The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-28
"DIRT DEFIES THE KING" THEN
SAPOl-l 10
IS GREATER THAN ROYALTY ITSELF.

will fall in at the time when the cars
will be in greatest demand for moving
the crops, and when the supply of roll
ing stock will be particularly low be-
cause of the failure of the railroads to
make extensive repairs during the past
year. 1t has been observed that in
crises such as that predicted it ts in
variably the lumbermen who suffer
most severely for the railroads give
their accommodations to the transpor-
tation of the relatively perish able COM
modities in the shape of agricultural
products.
The development of the lumber trade
in this part of the country is likely
to be considerably affected by an or
der just passed by the Mississippi rail-
road commission to the effect that the
railroads in this state, especially those
in the lumber area, must give to the
port at Gulfport the same concessions
on general traffic that are given to
other gulfports, especially Mobile and
New Orleans. The meaning of this is
that the roads must no longer discrim-
mate against Gulfport in the matter of
cotton shipments. Heretofore Gulfport
has been almost exclusively a lumber
shipping port. Although 1t is the only
accessible Mississippi port on the gulf,
and although this is one of the greatest
of the cotton growing states it is
remarkable fact that not bale of cot
ton has ever been shipped through
Gulfport. By a friendly agreement be-
tween the roads Gulfport has been
given some advantage in the matter of
lumber transportation, in return for
which the port has conceded to New
Orleans and Mobile the cotton bust
ness.
Now the business men have moved
against the railroads to secure a share
of the cotton business, and the state
railroad commission has ruled favora
bly, to the contention. The roads have
taken an appeal to the courts, but the
chances favor the contention of the
port, especially since the Gulf and Ship
Island railroad, the dominating factor
in the controversy, is entirely neutral
and has shown little or no interest in
| the outcome But the question arises
| whether or not the railroads which will.
| under the new dispensation, lose their
| monopoly of the cotton carriage, move
| to deprive Gulfport of its advantages
| in the lumber export business. If that
| shall be done there will come some
| thing of a readjustment of the lumber
business and Mobile and New Orleans
will profit in that direction. In any
event 1t is quite certain that the open
ing of Gulfport to a general export
and import traffic Will make that port
more attractive as a railroad terminus
and the building of other and larger
systems to Gulfport may be expected,
with the result of opening other areas
of timber land that will then be
brought into easy reach of market.
May Let Contract.
The next 10 days are expected to
bring some important and definite reve-
lations concerning the contracts for the
building of the mammoth sawmills for
the j, J, Newman Lumber company at
Hattiesburg. For some two weeks the
contractors from all parts of the coun-
try have been on the ground making
up and fling their estimates, and on
Friday E. S, Peck, the general manager
for the company here, left for Scran-
ton, Pa, the company headquarters,
carrying with him all these bids.
The directors are to hold a session
at Scranton at once, and unless all the
bids shall be found to be excessive 1t is
to be expected that the contracts will
be let 1t is understood that the COM
pany Is now anxious to have the work
of construction he'd as rapidly as