The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-12-17
HARD TIMES AND THE CAUSE.

With the important advance and the firm
feeling in wheat abroad it would be but
natural to look for something of the kind in
the local market, but as yet the improve
ment has been very slight, indeed. The
reason assigned by. shippers, and which is
also obvious, is the scarcity of tonnage
available to carry off the surplus of the
coast. Enough wheat is said to be stored in
the warehouses at the two points, Albany
and Corvallis, to load all the vessels likely
to arrive here within the next four months.
As the amount at these two places is only
a small part of the surplus in this State
and Washington Territory, the retardiag
influence of the scarcity of tonnage can
easily be appreciated. The feeling noticed
in the market in San Francisco is doubtless
attributable to- the excitement in New
York and Chicago, where the locking up of
over 5000, 600 bushels by the freeze in the
canals and rivers, and a determination of
the bulls to force prices up, have caused
those markets to go to figure at least five
per cent above the English prices. Market
Report Daily OregoniGn. Noo. %, 1880.
Any person carefully reading the
above statement of actual facts, will
certainly have no difficulty in real
izing the urgent necessity and advan-
tage of a few more shipping points.
The season passed was remarkable
both for the yield and the favorable
climatic conditions for harvesting.
Soon after harvest it was confidently
hoped with fair prices for wheat, the
farmer could make good last years
losses and recover from the effects of
rust. But now we are brought face
to face with the worst of all misfor.
tunes-no vessels to remove the crop,
even if there should be an advance
in prices far above any previous year.
There is reason for this condition of
things, yearly growing worse. Ship
owners seldom neglect or dodge a
port offering business without good
and sufficient cause, chief among
which in this case was the report
made last winter by the 4storiaas
and Oregoaaioaa seconded by the
Portland Board OF Trade to secure
an appropriation made for a harbor
of refuge, that the Columbia bar was
shoaling. This report, emanating
from such respectable source, was
published in the east, and was fol-
lowed by an immediate advance in
the rates OF insurance; large yes
sells, the cheapest carriers, were
warned, and the prows of ships
headed for the Columbia were turned
in another direction. San Francisco
ever ready to depreciate the Colnm.
bia bar, used this text of the empo-
rium, with disastrous effect. An
other cause has been, and is yet, the
comparatively outrageous port
charges, heavy draft on owners
in the matter of pilotage, towage
and tug charges-so burdensome has
this become, that no vessel unless
loaded with a good incoming cargo,
can afford to come to Portland in bal
last, depending on outgoing freight
alone for profit. Both these obiec-
tions, serious as they are, can be
correctly attributed to the selfish
ness of those who speak and act for
Portland, claiming to be a seaport
situated Ito miles inland on tribu-
ta1y of the Colum bia. She should
have. initiated New Orleans there in
order to meet the inevitable sur
roundings of bad commercial To-
cation the city paid for the constrnc-
tion and maintenance of two power
fnI steam tugs, provided with steam
pipes leading through the keel; steam
forced under powerful pressure
through these pipes, stirred the mud
II