The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-22
NEW ORLEANS AND
 THE PANAMA CANAL Business Men of Louisiana Seek Increased
 Business.
GOVERNMENT ASSISTS.
Western States to Be Ad- vised of the Great
 Opportunity.
(LouisvilIe Courier Journal

nave made most satisfactory progress In their efforts to secure for that port such transportation facilities as will insure fair share of the business of supplying labor and material for the construction of the Panama canal. Previous to the reorganization of the Canal Commission when all business relating to the canal was transacted in Washington and all shipments were made from New York, much com plaint was made by New Orleans against the discrimination shown in favor of New York. Effort was made from time to time to induce the corn- mission to assign to the former city some of the Government vessels en- gagged in the transportation of men and material from New York to Colon, So
 that the Mississippi Valley might se- cure fair share of the canal business.
 All such efforts in that direction proved fruitless. But when the com
 mission was reorganized and it's head quarters were changed to the isthmus, a large delegation of the business men of New Orleans, with most com mendable energy, went to Panama for persoAal inspection of the situation and had conference with the members of the commission with the most sat
 isfactory result. They there learned all the details of the business and the steps necessary to be taken for a fair competition In the furnishing of sup plies for the canal. They were not
 only received most corteously by the commission, but in every way encour-
 aged in the object of their visit, with the assurance of cordial cooperation in their undertaking. It was explain
 ed satisfactorily to the visitors that
 the Government steamers could not be diverted from New York, and on their return to New Orleans the delegation set about energetically to arrange for the necessary transport service by
 utilizing the vessels of the United Fruit Company, engaged in bringing tropical fruits from Central American and isthmian States to New Orleans. The pride of the city was stirred at the ap-
 parent lack of local commercial facili- ties for such business, and abandoning all further idea of relying upon Gov ernment aid in the matter of trans portation, they set to work energeti- Ically to supply the deficiency from their own local resources
 In thls they have succeeded beyond their expectations. At first it was feared that the rate for freight and the transportation of laborers would mili- tate against New Orleans as d compet- ing point, but 1t is now announced that terms as to both have been satisfac- torily arranged. Tn arriving at suc- assisted by Commissioner Jackson Smith, who is In charge of the depart ment of contracts for supplies and labor for the canal, and who came to New Orleans to assist in making satis- factory arrangements for their trans portation. Through his aid the fruit company have reduced their rates to such figure as will make the steam ship service from New Orleans far su- perior to that from New York, so that large numbers of canl employees as well as freight can hereafter be sent to the isthmus more cheaply than from
 New York, and many of the former who now return from the canal to this country by way of New York win hereafter come by way of New Or leans.
 This, however, is but a small part of the benefit which will result from the energetic steps taken by New Or
 leans The transportation arrange ments with the fruit company not only goes into immediate effect, but the
 capacity of the fleet will soon be in- creased by three magnificent ships now under construction for the isth- milan trade, while two other modern vessels of 5000 tons each are building for the Guatemala route. So that, apart from the success attending the specific object of the enterprising citi~
 gems, there is reasonable assurance of the inauguration of a new era of commercial prosperity for the city by the increase of it's ocean trahsporta-
 tion and the expansion of it's foreign trade
 All this New Orleans fairly deserves
 for it's enlightened enterprise and it's prompt and successful solution of a problem which has heretofore seemed
 to- forebode only disappointment and injury to its commercial progress. But
 by the masterly stroke through which
 she secured assurances of so much