Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-05-18
Some Encouraging Lessons Of the
Cotton Movement.

For several years following the war
the tendency of cotton towards the North
| Atlantic ports was quite marked. The
| opening up of the longitudinal railway
system. extending down from the West
into Arkansas and Texas. also stimu.
lated the overland movement out of the
cotton belt, and last year the figures
reached 1, 134, 900 bales, or nearly 90 per
cent. of the total production. OF this
| 600, 900 bales crossed the Mississippi at
Hannibal and passed through ST. Louis,
and 161. 900 were carried North from
Cairo by the land lines of transportation.
Out of that crop barely 40 per cent. was
sent to the Gulf ports.
This season, however, there has been
marked change in the drift of the sta
pie, and the tendency has been south.
ward. The crop has been augmented
over IL per cent, yet the quantity of
cotton carried overland has decreased
nearly 100, ,0C0 bales from the figures of
last year to corresponding date. The
principal decrease in this direction has
been at st. Louis, where there has been
99, 900 bales less cotton handled than last
year. The shipments through Louis
vile have also fallen off $4,000 bales.
On the other hand there has been an
augmentation in the shipments via Han
nibal, and the Cincinnati Southern has
greatly increased the business of the
Ohio metropolis.
As consequence of this relative de-
crease in the North bound cotton busi-
ness of the railways the Gulf ports have
enlarged their receipts in exact proper
ton to the augmentation of the crop,
and on this basis ought to handle for the
current season say 100000 bales,
against 2 1856. 900 during 1879-S0.
1t is very true that this Gulf trade in
crease has not been equally distributed
Galveston has gained 179, 900 out of the
oSH 600 additional bales that have come
Il these points up tn the close of April.
But this was due TO difference in tne
production in the sections tributary to
these markets Had il not been FOR the
sc, 900 bales draN2 from Texas over tL5
Morgan Road to cnunterees c"s Cscrease
Il ~. 4ruelprg f.om the Mississippi and
smaller lower tributaries we should
have no excess oYeI last season,
owing to the poor yield in the
bottom lands. The superiority
of our market and shipping
facilities is shown by the fact that We
have drawn here also by steamship over
10000 bales of Texas cotton, or alto
gether % per cent. of the total cotton
reaching Galveston, Houston and In
dianola. Mobile has also sent US little
over half her cotton that is not counted
here at all. the Mobile Railroad having
brought 181 900 bales, against IA, 600 to
same date in $780, While, therefore,
the net receipts at New Orleans to April
Both show gain of only 43, 900 bales,
the gross overtop last year by $4,000.
On the Atlantic seaboard the tendency
has likewise been towards lower lines of
latitude. The five ports north of the
Potomac have this season received direct
from the point of production only 411,-
700 bales, against 452,515 in 1879 80-a
decrease of 40, 851 bales. On the other
hand the Atlantic ports south of the Po.
tomac have handled 2,434, ,643 bales, an
enlargement of 25 per cent. over the fig
ures of last season. Norfolk has gained
"a per cent, Charleston 81, Wilmington
90, and Savannah 16 per cent. These
variations, however, are due more to the
relative increase in production in the
various sections tributary to these cities
or to the trunk lines that haul to them
for through shipment
We feel satisfied that this detection of
the cotton trade toward lower lires of
latitude will not be temporary, but is the
beginning of a reaction which will turn
the movement back into its normal chan
nels. Certainly west of the Mississippi
the necessities which impelled the rail
ways to haul cotton against the trade
draft at starvation rates no longer exist,
and with the new business to be opened
up by the extension of the lines to the
Pacific coast and across the Rio Grande,
the natural laws of commerce will be
allowed to direct the staple to the best
neighboring seaboard market.