The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14
WEALTH INCREASES FAST
Plantation Owners Lift Mortgages and Free Land of Debt-Natural Re- sources-What Panama Canal
 Will Do for Southern States.

WohuSiAul progress Hldue lHIouSuoul llle country in agriculture during the last 10 or F years the south has richly shared"
 An immense lot of mortgage indebted ness, he adds has bean lifted from southern plantations, and he sees no reason why the old condition should ever return" The south, says Secretary Will son. has future solidly based on an im- proving agriculture, and the natural ad- vantages of this section for a profitable agriculture are becoming better appre- cated every day. Immigration is certain to increase as its advantages become bet ter understood, and more and more will capital seek investment in the south as it's advantages are made known to the world
 Pointing to the inquiries that come to the department from people of other sec tions desiring to know where to buy land, Secretary Wilson says:
 T remind them that the cheapest lands are now in the south and that these lands. as a general thing need nothing but skllful handling to pay well"
 Minerals In the South.
 Dr. David T. Day of the United States geological survey, an expert of worldwide influence, in a comprehensive discussion of the great wealth of the south in oil, natural gas, sulphur, salt and other min erals, discusses the natural outcome of these conditio ons in the inevitable de- velopment on a large scale of great chem ical industries, especially in southern Louisiana.
 Tt is not too much" he says, "to say that there is no known locality in the world where the natural resources are so combined as to make possible the pro- duction of suiphuric acid, soda, caustic soda, and similar products at a lower cost than any other place on earth. Ten times the labor could be profitably en- ployed the property of the regions men tioned could be greatly developed, and the wealth of all southern Louisiana placed in a position comparable with the great chemical centers of Europe and be- yond any other place which could be mentioned in the United States.
 "The development of such industrial enterprises in the near future is a foregone conclusion" He suggests that in considering the development of chemical industries too much emphasis cannot be laid upon heir importance if agriculture is to be placed on per manent basis independent of the rich ness of the soil. For supply of pot ash a chemical which should find it's development in the south, Dr. Day says we must look to the feldspars of the Appalachian mountain regions Profess sor Cushman of the United States de- partment of agriculture, in his recent wonderful work, has shown how these can be applied as a fertilizer.
 Should Use Coke Products.
 "A suitable suplpy of nitrogen should" he says. come first from the complete utilization of all the ammonia from the manufacture of coke, but that still more effective will be the utiliza- ton of what is now wasted waterpower for the development of cheap electricity to utilize the nitrogen of the atmos- phere to the inestimable benefit of the southern states" On the development of these great chemical and fertilizer potentialities he says: "We cannot only prevent soils from becoming barren, but exhausted soils can be brought again into full fertility and the old way of allowing the lands to lie fallow can be easily avoided, and any crop can be made successful any year"
 The meaning of the Panama canal to the south Is discussed by John Barrett. director of the International Bureau of American Republics, formerly minister to Siam and Argentina.
 "The south," says MT. Barrett, has become one of the great factors in the growing strength of the nation, and the natural resources there have only begun to be appreciated" Briefly re- viewing the foundation of southern de- velopment, he then discusses the ter ritorial extent the population and the resources of the countries of Central and South America which will be opened up to commerce with the south through the construction of the Panama canal and presses upon south hern busi- ness men the importance of cultivating the growing trade south of them.
 Influence of Railroads.
 The influence of railroads in the up- building of the south is discussed by MT w. J. Meany of New York in an elaborate statistical presentation cover ing the last 20 years, in which he takes the ground that ito keep up with tn e march of progress the south should build in the next 10 years at least 40,- 900 miles of new line and increase her auxiliary trackage until its length is one third as great as that of her main track"
 Including the building of new lines and the betterment of existing trade, he says: "rhese necessary additions and improve ments will cost not less than $2,500 GOO, GOO, which must come from without the south. To secure such an amount of capital upon any terms competition must be entered into with all the lines of human industry and endeavor throughout the world.'
 What the south may accomplish, richly endowed by nature with wealth-producing g capabilities, through the construction of railroads, he illustrates by a comparison of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa with the southern states The four states mentioned have p miles of railroad for every 100 square miles of territory Their combined wealth is $26 5C0, ,CG0,000, equal to S1570 per capita The south, with the nearly six times the area and a population 100000 more than the four states mentioned, has total wealth of $l5, 800 100000, or $570 per capita.
 with the same ratio of mileage and population to territory and wealth of pop ulation,' says MT. Meany, "as obtains in the states named. the south would have more than 99,000,000 persons whose wants would be served by 192000 miles of railroad, and whose combined wealth would amount to $155. 430, 0O0,0O0 These fig- ures are stupendous, but the construction of railroads has wrought greater won- ders than would be then realized in a place as favored by nature as the south !"
 Resources of Oklahoma.
 Oklahoma as a center of vast oil and gas operations has been attracting the worlds attention for several years and in discussing this subject MT. Charles