New-York tribune., 1901-10-29
FAIR Play FOR NEW-YORK.

The investigations OF the Interstate Com
merce Commission on Friday ELECTED further
corroboratiOn OF the statement hitherto repeat
edly made in these columns that New-York is
suffering serious loss In export trade. The
testimony was given by Mr. Brown, the statis-
tican of the New-YOrk Produce Exchange. The
department OF trade under consideration was
that OF grain and breadstuffs. and Mr.. Brown
showed that New-York had lost a large proper
tion of that trade Thus in June last OF the
grain sent 10 the ports Of NewYork Boston
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk and Newport
News for shipment abroad. New-York got 51.7
per cent and Baltimore 11.3 per cent. In July
the total amount OF grain sent for export was
10 per cent greater than In June. but New
YOrk's share OF It fell to 377 per cent, while
Baltimore's rose TO 35 per cent. In August the
total was almost as large as in July. but New
York's share fell further. 10 only 26.4 per cent
while Baltimores rose 10 3G.1 per cent In Sep
tember with a much diminished total. there
was a slight reaction, New-York securing 32.3
Per cent and Baltimore 29.4 per cent
We are confronted. then with this condition.
that NewYOrk which once had a foreign com
merce in both imports and exports much greater
than that of all other United States ports put
together, has not only fallen from that fine pre-
eminence, bur also has in this important de
partment Of trade fallen 70 equality with and
at times actual inferiorlty TO "A single rival port
Instead Of being greater than all others. II has
become AT times less than one other Nor will
IT answer 10 say that this is only one depart
ment of our foreign trade. That is true, but
it is equally true that it is by far the most i'm
portant department Of our export trade Our
exports OF breadstuffs considerably outrank in
aIu Of
iron and steel manufactures So New-York is
falling behind In the most important depart
ment Of the nations export trade 1t is, more
over. the department which is most important
in its relations 10 imports and 10 domestic trade
The States which produce the most breadstuffs
are those which want most other goods in re-
turn. And there is no law of commerce much
more certain than that exports and imports Will
seek the same channels. New-York cannot
maintain a great mercantile fleet merely to
bring in imports, sending it back TO foreign
ports empty, nor will the ships which go from
Baltimore laden with grain return thither
empty. If the Northwestern States get perma-
nenty 10 shipping their grain and other prod
ucts by way of Baltimore instead of New-York
they will surely get their imports by the same
route.
The exasperating feature of the case is that
NewYork is thus losing trade because of unfair
conditions There is. for one thing discrimina-
tiOn by railroads against New-YOrk Traffic
managers OF the chief railroads testified on
Friday that there was such discrimination
the rate TO Baltimore being only 9lh cents
while to New-York it is IL cents-a dlscrimf-
nation which cannot be regarded as logical
or just Other unfair conditions pertain to
this city itself. IL has not the terminal facili-
ties il should have, and it's harbor has not been
developed as IL should have been. For these
latter conditions the blame must he distributed
among the national government, the State and
the city itself. AS we have hitherto shown, the
national government has throughout its whole
history been chary of appropriations for the
benefit of New-YOrk HarbOr. I'm comparison
with the revenues received hence. The State
has likewise in some particulars been neglectfuI
of the welfare of the port which has given to
the State so large n share of it's prosperity and
greatness As for local disregard-and worse
than disregard-Of the needs of the port. it
would be impossible to characterize II too
strongly. Given fair playa fair field and no
favOr-and New-YOrk can easily hold its COM
mercial rank unimpaired. But unfair treat
ment both internal and external, may in time
effect the ruin OF any place.