The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-11-04
San Francisco Correspondence.
SAN Francisco, Sept. 20, 1876

tue CltN lTOHt "t tho i'SSS"o thOs hc
would in some respects be reminded of
the flush days of 40, when tho bay was
crowded with ships from every quarter
of the earth, bringing to these shores
tho adventurous Argonauts, who came
here in search Of tho golden fleece.
Pretty we'll fleeced many of them were,
too, before they got through with it;
but still they poured in, and tonnage
was in demand for live freight, and the
supplies to feed that freight in its long
trip round the Horn; but there was very
little to fill up with Oh the return voy-
age, except the ballast torn out from
the rough declivitics of Telegraph Hill.
Now the conditions are turned about
almost completely. The ships are
here. The bay is fairly crowded
with them, AS in the olden time; but,
instead of bringing thousands of ardent
spirits in hardy bodies, to delve in the
channels of rivers. and tear up the face
of the country right and left, north and
south, in their eager search for the
"color of gold" they bring ballast,
coal, Yankee notions, or anything else
they can obtain ut u nominal figure,
with the intention of making up for Il
poor outward trip by heavy cargo of
wheat on the return. Once We pro-
duced nothing but precious metal, and
the world brought it's products to lay ut
our feet in exchange. Now VIC are piling
the banks of our rivers, filling every
means of transportation, and crowding
our stOrQhOuses with the products of
our soil, and the nations come to us for
bread. This suggests the thought
whether it would not be sound finance
to make the above remark rather more
literally true. Would it not be wise
idea to give them their bread in rather
more condensed form? Under present
circumstances, it requires an immense
feet to carry away our grain. Much
greater, in fact, than would find its way
to our shores for the purpose of sup
plying our import demand. As con-
sequence, our wheat has to nearly pay
the expenses and profits Of all these
ships for the round voyage, instead Of
one way only. Hence it is that, with n
fair European demand, the local market
remains depressed, while freights follow
the upward turn of Liverpool quota
tons. The ship-owner who sends his
on the outward voyage to pay for wear
and tear Of sails and rigging, amid the
bowling tcmpests Of Cape Horn, must
get even in some manner, and therefore
he cinches the Changers, and demands
a charter which brings their profits
down to the bed rock. Now if we were,
rs !,obovc suggested, to
CONDENsE THIS FREIGHT A LITTLE.
If we were to make up some of this ST.
pcrabundant yield of grain into -four,
ham, bacon, preserved meats, etc, and
fill up this wheat fleet with such PROV
ender, exporting greater value in less
space, besides keeping at home the
price OF tho labor involved in the con-
version of the raw material into the
manufactured article, and avoiding the
financial blun,ler of importing Eastern
hams, lard, candles, leather, and the
thousand and one articles into tho COM
position of which live stock and their
feed enter. query-wouldnt We be a
richer people, with u stronger and more
even market for our goods? Wheat
may he king. but so the South held that
cotton was king, yet, while the States
Of Dixie remained poor and sparsely
settled under the reign of their fluffy
monarch, New England cotton spinners
waxed rich in working up the raw ma
terial and selling it back to those who
produced it. History repeats itself,
and there's kernel in this nut for Cali
fOrnia farmers to crack. One fact re-
mains, however: that the presence of
this stately fleet. which is now crowding
the bay. makes things decidedly lively
for the large element in this community
which is more or less intimately con-
nected with our foreign trade, and any
complaint of dullness might he consid-
cred by them decidedly out of place,
yet, for all that, as a news-mOnger am
compelled to advance the statement that
there is
NOTHING DOING"
We have been frightfully hard up for a
sensation during the past. week. The
demands of commerce seem to have
cast an incubus upon everything else.
THE STOCK MARKET
remains rs flat rs stale beer, and, for
want OF something better to do, opera
tors have invented a new gamble, and
are busy in betting whether CONSOLE
dated Virginia will pay its October div
idend; and, in order to get some ground