The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-04-20
BY n. E.. BLAKESLEE, JACKSON.

wealth. Is WHaI MlSSiSSlpplanS are en-
gagged in just now. The ground work
is being laid and development is COM
ing at slow but sure PAGES. Our timber
wealth is something enormous and the
daily to the circulating medium. With
the building of the Panama canal and
the diversion of ocean traffic through
our section, Mississippi has two excel
lently located deep water ports that are
bound to become of great Importance.
Pascagoula and Gulfport are, of course,
referred to. AS an evidence of what
Gulfport is doing the following is taken
from al exchange:
"The Gulfport harbor established a
new record for lumber exports during
the month of March, the shipments
amounting to 33,2S7,O0O feet board
measure, valued at $761,599. The ship
ments for the first three months of this
year amount to S9,291 900 feet, and II
| this average is maintained during the
remaining nine months the total lum-
Der exports for 1907 will be approx
mately 6 O,OOO,0O feet. Last years
record was POO, $4,000 feet, as compared
with 2O7,614,O 600 feet for the previous
wear. 1t will thus be seen that the
business of the harbor is increasing at
a rate of about thirty per cent. per an
mum. In reality, Gulfport's export busl-
ness is limited only by the capacity OF
the harbor and loading facilities. More
vessels are applying for anchorage each
week than can find room in the basin.
During the month of March thirty-four
vessels cleared from the harbor, their net
registered tonnage in the aggregate be-
ing $3.50 tons. Five of the number
carried cargoes considerably IN excess
of one million feet. The vessels clear
ing were Russian, British, German,
American. Norwegian, Dutch and Italian
and the bulk of the shipments went to
South American ports, with a goodly
number of cargoes to Havana, Colon,
Hamburg and Rotterdam. The harbor
is now filled to the limit with vessels
taking on cargoes, and the export trade
is so heavy that it has been necessary
for the Ship Island road to adopt strin-
gent rules relative to acquisitions for
cars to carry export shipments. New
rules regarding the unloading of cars
on the piers have also been adopted"
This is a very satisfactory state of af-
fairs, indeed, but how much better
would it hav, been if our own people
could have been induced to cut and mar
ket this timber than to have awaited
outsiders to come in and do it? There
are still hundreds of opportunities lying
around awaiting the coming OF some
man to take advantage of them. Mis-
s~issippians wake up. Now is the time to
get to doing something.
The proposition of the Farmers Union
to create a market for cotton bagglng
for the wrapping of cotton in the state
is gathering strength as the year grows
older, and business agent Welck Is re-
ceiving hundreds of letters pledging the
support of members to the plan. If a
bagging can be made for a reasonable
price from storm cotton, why should not
every farmer in the state use 1T? $4,000
bales of poor cotton would be thus used
and taken from the hands of specula-
tors. who use such as a menace to ham
mer the price of good cotton down to
where they want it. President Bass is
enthusiastic in support of the PROPOSE
ton. and it is likely that a successful
effort will be made this fall along the
lines indicated. Of course there are
those who will oppose it and claim it a
| sophistry, but pay no attention to such
men, keep pushing the plan and forget
them. They show very plainly that
| their interest is somewhere else and they
should be shown no consideration what
ever. The jute trust was hammer by
this plan years ago and it can be done
again if our people are in earnest.
Something was said a few days since
in these columns anent the oyster in
dustry of Mississippi, but statistics
more recently given out place the state
in the lead in this very important in
dustry. 1t has been supposed that Mary
land was ahead in this line, but not so.
| See the following for last year:
"In 1900 the oyster business of Mary
land amounted to $923,56S; Louisiana,
ST., 625; Mississippi, $31,e03.
GIN 1906, Maryland, $54s,64s; Louis
lana, $5O7,373; Mississippi, $1,34o,942."
This is a remarkable changing of the
scales in the oyster business. Seven
years ago Maryland furnished nine times
as many oysters as Louisiana and Mis-
sissippi combined, while at present Louis
lana is almost equal in production with
Maryland and Mississippi doubles either
or is equal to both. Hurrah for or Mis-
sissippi.
An immense exhibit of road building
machinery will be made at the State