Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-04
BIC INCREASE SHOWN
Growth in Exports From the
Gulf Ports.
IN DECADE 112 PER CENT
Disuse of the Mississippi as a Chan
mel Of Commerce.
DEMAND FOR NoN-DR1NKERs
Principal Railway Companies En-
forcing Prohibition Rule-Train-
ing Boys in the Shops.
BY WILLIAM +. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Apropos of President Taft's exploration
of the Mississippi river. it is interesting
to read recent bulletin from the bureau
of statistics giving a comparative analy-
sis of the commerce of the gulf ports of
the United States for the fiscal years 1899
and 1909. 1t shows that the exports Of
merchandise through the gulf ports in
creased from $194,OO0.O00 70 sI1OOOO,GO in
ten years, which is 112 per cent. while
the increase i'm the Atlantic ports was
but l. per cent in that same period. The
principal articles in which the increase
occurred are cotton, meats. lard and its
compounds. flour, tobacco, mineral oil.
pilates. corn. rice, rosin, turpentine, etc.
Nearly all of the exports went to Eu-
rope. but there was slight improve
ment In trade with Cuba, Panama and
the Argentine Republic.
1t would be more interesting if larger
amount of this merchandise had come
down to the sea by water instead of by
rail. but, unfortunately the people of
the central states have forgotten to ship
their freight by the Mississippi and the
other rivers, and the traffic has practi-
cally died out except In the case of a
few towns and plantations on the river
bank which have no railroad connections.
There is every facility for carrying
freight on those rivers except boats. The
big fleets that used to ply UP and down,
carrying produce to the gulf and bringing
back merchandise have disappeared AS
the old boats became trustworthy they
have been abandoned and their owners
have neglected to build new ones to take
their place. On the other hand, every
railroad following longitudinal lines has
increased its capacity to an enormous de-
gree with great profit, and their facilities
have been so much cheaper, quicker and
more economical that nobody will ship by
boat when he can reach a car.
Therefore, the growth in exports through
the gulf ports is the result of railway de-
velOpment and is not due in any meas
ure to the enormous expenditure of the
federal government in digging and main
tanning channels in the Mississippi and
other rivers.
Exports From Gulf Ports.
Galveston breaks the record and shows
an increase of exports from S7S,JO,0D0 in
1889 to S1s9.jOO,OOO i'm 1909, to which
should be added the sum of S17.50O,CtG,
representing the exports from the new
customs district of Sabine. which belonged
to Galveston until a few years ago. This
would make the total exports from the
latter port s207 10000.
The largest item of export in 1909 is
cotton-S 16s, JO).OJO. as against S37.J1OOOO
ten years ago: the next is cottonseed oil
cake, which jumped from S4.JU,OOO to
$S.2JO.UCO in 1909: wheat flour, which
jumped from half a million dollars to two
millions in 1909. and lard. from $4,000 to
S2.0OO.OOO. The exports of corn from Gal
weston in 1899 We're $3.5OOOOO, while In
1909 they were S1.JOO.COO. although the
cora exports from the country at large fell
from S1Ii,0T,OOO to $s6.OOo.0OO during that
period.
The exports from New Orleans increas-
ed from $50. 10000 in 1899 to S14J. 00G, Oh
in 1909, and cotton. cottonSeed oil and
cake were the principal items. The ex-
ports in lumber increased from one 10
five million dollars. and lard from $50.
ono to s2,JGOCoO; hut there was very lit
tie advance i'm other agricultural prod
uctS Corn and wheat show a falling off.
The exports from Mobile increased from
nearly nine millions to twenty seven mil
lion dollars, very largely cotton and lum-
Der.
Pearl River, Miss. which is a new lum-
Der port. contributed seven and half
millions to the exports OF 1900. and most
of il went to South America.
ST. Marks, Fla. is another new port
for the shipment of phosphates, and they
were also the prime pal exports from
Tampa, whose total Increased from less
than a million to more than S4.G0O,OUO
during the ten years.
Pensacola shows an increase of two
millions in cotton and nearly one million
Zach In rosin and turpentine. The eX-
ports from Key West were almost entire
ly 10 Cuba and show a falling off.
90 not suppose that President Taft, or
Congress, or any other power or author
ity can persuade people to utilize the
waterways that have been created for
their benefit. and shippers will continue
to use the railroads as long as they find
il to their advantage to do so. Those who
are most familiar with the river traffic
say that il can never be restored until
better boats are built. better docks and
facilities for taking on and discharging
cargoes are provided and insurance rates
are reduced: but ] suppose those things
will have To adjust themselves.