Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-06-03
Saturday Morning, June 3, 1882.
TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION.

TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION
Mr.. E. H. Walker, an officer of the New
York Produce Exchange, has prepared some
exhaustive and interesting tables showing the
extent of the trade and commerce of New
York city for 1881 compared with previous
years. large decline is shown for 1881.
| Grain and provision exports fell off The
hay crop was smaller. The cereal crops were
less productive. The general movement of
nearly all the products of agriculture, the
products of the forests and the products of
the mines, has been diminished in volume,
but New York, as compared with the princi-
pal ports of export, shows a relatively in
| creased ratio. The diminished movement is
in the main attributable to the diminished
cereal crops of the United States. The de-
| crease in 1881 as compared with the aggre-
gate crops in 1880 was G64, $50, 221 bushels
The grain receipts of New York in 1860 were
a. 275, AIS bushels, against III ,776, 749 bush
els in 1880, and 139, 1913, 1873 bushels in 1881.
The receipts at the six competing ports in
1860 aggregated 25,643, ISL bushels, against
1913, $40, 6S5 bushels in 1880, and 15O, 2O4, 537
bushels in 1881. The grain trade of New
AOA1A III 4OCAb SOlhEdtIcIi VIII tudI Oh 1O0U,
was decreased by 31,878, SCI bushels, while
that of the six competing ports was dimin-
ished by 48, 745, 148 bushels
Mr.. Walker shows that the shipping move
ment down the Mississippi is gaining at the
expense of the western lake and river ports.
The charges at lake ports are less obstructive
against high than against low rail rates,
aSnaoio1Iy ha
The pooling of the rail freights in 1880
checked the movement of grain by circuitous
routes The pooling of the railroads in
charging less for long hauls than for short
ones proportionately has contributed to take
away the business from a large number Of
interior points in the West. The commanding
position of New York is shown by the fact
that of all the foreign and American vessels
entered at all the ports of the United States
that city has over 4G per cent. Of the for
eign merchandise exported, New York's share
amounts to over 70 per cent, and of domes
tic merchandise exported about 40 per cent.
Of the imports OF the country New York re.
ceives over II per cent. and collects upward
of 70 per cent of the duties on imports
amounted to nearly 60 per cent of the entire
amount sent from the country, while of the
imports of coin and bullion her proportion
was over 80 per cent. Her percentage of the
value of breadstuffs exported during 1881
was 1876
In concluding his elaborate report Mr.
Walker reviews the business of the various
railroad lines and the New York canals, say |
ing: 1.-The two great lines of railroad, the |
Erie and Central have delivered at Atlantic |
ports during the last four or five years only |
about one-third of the grain, -four and meal, |
while the competing railroads have delivered |
the remaining two thirds This is an indica-
ton that the New York railroads cannot hold
the trade, or do not hold it if they can. The |
Erie canal, with its present capacity, cannot
hold the trade What then shall be done ?
The Erie canal, at a comparatively small cost, |
can be so improved that the water rates for |
transportation can be so diminished as to |
hold the line of trade through this State, and |
if so held where the two New York railroads |
can compete for it there will be such division |
of the carrying trade as to benefit the Erie |
canal and the two New York roads, as well as
the entire State of New York 1t is conse- |
quently for the interest of the two New |
York railroads to have such canal improve
ments made as to secure so desirable a con-
summation