Year: 1860

conveniences, which depend on the accidents of
each case, cannot now be exactly estimated but
will deserve to be considered The water on the
basin, eight feet in front of Warehouse No. g,
and fourteen feet at Nos. one and two, is quite
deep enough for all the river, bay or coasting
vessels, sail or steam.


z. The commission merchant wants his To-
baoco convenient to him. He will not remove
his countlng-room to follow the Warehouses out
OF the city, but he must either give less atten-
ton to the receipts and inspections, or charge
more for 1t If 1t is rendered more inconvenient
and more expensive to him. One of them sug-
Sests' IN opposition to all the rest, that they may
have separate establishments The appears not to
consider how remotc) down at the Warehouses
and special hours at that place for their Tobacco
business. This separation of their places and
hours OF business, is contrary to the course of
trade and habits Of merchants, would be so ex-
penslve to them, and SO inconvenient to them
and to the Planters, and others having business
with them, that we think it will be found i'm
practicable, and the result will be as we suggest
that the counting-rooms will remain in the CITY,
that sales of tobacco will be made there as here
tofore and the merchant neglect or charge more
for attention at the Warehouses.


g. The Inspections in the city invite the buy
ers, show when and where to find the article
they want, and are attended with all the other
advantages of an open and convenient market.


On the other side. it is argued for the removal,
that two of the present Warehouses are distant
from the water, that others are in bad condition
and unfit to store Tobacco in, that the whole have
not near room enough, that we need room for
10000 hogsheads more, and that the houses may
now be sold, and without further outlay on
them, for enough to build new houses of ample
capacity, fitted up with the necessary labor-sav-
ing machinery, ire-proof, located CONTINUOUSLY
where the inspections may be under one head,
and on deep water where sea-going vessels may
Ioal.


These are forcible arguments. entitled to re-
spectful attention. The committee have duly
weighed them and all the facts on which they
rest


l. We do not find that the two Warehouses
which are not on the water are placed inconve-
niently for the Tobacco brought by railroad.-
The drayage from them to ships is the same as
from the other houses. Drayage 10 them from
the depots the same from the line, of the rail-
road, the cost for such distances being in the
handling. 1t is argued, however, that the dray-
age to the houses would be reduced if the houses
were on the line of the Philadelphia Railroad
This Is an argument for Canton only, not for
Fells Point, or other shipping points now Oh
deep water. 1t is of no great weight, however,
in the question of the removal The saving
could not exceed 49, cents per hogsiead,s : and
that only on the amount coming by railroad,
and where the deliveries are in whole car loads.
from one road to the other. In small deliveries
the saving would be less, and might be nothing.


g. If the Warehouses remain where they now
are, then undoubtedly, as alleged, considerable
expenditure on them will be necessary. No. 3
is not fit for use, and not fit to be repaired 1t
would have to be rebuilt. No 2 ought to be
raised another story. With these additions there
would be room for 10000 hogsheads which is
perhaps 5000 more than we have need for now,
or are likely to have for some years. 1t is OBJ
vous that the present sites, which cover three
and half acres of ground, are sufficient for the
necessary buildings. We have not made csti-
mates OF the expenditures required on the pre-
sent sites; nor to ascertain whether the State
could not sell out in the city, for even more than
would cost to buy and build out of the city.
The city lots of the State are valuable, while,
unquestlonably, lots Of equal or greater extent,
more remote from the centre of trade, could be
had at much less cost But the question is not
where the State would acquire property cheap
est, but how the interest of great trade may
be best promoted, and where is the proper and
convenient location


3. We have no accurate knowledge in regard
to the new machinery and mechanical contri-
vances that might be usefuy introduced into
Tobacco Warehouse. The screw has seemed
sufficient for the press the wheel and pully to
pass Tobacco from one story to another railway
tracks would not probably be useful for short
distances. We do not see that whatever me-
chanical contrivances may be useful cannot be
applied to the present Warehouses, except by
means of steam, and we do not suppose that
steam can be used economically, while it would
increase the danger Of fire and the cost of in
surance.


4. AS to fire-proof houses, they are sufficient
ly SO, with brick walls, iron shutters and slate
roofs Fire-proof in other respects would be
useless, and at an unreasonable COST Tobacco
packed in hogshcads is not very combustible;
not more so than the ordinary interior of Ware
houses.


5. 1t might be an advantage to have an In
spector-in Chief, and he could execute his Office
more conveniently and efficiently if the Tobacco
were all IN one house. On the other hand, in
stead of an efficient officer we might only get
political appointment and useless expense; and
we cannot imagine how it would be possible to
provide piers basins and wharves, affordng
sufficient water front to deliver all the Tobacco
to and from one house; shipping and entering,
as they might be, at the same time.


6. We come now to the last and chief argrl-
ment for the removal of the Warehouses, to wit:
That they may be located on deep water where
the ea-soing vessels may load If the location
of them on deep water is to be of benefit, it must
be to the shipping interest first; and yet we
found the shippers all opposed to it. The fact
is they have now at their wharves at Fels
Point and other places, all the deep water they
need, with other facilities for shipping from the
general trade Of a great commercial city, which
they. could not have from State Warehouses any
where. Their ships take not Tobacco only, but
mixed cargoes; and they have their own wharves
to collect them on, which they are frequently in
advance, according to the state Of the market.
Their ships, too, come loaded into port. They
moor at their consgnee's wharf, discharge car
go, and then load i'll with mixed cargoes of To-
bacco and Graiu, sometimes more of Ole. some
times half of each, logwood, quercitron bark,
ores, slaves, skinsy groceries, merchandise in
bales, &c. They load there i'll such order as
may store best. The Tobacco they haul down
only as they need it, not more than $50 hogs


4 1.