New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-10-19
JOURNAL OF THE or LOUISIANA.
NEW ORLEANS, TUESDAY, 49, 1875
Tare on Sugar.

Tare on Sugar.
1t must be q source of pride and salts
faction to the commercial community IN
reflect that among the journals of New
Orleans living on their patronage and os.
ttnsibly devoted to their interests there
was not one which had the courage or in.
telligence to speak single direct and
manly word with reference to the sugar
tare controversy. Some of these papers
have sought and obtained quite repnta
tion for reckless intrepidity by abusing Re-
publican officials and exposing general cor.
ruptioD, but when the sugar tare question
came up, with its opposing arrays of COM
batants and the risk of giving offense to
one side or the other by taking part, these
noble champions of liberty sat by in dis.
Greet and stolid siE nee. We think il ia
susceptible of proof that the issue is of
mere importance to the general community
than Mr.. McMnerys chances for the guber
material chair or Mr.. Ellis views on usurpa-
tion, or Mr.. E. Booths designs on he fail
trade. At all events it is an issue atf-etinp
the chief staple of Louisiana and the for
tunes OF the many thousands of our people
engaged in the cultivation, manufacture
and handling of sugar. 1t engaged the at
tention of the Chamber of Commerce, of
the mercantile element generally, and of
the planters of the c,ast, Lafourche aud
Attakapas distric's-the wealthest in the
State. Yet these fearless and outspoken
inprpols xpith bo Iar
Southwest, and with more stereotyped de.
v0tion to "the people" than has ever before
been known at any point of the compass,
remained as Indifferent u the question as
though it were purely intellectual in char
acter and hopelessly unconveltiple in
quality.
The proposition of the Chamber of Com
merce committee seems very simple and
reasonable. 1t has been discovered that
New Orleans is losing ground as market
because of the fact that she holds to teh
per cent tare on packages. whereas COM
peting markets in the country allow twelve
per cent. The logical effect of the arran ge
ment is that buyers avoid New Orleans as
oA 10 P'''i"Ae' az" "noh hna-iS lorceu
TO make purchases here, beat down prices
30 as TO meet the difference in tare. The
practical effect is that planters get no more
for their sugars than if the tare were fixed
at twelve per cent-not so much lin fact,
since buyers DO not seek this market until
all others are exhausted and the result is
tnat the early part OF the season, at which
uhe more thah at any other the planter
desires 10 sell, Is characterized by inaction;
anu oy an unnatural accumulation of the
product Inc western buyer makes his
calculations between New York aud New
"rieans' and, nnding that at equal prices
the former allows Two per cent additional
tare' he goes to New York to buy. New
Orleans does not and Can not fix the rates.
New YORK dictates them, and we have to
hollow meekiy IN her path. And such being
the case the quest on naturally arises, why
should New ori' ans suffer the further dis
advantage OF adhering to regulation
~hich induces buyers to seek New York;
Ihe Chamber OF Commerce considered all
these aspects OF the subject, and, in propOs-
40 'n0 o i'on 'en % '"ei'e per
NJ p1Dn o,,"a~ 'no s".s inea'u,e ny wn'ch
o. ' 0nu'o i.uao0 ner u'sao-
ss 'no n''n''nun we are
o''oo "nnoini'S oi
-. ~ '.a.A: ne.tuon.ss .no ,fue pom
-, ~" M 's al 'ne oonoi-
saa- ia' piopo'''ion mas
a,.o-.a.:H. ae ~ sN%k 'no p'an'ef 'ne
~ 'uo ao'uai 'are On
noau' "nu 'o,ins 'n .ua' oas's' oue
~ 'ne'o n"''ers,
""u ~ Gun, io"ains 'rue 'ha' inc oes1 ana