The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-07-23

to spoliatc the territory of Mexico; and
thirdly. to promote the scheme Of subsidies
To- Ton SCOTr's Pacific Railroad. The times
are not propitiuus for such projects, and ali
three OF them will probably come to grief.
Diversion OF the Grain Trade from New
York.
A stock theme Of the past year has boon
the railway war, and the alleged agsran-
dizcment Of other seaport cities at the OK
pcrsc of the metropolis. What are TIA" exact
scope and nature of the impulse which has
tended to press into new channels the grain
trade of the great Vest Are the causes of
the movement steadfast and Inherent IN the
nature ot things or are they transtury and
susceptible Of remedy or control? We have
had such a suricit of loose statistics and
hnsty deductions on this subject that it is sat
lsfactory 10 lind the precise facts cullated in
the lately puhshcd report Of the New York
Produce Exchange. III tine tables prepared
10y Mr. T.. III WALKER, statistician Of the EN-
change. the shipments from the Northwest
to the various centres Of distribution on the
Atlantic are traced through series of years,
and the several channels of communication.
existing or IN course VI Improvement, intelli-
gently compared.
The movement OF cereals from Western
lake and river ports, ms well as the aggro-
gate OF deliveries at scabOdrd cnttelut-, H.
with almost every year augmented; but
New York, we need not say, does not retain
her former proportion Of the increase either
in the receipts or the exports. The fallin.,
on II naturally somewhat more conspicuous
IN the latter direction lccause the local CON
sumption of grain within a radius Of ten
miles around New-York is far greater than
about any other maritime centre Of the
United States, and seems, moreover, to Dee
more rapidly expanding. Thus, If we glance
first at the total receipts Of cereals at the
five principal ports Montreal Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York
during the eleven years from 1850 TO ls7G
inclusive. we lind the latter city, which at
the beginning Of that period commanded
GA per cent. ~ the whole delivery, still
controlling 45.8 per cent. When. however
we turn 10 the comparative exports Of grain
from the points named We see that New
York has declined, not In eleven but in three
years, nearly eighteen per cent, namely,
from G2.l0 per cent Of the entire quantity
exported in 1873 to ala per cent. in 1916.
During the same term Philadelphia and
Baltimore together have increased their
shipments 10 foreign parts from 1885 per
cent in 1873 to SIS per cent. last year As
regards the two last named cities, these
changes have been for the most part con-
fined 10 Indian corn. That the displacement
of the corn export trade is still continued
will appear from the comparative movement
of IA Al - ia \
weeks ending May 49, 1871. In that interval
there were shipped from Philadelphia.
Baltimore. and Boston over sixteen and a
half million bushels Of corn, against seven
and quarter from this city. On the other
hand, the amount of flour and wheat s"nt
out OF New York harhor was greatly in cX-
ccss Of the aggregate forwarded by the
three rival ports. Nevertheless il We COM
pute the tour at its equivalent Of wheat, in
bushels, We reach the general result that
the exports of Hour, wheat, and corn COM
hlned from the three competing cuircpots
have hoen in the five months named l7.sll,27O
bushels, against l3,0}O,273 bushels from the
port II New York. Such are the facts, and
| they are well calculated 10 challenge the
anxious scrutiny of those who have al heart
the commercial welfare Of the metropolis.
Tho causes of the change are Obvious
enough, but u is not equally plain how they
can be completely countoracted. No doubt
terminal charges have had some influence,
and in this respect marked improvements
/ are urgently demanded in New York. But
the main agency in the diversion of trade
has been the reduction in railway rates for
tho transportation of freight, coupled with
the Discrimination in favor of Philadelphia
ana Baltimore discrimination which, Ia