The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-09
LANDING IN SELMA
MIR DEwBERRY TALKS or NEW
 BOAT SERVICE.
His Company wsll want Exclusive Use os the Wharf and City Coun- ell is Considering the
 Proposal.

Selma. August s.--(Special.)-- Selma city fathers are handling the proposition of the Birmingham and Gulf Railway and Navigation Com pany's proposition concerning building big landing on the Alabama river at this city.
 Selma wants the line to make this one of its chief points. but the big transportation company wants an ex- elusive use of the wharf.
 Vice President J. NJ. Dewberry, of the Birmingham and Gulf Railway and Navigator Company. met representa- tive citizens in the assembly room of the Commercial and Industrial Asso7 ciation this morning and discussed the matter.
 Mr. Dewberry said in a short address and summing up of the situation:
 eThe time has come when waterways must be relied on for the moving of wholesale heavy freight. No one re- ccgnizes this now more fully than tho railroads. -s
 'sThe Rivers and Harbors Commis- sion. the Inland Waterways Develop
 ment Workers. and, In fact. the com mercial world, sees that this branch of transportation, especially in the South, must be developed. "The Tombigbee and Warrior rivers from Tuscaloosa to Mobile have 1000 customers. The Alabama from Mont- gomery to Mobile has many more, and 1t is the Alabama that is to be taken in hand.
 "The Birmingham and Gulf Railway and Navigation Company has a fleet of eight steamers on the Alabama and Bigbee rivers, but landing facilities at Selma are, to say the least, crude. MT. Burton, chairman of the Rivers and Hafbers Commission" Mir. Dew berry said, "has said an appropria- tion of s4.000,0 900 would be made to open the big Southern mineral district l to the Gulf.
 Our Alabama river is the Hudson of the South and an appropriation will l be made to open 1t at all tides to I navigation the year round, | With the prospect in view of q | road from Bessemer to Selma, this | town (Selma) will have to have wharf | facilities to handle increasing traffic. The opening of the river should al. l low Selma to give bills of lading to
 European ports. for the river is to be | put in perfect condition" Continuing MT. Dewberry said that l firms in Birmingham found 1t cheaper to ship heavy goods, such as paper, hardware, etc, to Mobile by the Mai- l iory line and then up country by ran. He pointed out that with the rivers in service, an enormous sum in expen. dftures on freight could be saved. sThS trouble comes in landing at a mpddy wharf he said. s7ood wharves
 and warehouses are the secret of river l transportation success
 Selma needs a good wharf and we
 want the city te co-opsrate In getting | one.
 "Tne service of our company makes | good wharfage imperative. We will l run three distinct lines: the present
 fast steamer service handling passen. l gers and freight, local ''trafnps' for
 stuff all along the line and 1.50o ton
 barges towed by tugs for ths heavy | stun, like coal lumber. etc. sone of our best boats is to bs named the City of Selma and she will be in port here in a day or two" It was at first thought at the meet. Ing. the city would be asked to con- l tribute to the construction of a biz public wharf, but when Mir. Dewberry said hIs company would want its ex. elusive use. of course the idea of n4us i nicipal help was abandoned This. foo
 killed, any thought of the new wharf
 being built at the present public land
 ing.
 Major Clay. who presided at tha
 meeting, suggested the NavieatIon
 Company looking over the water front and selecting q site for a landing eith.
 CT at the foot of city street in which
 case q nominal rent would be charged
 or from. private individual. It was decided a committee of thrae one from the citizens, one from the City Council. and one from the Com. fnerciaI interests should look Into ina Inatter and decide what is to De done.
 The Certificate Frauds.
 With the dismissal of all persons m : der surveillance connected with the State school examination frauds. here yesterday. and the alleged confession