The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-03
Foreign Trade Returns.

corresponding months OF 1876. The exports In
se yasg s77 against s4s S1e f. septem
ber 1876. For the first nine months OF this
oSer as nd th
e630O0. The figures OF the specie movement
show that in nine months the exports Of gold
s27 o0o. The net export. s2a. $780, 600 is about $780,
100000 less than the, average product and the in
ference seems good, therefore, that a large ad-
cious metals in the county.
Excitement in Louisville ON Tobacco
Rates OF Freight.
The Louisville papers of the slst ult contain
very strong protest from the members OF the
advance in freIghta establish"a by the Wes'ern
They particularly complain that this advance
was based upon an unjust and arbitrary trans,
Terrence Of tobacco In hogsheads to the special
it had belonged. with a 2 brief exception for a
number of years. The CooTter-Joonndl. in
commenting on this. says:
The effect of this class transfer is to raise the
freight on leaf tobacco to New York from ssc to
35c. consequently In that short period : he rate
has been advanced 3Sls per cent. In this instance
we have conspicuous illustration OF the pro-
ma whn the last two Years. Ss aree las
been carried at the rates Of 23c. 25c aud 27c per
100 ID. The RAILROADS while carrying tobacco
duce and merchandise at proportionate charges.
declared their usual dividends Cat leas those
roads which had previously been In the habit Of
doing sol. and the tobacco men argue that 80
extreme and sudden change Is us illogical as
1t is arbitrary.
This argument possesses evident force when
we consider the ready competition of river
transportation. The route via the Mississippi
river and the gulf L. an old land was formerly
the favoritel route of leaf tobacco from Western
markets to foreign countries, There is no dis
advantage or Inconvenience in any conc ivable
respect accompanying shipments by the gu a.
present except that the transit involves eat
or loss of time in reaching tide water, and an
inappreciable difference between he time from
New Orleans and New York to foreign ports.
BY rail to New Orleans the two routes would be
about equal. New Orleans, moreover. is an old
nndSs1ly equipped tobacco market. and was for
many Years the tobacco emporium Of the United
States. This was prior TO the development of
the railroad system indeed, and 1t can hardly
be doubted that, so long as the railroads are
governed by judicious counsels. Its supremacy
can never be recovered. By misman agement.
the present policy obviously tends. The differ
ence between river and railroad charges is q
standing open bid In behalf of the former, and
with high rail freights would 50 far underbid
successfully divert the traffic. This would be a
more probable result when tobacco, as at pres
ent. is extremely cheap: indeed at as low q
range Of valuation as the market reaches in a
quarter of a century. The railroads doubtless
made profit on tobacco freight at a SO cent rate
10 New York. and by driving the Ohio river and
GAINESVILLE tobaccos down the river they will
lose more than they will gain by further exac-
tions.
sThe occasion of this advance is doubtless the
Of tobacco to ship. No consideration is given to
the fact that its cheapness is inver-ely proper
tionate to its immensely and that the producers
are unable to afford heavy shipping expenses.