Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-05
COTTON AND COTTON GOODS.
Lessons From the Reports of Our Cen.
suiar Agents i'm India, Russia and
sweden.
The Deliberate Thefts ofCotfon Packers
and Merchants in Other Branches
of Business.

NEW YoRE, September 1.-The Washing
ton correspondent of the Commercial B1uetin
has made an examination of the late consul
lar reports regarding American trade abroad,
which shows some interesting facts and come
valuable suggestions 10 American merchants.
Take, for instance, India, with its popula-
tion OF 252 600, 900. It's people have recently
substituted American kerosene oil for their
native oils, because it is better and cheaper.
II willing TO accept this American product
tor these reasons, they would, it Is fair to
assume, with equal readiness take any other
product to which the came conditions at
tached.
The imports of India for the year ending
March 81, 1881, exceeded $780, 00, 900, OF
which $685. OO, 900, or eighty-two per cent,
came from Great Britain and 81, 1853 1892
came from the United States. This latter
sum represented only shipments OF kerosene
oil and general merchandise. Among these
imports were notions and canned goods to the
value of 5000, 009-a class Of articles in the
production and handling of which Europe
cannot compete with US.
Our cotton is purchased by England and
manufactured there, whence it Is largely
shipped to India. The total import of cot.
ton manufactures for the year ending March
| 81, 1881, was sol ,000, 000, of which the United
States exported only $4,000 worth. OF this
total import, 100000 pounds, valued at
S14,00 900, was coarse twist and yarn, which
could readily be furnished by this country at
| very low rates-certaioly, il would seem,
lower than they could be manufactured, with
the cost OF the transportation of the cotton
added.
The difficulty in the way of establishing
this trade does not seem TO grow out OF any
preference for English goods as being of .u-
perior quality. On the contrary, the repu-
tation OF American goods in that market is
arrD 10 tlAf - H. H. III 4-ll-
is that the English manufacturer make their
| goods to suit the native market; the cloth is
as wide, as long as their customs have deter
mined, and OF the texture, color and patterns
which suit their fancy.
From st. Petersburg comes an account of
alleged false packing of bales of cotton. A
number OF bales exported from this country
were found to be packed with one or more
layers of sand or dirt, extending from end to
fOrty-eight and a quarter pounds.
The coDsul-generaIs certificate, touching
this case, says: 81 have no hesitation in cay
ing that a desire to defraud the final pur-
chaser was the prime motive of the packers
of said bales" A similar occurrence at
Gothenburg, Sweden, has been certified TO the
department of state, and the consul calls its
attention to the deplorable effects of this
practice as follows;
at is quite idle for a consul of the United
States, at least in Sweden, to attempt to
make a market for American goods until
American merchants practice common
honesty. In saying this, I have in mind not
only the fraudently packed and u~nmerchant-
able cotton, but other articles of American
merchandise in which a paying business was
done for a few months after they were intro
duced, during which time commodities of the
first class were offered TO Swedish cons umers,
and then, the market established, a degeu-
GRAFTON of one sort or another occurred until
the demand ceased altogether"