The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-08
Commercial Congress Is Opened. MR. DAVE PRESENTS
 SECRETARY STRAUS Gen. Wright, Dr. Wyman and MT. Wallace Speak.
 - Great Gathering In washinston Hears of the Wonderful Development and Fature Plans for This
 Section.

Washington. Dec. 7s--What may prove an epoch In the commercial de- velopment of the south was the open- ing today of the Southern Commercial Congress. an assemblage of leaders in the nations business affairs whose mission is to discuss the resources and industrial possibilities of the south.
 The congress fs one of several bodies, national in their scope and purpose that assemble here this week. group of days in which more thorough study will be devoted to the problem of conservation than ever be- fore was attempted in the country's
 Todays program furnished a series of notaAle addresses, the various themes hanging upon an interpolation of the resources of the southern states
 Among the speakers today were: Secretary Straus, of the department of commerce and labor, chairman of the meeting Surgeon General Walter Wy man, of the public health and marine hospital service; Secretary of War Luke D. Wright, Phillip Werlich. pres ident of the new Orleans Progressive Union; c. P. Goodyear, of Brunswick, Ga. John A. Fox. of Arkansas and John F. Wallace. of New York.
 Aside from the addresses a feature nt interest was an exhibit of maps, charts. diagrams and pictures display ed in hal adjoining the Willard audi tarium. Other important exhibits were furnished by the geological sur vey. department of agriculture. forest. ry service, ect. The exhibits deal with such subjects as density of populations waterways. cotton production. geoiogi- cal resources, mineral wealth. growth of public education. increase in rural delivery commercial status of the gulf states and other pertinent data affecting the south's development
 Called To Order by DayTe.
 C. Grosvenor Dave chairman of the committee on arrangements called the convention to order, after which he introducted Secretary Straus. of the department of cornmeree and labor.
 Mr. Dave emphasized the fact that the object Of the conference was not sectional. but it's purpose was to bring the north and the south together ip the gifts of the south to make both the north and south realize that the development of the south means the strengthening of the nation,
 Secretary Straus referred to the wonderful strides made by the south In commerce during the last forty years He called attention to the fact that the south economically and com mercially has come out from its sec- tionalism and that it now is an irn- portant and growing part of the whole nation.
 q am one of those who believe" said Mir. Straus 'that the time is near at hand when even politically 1t will be misnomer to speak of the solid south"
 applause
 south in 1870 amounted to s1.65000- OO0. said Mir. Straus. while in 1895 it had grown to the enormous extent or Si, ,1s0. .000, 900. In the last i've years the increase in the manufacturing pro- ducts of other parts or the country amounted to 2s per cent, whereas dur ing the same peariod this production or the ten southern states has increaseo just double, or 56 per cent.
 Mr. Straus spoke of the necessity of fast steamers plying between tnls which, he said. the south probably would he more benefited than any other section of the country.
 The morning session was concluded with addresses by Surgeon General Wyman of the public health and ma rine service ana SecretarS "A war Luke Wright.
 Secretaxy wright speaks.
 Secretary Wright carefully analysed the trade situation in this country and throughout the world in relation to the Panama Canal and declared that 1t
  offect of the Isthmian waterways up- on the commerce of various industrial nations. The canal. he said. is built for the world although the labor and expense of It's construction fall upon the United States
 "Though we shorten the distance that separates us from the markets we desire to reach" said Mir. Wright, eye give similar if not equal advan- tare to our competitors Though we add to our own Industries we encour- age the industries of others, and though we increase our own transpor- tatjon facilities we afford opportunity for the same or greater increase else- where. All of this, truly, is for the proRress of the world and for the ben efit of mankind; yet 1t is doubtful if these altrulstic purposes would be suf- Aeient fin themselves, or that the ca nal would now be building if we could not reasonably. expect to profit com mercially more than the others we help.
 The price of transportation, Mir. Wright said, often means more than the cost of production to competitors for trade. For this reason the first advantage lies with the producer near est the point of need. In order to shorten the distance to foreign mar kets the United States is now devoting, he said the best of its talents and mill lions of dollars in removing the few miles of rock across the Isthmus. that separates the two great oceans and bars US from the competition for the trade of the Pacific.
 Trade to the South,
 Mr. Wright referred to the probable effect of the canal in shortening dis tances for European nations as we'll as the United States.
 Speaking of the trade of western South America he said: 'In the past Great Britain and Germany have al- most wholly supplied this need. The United States supplies less than 10 per cent of the imports to the west coast of South America. The completion of the canal should in the future give to the United States the same dominance in this region that 1t exercised in c0un- tT;ss similarly situated. Canada draws