Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-12-12
INTERNAL COMMERCE.

WAsHMGToN, Dec. 8.-Joseph Kimmo, Jr.
chief of the bureau Of statistics, has just sent
to the President report on the international
commerce of the United States, in the prepare
ton of which he has been engaged for more
than q year. This report embodies the results
transportation affairs in various parts of the
country. The following is . synopsis Of the
report: The growth of traffic on railroads is
indicated by the fact that the total freight
movements of three of the most important
trunk lines connecting the West with the sea-
board increased from 1O.S9S,9 89 tons in 1868 to
rs, 272, 755 tons in 1878. The average cost of
! transportation on ten of the principal lines of
the country fell from 2 $40 cents per
ton per mile in 1868, to 90 100 cent per mile in
1873. Seven-eighths of the surplus produe-
tions of the trans Mississippi, north of the
State of Arkansas, now Cross the Mississippi
on railroads at and between St. Louis and St.
Paul, and are transported directly east to the
markets in the country and in foreign coun-
tries. During the year 1878 the eastward
shipments from St. Louis by rail exceeded the
Southern shipments from that city by the
Miss,ssippi river. The cities
closely identified in all their trade interests,
but they are now sharply at rivalry with re-
spect to the trade Of southern Mississippi, Ar
kansas, northern Louisiana aud o large portion
of the trade of Texas.
The four principal East and West trunk lines
leading from the Atlantic seaboard, with their
western connections to Chicago, St. Louis,
Louisville and Cincinnati now constitute the
most Important avenues Of commerce in this
country, and the trade current which pass over
them largely influences the course of our for
eign trade with respect to the ports at which
foreign goods are imported and domestic pro-
ducts are exported 20
This great east and west current of trade has
led to q radical change in the course of trade
OF States situated south of the Ohio river and
st. Louis. Louisville and Cincinnati now con-
troll at least two-thlrds of the trade of these
Statea in general merchandise, and have there
fore become their chief commercial entreport
Tor this trade. These cities compete actively
with Mobile, New Orleans and Galveston.
In the aggregate, st. Louis, Louisville,
and Cincinnati greatly surpass Mobile, New
Orleans and Galveston in population, in the
magnitude of their commerce and in other ele-
ments of commercial power. In competition
for the trade Of the States referred to, the
three interior cities possess an important ad-
vantage in their rapidly developing manufao-
turing Industries the value of the
year 1873 il estimated at four hundred and
eighteen millions, or nearly ~ much as the
total value of imports into the United States
from foreign countries. With respect to such
manufactures, these cities naturally exercise
o much larger degree of control over the
Southern trade, than with respect to their
merely distributive commerce: . The citie. Of
St Louis. Louisville and Cincinnati now draw
their supplies of domestic merchandise
from the Atlantic seaports
|of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Balti
more, and from mannfactories in the New
England 6tates aud IN the Middle and Western
States Imported 9ooda sold 6 these three