The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-05-21

The Prosperity Of Ia Country.
The change from the general depres-
sion in all branches of trade and bust
ness that lasted through the five years
running from the close of 1873 to 1878
inclusive, to a period of activity SC
intense and widespread as to surprise
wen the most hopeful, is well demon
strated by the statistics presented in
the I'D annual report of the New York
Chamber of Commerce, which has just
been issued.
In reviewing the imports of the year
the report gives precedence to the sugar
trade, regarding the course of that
staple commodity as a sure indication
of the general condition of the country.
More persons would have taken the
iron trade as the best test Of the gene
raj prosperity, underlying, as it does
SO many of our most important indus
tries. But as the Chamber of Commerce
report deals only with imports and
exports, and draws its deductions from
these, the sugar trade may very well
be placed first on the list, and the con-
sumption of sugar be given as a meas
ure OF the general prosperity.
The total consumption Of sugar
during the year 1880 is estimated at
$500 tons, as against 7i3, 900 tons in
1879. OF this quantity Louisiana fur
nished 80, 900 tons, the remainder being
drawn from foreign sources. II the
domestic production of maple and beet
sugar be added, the total consumption
for the past year will reach 900, 900
tons.
Reference Is made to the extensive
adulteration of sugar by mixing refined
sugar of a low grade with glucose. Its
color is represented to be equal to the
best coffee sugars, hut its sacharine
qualities are inferior to those Of sugar,
that is the product of the cane, and it
is made a question whether, when this
new process sugar is put upon the
market and sold as a pure cane sugar,
it ought not to be regarded as a fraudu-
lent traffic.
In foreign molasses the consumption
fell Off from "a, 500, 900 gallons in 1879
to 80. 100, 900 in 1880, but Louisiana and
Texas produced 100000 gallons in
addition making the total consumption
of molasses for the year 100000 900
gallons.
The coffee trade was affected by the
abortive speculative movement to force
up prices, and the quantity of coffee
imported fell off from $4,000 tons
in 1879 to 176 900 tons in 1880, the
principal decrease being in the receipts
from Brazil. The tea importers also
hada bad year as to profits but the
quantity imported is not given.
The importation of foreign hides wa
on a most unprecedented scale, reaching
5000, 900 pieces, exclusive of Calcutta
hides, an excess of 900,0 900 hides over
the imports of 1879.
The wine and liquor trade is said
to have been remarkable for its pros
perity.
In the matter of exports the crop of
cotton for the year ended September l
reached the enormous amount of 6, 1857
397 bales, of which 3,S65,G21 bales
we're exported and /, 725, sos we're taken
by American spinners. The excess of
the yield of raw cotton 1880 we that
of 1879 was 700, 900 bales. The increase
in the quantity Of cotton exported was
limited almost wholly to the ports of
New York and Baltimore. The de-
crease in the export of American cotton
goods was to be expected, for the x
ports of our cotton fabrics between the
years of 1873 and 1879 we're made under
pressure and to get rid Of surplus stock,
and returned little or no profit to the
manufacturers.
The value of the grain exported in
OF 1879, that of the latter year being
SOS, 10000 while 1t rose last year to
$3.50 600 OO0