The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-16
THE PRODUCE EXCHANGE.

L terdaY-OmCefS tASs
port BY President PearsaIl-Many I'm
portant Matters Discussed and Recon.
mcndatlons Mnd~e-Increased Cotton Re.
ceipts and Exports.
The twenty-fourth annual meeting of
the Wilmington produce exchange was
held yesterday at noon at the rooms
of the exchange. Mr.. Oscar Pearsall
the president. was in the chair, AMI
Colonel John L. Cantwell. the secre-
tary, was at his post.
The minutes of the twenty-third an
nual meeting were read and approved.
The secretary and treasurer read his
annual report and the same was or
dered to be recorded.
The president of the excnang read
his annual report, as follows:
ANNUAL REPORT.
Wilmington, n. c., April 10.
Gentlemen of the Produce Exchange:
According to custom, I submit my
annual report. In attempting this l
will endeavor to be as brief as prac-
ticab1e. The membership a year ago
was 81; today it is AZ. This slight in
crease in the membership is encourag-
ing, and we have especial cause for
gratitude to Almighty God that death
has not visited our lumber during the
past year. Your exchange is in a good
financial condition.; every item Of ex-
pense to date is paid. Our liabilities
are nothing and We have on hand
$265.47 in cash.
USEFULNESS OF THE EXCHANGE.
The condition, with the facilities for
general usefulness to the membership
n md fn tho nIhlic ia ClIch az has been
in existence heretofore, in procuring
market reports, maritime news and
much other information of more or less
value, every item Of which is carefully
recorded by our efficient secretary. and
beside being useful for reference, af-
fords opportunity for obtaining valua-
BILE, reliable statistics of such mat
ters. Since the organization of the
exchange we might safely challenge
if there has been a single vessel of any
size to this port that we can not give
the dates of arrival and departure.
where from and where to, and both in
ward and outward cargOes. It is a fact
that information is procured and re-
corded here that is not to be found
elsewhere, and government officials
have come here and obtained facts
from this exchange not to be had 9TH
erwise, not even in the United States
custom house. 1t must be apparent to
the minds of any and all who have
not heretofore known the value of the
work done by this exchange that the
mount of clerical work lone requires
the services of a competent secretary;
but the general public does not know
the cost or appreciate the far reaching
usefulness of the exchange directly or
indirectly to the community. While it
is more useful to merchants. millers,
brokers, and manufacturers, every cit
.oo~ ~yrr~~ >u-o- 4ha
change his moral support if nothing
else. The members have it in their
province to increase the usefulness to
themselves and at the same time make
it desirable to others to become mem
bers.
OUR PORT IMPROVEMENTS.
The success which has attended the
efforts of the government employees in
giving our port deep water at the bar
and in the river channel up to the city
must be gratifying to us all who lave
had in contemplation great commercial
advantages resulting from it. Yet 1
heard a gentleman say recently that
the closing of New Inlet had damaged
the trade of this city more than any
thing else that has ever occurred, and
| that the trade of one corn cracker" of
500 bushels capacity was worth more
than that of the largest ocean steamer
carrying five or six thousand bales of
cotton. How much fact there may be
in this opinion, as expressed, is a mat
ter of guess; but in this connection I
venture to ask, What have we in lieu
Of the trade. that formerly came from
| the eastern counties through small
| coasting vessels? Is it offset entirely
by a large increase in the export of
cotton? For, since the closing of New
Inlet it has been impossible to increase
the expor Of naval stores for the rea-
son known to you all-that the supply
of this product has been gradually de-
creasing in our section for years.
RAILROAD DISCRIMINATION.
| The management of the railroads ter
minating here are more cOnSiderate of
our requirements, and can contribute
more to the rapid development Of local
interests than n other gaency. 1t is
possible for them to do for Wilmington
| what the Richmond and Danville and
perhaps other lines have don for Rich
mond. Why should the through freight
and travel be sought to the disadvan-
take or expense of local business?
Why will a railroad haul a car of
through freight eighty miles for $4 and
charge IS for a local haul Of four miles
for the same? Why does it cost our
farmers "a cents per barrel to send their
potatoes to New York, and the New
York producer may send us his for 80
cents per barrel? If these conditions
are just from any standpoint Of rea-
soning I am still of the opinion that
they tend to retard the progress and
development of our section. Yet, with
our five railroads extending into the
interior in as many directions, our mer-
chants have opportunity Of charging
their trade by the employment of nee
essary enterprise with discretion.
| GROWTH OF OUR TRUCKING IN
TERESTS.
In my opinion the principal factor in
promoting the prosperity and progress
of our city and section is agriculture.
1t is encouraging to know that there is
progress in this branch of industry,
evidenced not only by the increased
cotton crop but also of grain. In our
immediate section truck and berryS
crops are of no little Importance. We
are apt to lose sight of the industry