Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1877 — OUR DOMESTIC TRADE. [ARTICLE]

OUR DOMESTIC TRADE.

Tlie Internal Commerce of the United States for the East Year. [From the Chicago Tribune.] In 1876 Congress directed that there shall be an annual statistical report made to Congress of information relative to the internal commerce of the country. Mr. Joseph Nimms, Jr., Chief Clerk of the Internal Commerce Division of the Treasury, has just completed liis first report under this law, from which we gather the following particulars : Estimated value of shipping engaged in foreign trade ;$ 2,000,000 Estimated value of railroads in the United States 4,600,000,000 Value of imports and exports 1,181,634,277 Estimated value of commodities moved by rail in United States 18,000,000,009 One chapter of the report embraces, so far as was practicable, a statement of freight which crossed the Mississippi river between St. Paul and St. Louis over railroads and bridges, and which passed down that river. Thirteen bridges have been constructed by railroad companies between Winona and St. Louis, at an aggregate cost of $20,183,000. The trade of Minnesota is mostly with the East. A few articles reach there from New Orleans and St. Louis, but even the sugar and molasses received from these cities is so small compared with the imports of the same goods from the East that it is difficult to estimate it. The trade with St. Louis is still mainly by the river, and is daily growing less in proportion. The direction of the trade of lowa is thus reported : The business of all north and south roads in lowa is practically east-bound business. The north and south roads carry their traffic to the main east and west trunk lines, and over them it goes to Chicago. There is practically no south-bound business. Nearly all tho traffic of the Keokuk and Des Moines railroad, striking the Mississippi river at Keokuk at the foot of the lower rapids, goes to Chicago. It is safe to calculate that 95 per cent, of the business of lowa goes to Chicago aud Milwaukee. The whole tonnage received at St. Louis “from the north” was only 413,088 tons, of which 60,993 tons were received by the Rockford, Rock Island and St. Louis railroad, 153,995 tons by the Illinois river, and 198,100 tons by the Mississippi river. Of the wheat shipped from Minnesota in 1875 only 1 per cent, went south of lowa, and 99 per cent, went east by rail. The following shows tlie tonnage crossing the Mississippi river bridges in 1875 : ( —GRAIN AND FLOUR —, PercentTotal age of tone. total. Tone. At Winona 75,000 80 00,000 At La Crosse 326,330 75 241,747 At Prairie <lu Chien 270,560 75 202,920 At Dubuque 220,000 75 165,000 At Sabula 35,833 75 26,868 At Clinton 495,000 75 371,250 At Davenport 412,728 75 309,546 At Burlington 312,295 60 195,177 At Keokuk 19,653 85 16,705 At Quincy 97,040 50 48.M20 At Hannibal 43,605 18> 3 ' 7 905 At Louisiana 36,710 29 10,645 Total tonnage passing East 2,344,354 .... 1,659,673 Of the lumber of the Mississippi and Wisconsin waters shipped south, it appears that 90 per cent, is consumed at river towns, or thence sent east or west, and only 10 per cent, reaches St. Louis. The average value of east-bound freights is SSO per ton ; of freights going to St. Louis, $8 per ton.