The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-09-07
THE s0UTaIs VASE TRADE REY0.
LUTON. u

..h'L|L rgNI.s u. E.Hr...eN."
The Atlanta Constitution Of Sunday
publishes q very remarkable exhibit OF
the vast trade revolution wrought by
the South In international commerce.
leading very greatly in export and i'm
port increases. The exhibit Is the work
of Gen. !. W. Avery and Is phenomenal
In It's showing. This great increase In
dcrful development of transportation
facilities to the Southern Atlantic and
Gull ports. which draw the export bust
ness hat formerly conferred In New
Yerk. It Is due to what General Avery
asscrts-"the natural sovereignty OF the
short hau asserting itself. 1t Is revolu-
cionizlng lines Of transportation and
massive foreign trade. 1t is a resistless
facto rof development and OF equal!za-
ton or expansion and money power. and
the only course for all is to conform to
1t and CLEAN every local benefit from Its
progress"
BY figures compiled from the official
report of the United States Government
for the year ending June. 1897, con-
trasting with the previous year, 1t is
shown that in exports the whole In
crease at all the ports was sl69, 900, 900,
or 10 per cent, while tweniy-one South
ern ports did S1G0. 900, 900, or 60 per cent,
and the other 1O5 ports Gid the rest, or
40 per cent, and as to imports, the Who'll
decrease in the imports of the country Is
shown to have been 1 1000, O9O, or nearly
z per cent. while eighteen Southern
ports did $4,000, 900 of increase, or rs per
cent. n tabulatcd statement shows that
OF the 126 United States ports, twenty
II Southern seaporss, 1866 per cent.
of the number. did 53.5i per cent. of the
whole increase; while the rest. 105 sea-
ports, S3.44 per cent. of the whole mum
Der, crlly did i0.56 per cent. of the In
crease. OF the Southern ports, Calves
ton led with SCI. 750, SOP increasc; New
Orleans, $2l, 124 cas-: Baltimore. S1a, 259.-
$50: Norfolk, 81. S2o, OILS: Newport News,
S6'923, lis. and Pensacola. s. ,24S,337. The
total export increase Of the United
States was only 1911 per cent, while the
twentE-one Southern ports. Increase was
3i."S per cent. and over the rest was
32.1Sl,T 9l. or 1851 per ceGt. 1t Is very
gratifying to note that in the export
business, the greatest percentage was
that of Norfolk. In 1856 her export
business reached So 61 .4Sl, while In the
year ending June 3d. 1897, she handled
iS'6Sl'532 an Increase OF ITO per cent.
The figures OF the official report have
had the effect OF soaring the Northcrc,
ports ana hcnce the recent conference
OIL me business men of New York, Ph!la-
aelphla and Boston, and their
effort to secure such legislation as NAV
prevent the of the country
from moving in It's natural channels.
heS cry out that this departure of
business for their ports is due to dis
elimination in freight rates in the in
iefrst or southern ports, and now they
are seeking to effect a change in the
tlihnSoll load line, which the British
board OF Trade adopted, regulating the
Quantity of freight vessels may carry
win safety, ana which requires vessel;
SAILING from New York 10 LOAD 'siy
inches lighter" thar those passing ont
'S"' >'Pcs' bul inns Scheme,
as wei as others, must fail, for the
principle OF the Short haul" will pre-
faii. ana ever the expenditure of the
N''oo0,GOo on the part OF New York for
me enlargement of her canals IN the
nope OF resalning lost trade, will not
avail.
General Avery's exhibit will have n
wonderful influence In the commercial
world. 1t presents Il showing without n
parallel in the trade history Of the coun-
''S ana The people OF the South may
well rejoice at the showing.