if larger quantity were sent, for in the
absence of regular steam traffic through
the canal to India. and in recognition of
the desirabllity of having no delay, it
would be necessary to engage a vessel
for the exclusive purpose; and such a
vessel as could be obtained would
hold many more than 5000 cases. Conse-
quently profit on such comparatively
small venture would represent a much
larger proportional preit when the trade
should be expanded. Each case contains
cents, which will buy goods of the quality
of the Fruit of the Loom and the Lonsdale-
both admirably adapted for the Indian
market-would be $685., 600. The new In
dian import duty of five per cent would he
Sal $50. Freight at f8 per ton on 1000
ton steamer (which would include canal
tolls. coal and all chargesl would be $50 900.
Landing charges, expenses of supsrcargo,
covered easily by $50, ,OOO The total cost,
therefore, at outside figures would be
1896, $50, or rather less than fourteen cents
per yard. This would certainly not fetch
less than an average price of twenty-five
cents per yard, or 81 $4,000 in all. Indeed,
if offered at that figure, the great difference
in favor of buyers as against the English
cloth would clear out the stock in one day,
and that would mean . net profit Of
$S7S,750.
The bulk of the shipments 90 far have gone
to Englsnd where, with freightage and other
expenses added, they have successfully
competed with English made goods right
on the spot of ther manufacture. But the