Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-23

! New Orleans is armed, and justly so,
! on account Of H. decline of her cotton
trade. Every year the number OF Dales
| handled in the presses OF that port is
smaller. Much of the cotton that for
merly went to the New Orleans factors ia
now bought in the interior, compressed
there and shipped abroad on through bills
of lading, or Is sent TO other ports to be
handled Unless there are radical re-
! forms in the handling of cotton in New
Or cans, and great reduction in the cost
OF handling it, that city, in a few
years, will be without cotton trade that
is worth consideration.
at IL true with respect to New Or
leans is true to less extent of other ports
whose chargeS are higher than some of
their rival ports. 1t is as certain as any
thing can be that cotton is going where it
is handled The cheapest. The New Or
leans factor cannot control the direction
Of cotton if he cannot handle it as cheaply
as factor in another port.
1t is probable that New Orleans has not
receive 100 bales of cotton THIS season
from Memphis. She used to get many
thousands of bales from there. Great
steamboats, came down the river loaded
tn cotton received at Memphis. 1t is
not strange that no more Memphis cotton
seeks the seaboard at New Orleans. The
statement is made that cotton can be de-
livered in Liverpool IRON there for SOC.
bale less thanh can from New Orleans.
For several years New Orleans has been
4
much success. The trouble is that the
cotton handling business is all divided up
among associations, and each association
declares that it cannot do it's share of the
work for less money than it is getting.
The cotton presses, in order to smut OIL
competition, have an association, and
several immense presses are kept closed.
The closed presses. however, get their
share of the earnings OF those which are
operated. The screwmen have their as
sociation, and Will not accept anything
less than they are getting. There are
other associations, all of which have
fixed tariff which they cannot be induced
to reduce. They all realize that the vol
ume of trade is gradually growing
smaller, but they seem determined to
stick to their rates until absolute rum
overtaEes them.
A New Orleans paper, few days ago,
published some figures showing the port,
stowage, quarantine and other charges
which Il cargo of 5000 bales has to bear al
Baltimore and al New Orleans. AT Bal
timore the whole charge of COMPRISING,
slowing 5000 bales, together with all
port dues. is s8,S65, while at New Or
leans it is Sc, sos -.
Is there any cause for wonder, there
fore, that the cotton trade is leaving New
Orleans: There was a time when those
who handled cotton at the ports could fix
their rates to suit themselves, but that
time has passed. Competing lines
of railroad and competing ports have
brought about great changes. The ports
which Insist upon charges higher than
rival ports are going TO find themselves
very soon without any trade. New Or
leans may discuss her dismal prospects
until she has no prospects to discuss, and
she will not be able to hold her trade in
any other way than by making it to the
interest of cotton growers to send their
cotton to her factors.