The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-01

Mr.. Richardson only outlined the field
Of the Progressive Unions activities lts
advertising OF New Orleans alone Is an ex-
tensive line OF work.
Il never misses an opportunity to put
before the eyes Of the world the advantages
Of the Crescent City. Even its letter head
ing is a small encyclopaedia Of New Orleans's
advantages and progress. Here are some
Of the facts Il presents in compact form;
New Orleans stands first among the
worlds markets in the three great staples
cotton, sugar and rice. All the worlds
leading cotton firms are represented here.
SIN 1901. Ie74 vessels cleared the port
with gross tonnage OF 4,3is,223 tons.
Ranks second among United States ports.
Capital invested in manufactures Omitted
States Census ReporD increased 2o7 per
cent. in twenty years.
Sugar refineries' daily capacity. 5000
barrels.
Rice mills, daily capacity, 10, 100 sacks.
Coffee imported in 1901, l0l ,94s, 736
pounds. increase over 1900, q. 722 oil pounds.
Sugar imported 1901. 25i 900 ,4O4 pounds
Fifteen miles Of river front, six miles
Of wharves, largest Government floating
drydock in the world, 2IO miles OF paved
streets. superior electric car service.
Thirty-fve feet Of water soon to be realized.
Complete system Of public and private
schools, eliminating in Tulane University
These facts about New Orleans's growth
and present volume of business are put be-
fore the eyes Of every person who receives
letter from the Progressive Union, and
as that bodys correspondence is enormous
the useful information ia correepondngly
diffused. There il no doubt that this or
ganization az now managed Is doing as
much as. If not more than. any other one
agency TO promote the welfare OF the city.
The statistics OF more recent dato than
those above quoted show that the city is
more than keeping up the rapid pace Of
growth that was maintained in 1901, and
the increase of the bank clearings in 1901
over those OF 1900 was no less than $43,-
200, i23, the total hank clearings for the
latter year being se03 ,557 .124;.
JUMP IN POSTAL PIGuREs
Az above mentioned, IL was only about
six years ago that New Orleans really he
gan to wake up and some statistics fur
nished TO The SUN by the New Orleans
Postmaster. j. Watts Kearney, give an
interesting exhibit of the wonderful prog
rrss made within that short interval Of
time. For instance. in 1897 the cash re-
ceipts If the New Orleans post Office ere
sos COZ. whereas, in the year jus, ! a ised
1902. they were SSH ,4Ol, an increase e
~ per cent In 1897 the number of first
class mail pouches sent out was 30,540 and
in 1902 the number was a, 900, an incre ase
Of 80 per cent.
all
sent out in 1897 mo including Guatemala
parcels post and points forwarded via
New York;. was 8.8l5. In 1902 the number
was s,2ls an increase Of 30 per cent The
Increase in the receipts of mail between
1897 and 1902. in letters and newspapers,
was 90 per cent. in round numbers.
As the post Office is one of the surest
barometers OF business activity and growth
it will he seen from these figures that New
Orleans has been forging ahead. since she
once got fully under way, at pace which
few, IL any, Of the Southern cities have ex
celled within the same interval Of time.
The record Of the bank clearings have
the same encouraging story. From 1897
to and including 1902 IL is a story Of con-
slant and marvellous progress. In 1897
the bank clearings OF New Orleans were
s4i5 ,97s 500 in 1898 they were Si38 923 ,2s7;
in 1899 they were SASS .2l9.2is; in 1900 they
were $3.50. 100, 10l; in 1901 they were 3803 .j5i-
l2i. IL other words the increase Of bank
clearings in 1902 over 1897 was $3.50, 3s2 .0.4;
over 1893 they were s235, 439, 200; over 1899
they were S2l4I4i $50; over 1900 they were
sil5. 500 $40: over 1901 they were SOS, 500 t23.
The bank clearings in 1901 were sac. zoo, 423
in excess Of those in 1900. and the bank
clearings Of 1907 were SOS 800 ,i23 over those
of 1901. a gain in the year 81 s22 04s 900.
GROWTH OF TRADE.
The growth Of the banking business
during the past three or four years has
been one of the marked features of the
progress here. New Orleans is fat
becoming a financial centre. as il already
has become a great distributing centre.
The great indust rial enterprises in Louis
lana and Texas are looking more and more
to the Crescent City for their money and
less and less To New York and the Fast
Several new trust companies have been
formed within the period Of New Orleans
reawakening. within the past six years
that is, and they are rapidly growing in
strength and resources. Coupled with
that there has been a wide extension Of the
wholesale trade Of the city.
The big concerns of the country which
formerly sent drumners her" have now
Established headquarters and are pushing
their trade invssions from New Orleans
as a base. Honduras. Colombia and
Nicaragua already come here for their
Wholesale supple, and this trade, together
with that to other Spanish American
countries, is rapidly growing.
GREAT As RAILROAD CENTRE.
A. a railroad centre the Crescent City
is ALREADY point of vast importance and
with the advent Of the Frisco system,
now an event II the immediate futur', the
sty terminals la wing been recently secured
by action Of the ely Council. and of other
line, that are projected. the strength Of
New Orleans position will be greatly in
creased II is now fact that New ORLEANS
H. the terminus 81 a larger mileage 81 rail
roads coming into th" city over their own
tracks than any other seaport IN the country
sECoSD POET IN THE isIrkD sIATEs.
when II IL po nt'-d out. say. IA" Pro-
gr,ssiNe inioH ia one ~ lie documents.
that there are eleven raIlp,ad systems
having nearly 90 pJ miles ~ tracks none