The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-01

| The distance between inc oDuJubIH htihhbiI |
ports and those Of Europe IS o factor IN
| their favor but more important item IS tne
| fact that by improved COMPRISING snip
could carry some 400 pounds more COTTON per
| registered ton from those ports than IRON
New Orleans This also lessened the cost Of
stowage and diminished the loss In weight.
and their charges for COMPRISING were lower
| than our own.
! to the adoption at the Atlantic ports OF the
improvements owned by your company?
Mr. Lafitte Not at ALL this was before my
company had any existence when my com.
pany was organized the average weight OF |
cotton taken by ships from this port was l42f |
pounds per ton register, whilst from the Al
| antiC ports the average was, ana sun Is, |
about 1900 pounds. With the Champion press
and our other improvements will contract to |
put at least $500 pounds per ton register In a
vessel of good carrying capacity. very simple
calculation will show the commercial value OF
this increased capacity in the saving OF ireighG
alone: The freight on 400 pounds OF cotton
at ! cents with per cent pTlmage WOuld pc
SIS 81; $500 pounds at the same rate would
amount to S34 II; at OF cent the Ipo
pounds would pay $40 ~. After ma king the
excessive allowance of 81 60 per ton for extra
expenses to the ship there would remain net
gain of half cent per pound, equivalent 20
S4, 1873 $50 on the cotton that passed through
New Orleans as compared with the ola style
of com pressing or OF 81 $4,000 rs compared
with the work done by the new presses: In
estimating the gain from all sources at % ~
per bale placed the gain on freight alone aI a
lower figure than Is here proven TO be cOrrect.
| Reporter you explain why the Atlantic
ports were allowed to retain this advantage In
compressing cotton over our own port!
!, Mr. Lafitts-It was due solely to the TACT
that In the Atlantic ports there was legltl-
} mate competition in the business OF compress
ing cotton whereas in our own it was entirely
controlled by monopoly.
Reporter-If what you state be correct our
pressmen must have realized very large
DrOfitS from the business.
Mr.. I.afitte At one time their business was
doubtless very remuneratlve but tnelI
3 profits have year by year been lessened, ana
am assured that last season. despite our
5 large receipts, the business was actually uh-
profitable.
Reporter Excuse me. but what you say
8 seems paradoxical You state that our press.
( men received high pay for inferior work, ana
: yet their business IS unprohtabie, can you
. M Iafitte Certainly | can; but before
proceeding further allow me TO say that l
q must not be understood as casting any undus
b reflection upon our pressmen, with many OF
o whom my D ersonal relations are OF most
b friendly character. Ihey nave done iusC
what any other set of men would have done
d if placed in their position. Human nature Is
pretty much the same all the world over, ana
: the possessor Of q monopoly soon entertaihs
J. an honest conviction that he has prescrip-
i tive right to it, and regards any one attempt
ing to compete with him very Inucn as d
q hOuSekeeper regards burglar.
N Monopolies are Of their very nature viola.
tive of correct principles Of trade, and correct
y nrinciples of trade can no more be violated
r with IMMUNITY than can the laws OF nature
1T man Of strong constitution may 1or llInt a,
70 violate the laws OF nature in the mattefS oi
l. eating or drinking, or by other excuses, puI
ID eventually he must pay the penalty OF his
folly. so with violations OF correct principles
is OF truth monopoly may be prolitabIe loi
q O time, but as it benefits q few TO the MUIR
/ of the many, it will soon be assaled, and yea,
n by wear it will be forced to combat or Duy Oh
10 this opposition, until finally its profits are
Is absorbed by extraneous expenditure ana
s. collapse is inevitable.
is Rpporter-Have our pressmen been SUB
IN jected to such extraneous expenditures, AIT
IN in what measurei -,
IN item. TO maintains their monopoly thty ~
JIG forced to lease every piece of property In any
way adapted to the storage OF cotton. owners
D. Of such property naturally take advantage Q
Nv this and demand and receive higher rental
than are paid for any other species OF prop
at erty There is unfortunately the same sur
IT. plus of property suitable for the storage 0
of cotton as for other purposes, put whlie ". W
e. find long ranges OF tenantless stores adapIe
to to other branches of trade, every place Una
n can be made available for the storag
ed of cotton is leased by the association
Unless | have been misinformed, they ar
val now paying at least 100000 per annum ~
* property not needed and not used. Suppos
our Western produce men, our groceIS,
We those engaged in any other branch OF tIau
ID were to attempt to establish and uphold
,g- monopoly by similar means, now iong w "Ied
sfs they maintain it without involving themselve
ne In bankruptcy? A similar result in the cotto
by press business has only been averted by lIl
We posing unnecessary and oppressive Duruel
upon our cotton trade, Can we nope 20 et srs
he or even retain our present share OF thab Ifau
,rn without relieving it OF all unnecessai
ed charges.
nd Rpporter- have so far considered onl
the question of COMPRISING. Do not Cap
~ r,Inpa pDptpmDJatp Improvement
we in other branches OF the business o
uc- Mr. Lafitte-Yes, and very important one
m The presses, or rather the warehouses a
i'd. tached to the presses were well adapted
the business as formerly conducted, but a
ore iii adapted to the business under the chang
that have taken place, the prilnc.lEp
six of which is the indefinite multlpiicattll..
the OF marks. This involves an excessive outlt
OF. for labor, and would mention that our pres
inf, men state it often costs thein 81 per bale, al
d | ometimes very much more, to deliver COVE
{ if Besides our yards and store-ho no y
be permit of cotton being properly cared 1of 81
,ar- protected from damage In other ports, VINE
Ia there is free competition, great improvement
tire have been made in these respects.
Two Reporter-I take 1t for granted that y
ess claim that our pressmen would have pr
bly, NOTED their own interests as well as the co
by mprce of our city by accepting the prop9
70 tions of your company; will you state WI
on those propositions were, and upon WE
iole points you disagreed:
, Mr. Latitte-YOu are correct In your
)m- sumption. but we are drifting in drectl
tny which feared from the first and desire
avoid, and must decline entering into ?
nat tory of the contest between the Cotton Pr
rib SsSociation and nv company think hs
ow- gone quite as far as was necessary to give
ex- the information that is of purely public
ooaT terest; il you desire further details pre-
il. to refer you to the members OF that assot
hey ton, who are certainly entitled to hearl
C Cata eporter-Before closing, allow me to
~ if you take hopeful view of future prospe
and OIL our ciCy
iron Mr.. Lafitte-I certainly do. Our natu
ers advantages are such that we may reasona
sive hope for very large increase III our s ~ !,
res merce; think in this respect we STAND II
lied better position than any cotnlntIIcltai o,oy
adj our country. But we must Iol rsiy ~. upU ~.
ON natural advantages alone. But Tor the III
duction of railroads, New Orleans Wo
the assllrellY have been the great