The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-01-13

| HunufeU samples examined not one
was found pure or even fit for use.
The "Orange County" milkmen whose
pastures are stables just out of the
city, had a trick of keeping milk from
souring by the use of chemicals, and
all sorts of lodges were shown up.
Thousands of the best families use
condensed milk, the purity of which
is well established, but the appear
ance of the compound is so against it,
it doesn't look like milk. The pros
ecution succeeded in getting the seller
whose case was made a test, into
prison, with fine of $3.50, whereupon
the Milk Dealers Association, true to
stumptail, promptly appealed the case.
1t will take a long fight to get de-
cent milk in New York. The milkmen
have retained the best legal talent in
the city, and will make desperate
fight. But the people will win. The
proposition is to have inspec tors ap-
pointed, with the best appliances for
testing milk, and to pour into the
street every can that has been watered
or sophisticated in any way. Pure
milk or none," is the war-cry, now.
Real estate is still depressed, and
there are no signs of improvement.
There are but few sales reported, and
the number of empty houses and stores
is frightful. Occasionally a sale is
made, but it is always at figures less
than half the price of four years ago,
and then the purchaser is not sure
he has bargain.
Vacant lots nobody will take. When
the great boulevard was open in the
upper part of New York, the ring was
on hand for bargains. On the line Of
it Connolly built his magnificent
dwelling at the public expense. Genet
placed his more magnificent house,
built on the same terms, near Con-
nolly's. Tom Fields bought an ele-
CANT mansion on the boulevard with
sixteen city lots. Nobody placed its
value when the great drive was opened
at less than Sl25,OOO. One of our
most prudent cash companies loaned
on the estate $4,000. 1t was sold
| under foreclosure and the company
had to buy it in. 1t is in the market
at $40, 900, with no takers.
A business property near the TIL
bune office was encumbered with a
mortgage of $25 900. So good was it
considered that IL second mortgage for
$4,000 was placed upon it, and after
wards third for $4,000, and the
third mortgage was considered per-
fectly safe. 1t was sold last week by
the Sheriff, for S2I 600! And in this
fearful depression lies the secret of
the failures of the banks and insur-
ance companies. They had their sur
plus capital loaned on what was con-
sidered excellent real estate security !:
but the shrinkage in values left them
without any security at all. They
had to foreclose, and to save them
selves bid in the property, which, as
in most cases it stood empty, left
them without income. The city is
going through terrible season, and
no one expects that real estate will
| ever get back to old figures.
Failures are coming thick and fast.
The end of the year forces settle
ments. and the weak ones can not
avoid exposing their weakness, and
are going to the wall. Many of them
are honest failures, but the vast ma !.
ioritv are of men who have had no
right to be in busine IS for three years.
The trouble is just begun. But it is
for the best after all 1t is very much
like sick man taking medicine-the
drug makes him sicker, but the foul
matter is thrown off and he comes
out better than ever. The hard times
are simply wedding out those who
we're never entitled to credit, and
hereafter business will be on better
basis. But it is ugly just now.
New Years is a great day with young
New York, and with very old New
York. The old Knickerbockers, those
of the very first society, make sober,
decorous calls upon their friends, as
did the old Dutch, when New York
was village. Young New York ar