The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-07-16
ALABAMA CAPITAL
CITY AROUSED
Business Men Aroused to the Neces.
r. sty of Action to Insure the CONNER
cial Supremacy of the City and
Meet Competition.
Montgomery Journal.

JOulhdls
With his money up and fired with
enthusiasm for the movement, Henry
F. Vandiver is fully committed to the
new Alabama river boat line which
the merchants have decided to es-
tablish, and for which stock subscrip- |
lions will be taken within the next |
few days. If a man had an acre OF |
diamonds would be not work it?" he |
asked of a newspaper man today |
"Surely then we will develop this
rich acre that is ours in the river
and its facilities for moving freight |
at a cost so much below the rates
now in force that few can be made
to understand It,"
"In proof of the faith that is in HIM
Mr. Vandiver, who is at the head OF
the great wholesale business of the
Vandiver Grovery Company, exhib-
tied some figures of a large shipment
of feed stuff from st. Louis by rail
to Mobile and the river from there
upon which his house saved in all
$1,000 in freight. This is a sample of
what has been and can be done in
other shipments of like kind, he point
ed out. He also showed how much
is saved on freight from Mobile that
is hauled right through the city to
that port over the rail line, and re-
shipped by water, the saving coming
with this excess haul of 500 miles
$50 by rail from here to Mobile, and
41O by river from Mobile to Mont
gomery.
"This is not a one man or one bust
ness venture" said Mr.. Vandiver, "but
a move in the interest Of all Mont
gomery. Even should it be a non
dividend stock, which it will not be,
I am sure, it would bear great profit
in the saving that would come to every
consumer in haulage charge. I be-
lieve in it so strongly that I am down
already for $4,000 of the stock ten
tativeIy. Montgomery must not longer
sleep on it's rights. 1t has this great
source Of business life and activity
and the business men have decided to
make use Of it. We are no longer
asleep. You may make up your mind
on that. There are all kinds Of eman-
cipation. and this is one for freedom
that must give Montgomery a new
start to the commercial glory il
should and is going to have as bus
mess city"
Mr.. Vandiyer sees in the movement
a development of all lines Of freight
movements. water and rail. eve
want it understood that we are not
Eghting the railroads, but are going
TO foster and help them. This is the
only way to make a great city ana
the rail lines are going to find no
cause for complaint that We are utli
izing the God-given advantage that
the river gives us. History has shown
that business begets business and the
rail lines will soon find that for every
tonnage development on the water
there will be increasesin car use on
their tracks"
Discussing the river, Mr. Vandiver
exclaimed: What do you think BIZ
mingham, with it's movement for
Van Hose can~I would give for this
stream at our doors, or Atlanta, where
they cry for any sort of way to get
to tide water. Don't you know they
would work this acre of diamonds to
its capacity? Sure they would and
they give us inspiration to wake up
to our own resources. 1t is illustra-
tive of what l have just said. We
must have transportation, rail certain
", and of the best, but rail and
| water if there is any way on earth to
get it. Every city realizes this
Mr.. Vandiver, with other members
of the freight bureau, is going to get
behind the city and hurry up the
wharf He notes with satisfaction that
for the general good that will come
of this service the citizens have gen
erously voted the money for wharf