The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-09-27
Bright Prospect For 1t Alone
Would Be Good Reason
For Celebration.
WOULD WONDERFULLY
Help DEVELOPMENT
Especially in Jones, Forrest, Green
and jackson Counties.-How Easily
Work Could Be Done.

If there is no other reason for
Prosperity Celebration than the
bright prospects alone for the im'
provement of Leaf River, that would
alone warrant the big iubilation Of
October /. One of the needs of this
section is transportation. 1t not only
needs more railways, but it needs
every stream made available for trans
portation and there is every reason to
believe that it is possible to get an
appropriation for the Improvement Of
Leaf River from Pascagoula to Hat
tiesburg. And there is no reason why,
when that is accomplished, the people
should not strive for the Improvement
of that stream above the city. That
! is possible and it only needs pushing
to make it sure of accomplishment.
However, just now a great amount
of energy is being spent on efforts TO
convince the government engineers
that the next congress should make
an appropriation for immediate work
and if that is done it will benefit every
city and town in South Mississippi
1t will mean the opening mp OF the
fertile river valley that has hardly
been touched. 1t will make availabl5
millions of feet of hardwood that can
not be handled economically now, anf
will be the means Of reclaiming many
thousands of acres Of lands that nov
are wet and almost useless, because
the river is choked up by thous
ands of logs which have been accuml
lated through the more than half cen
! fury of logging on this river.
, Improvement of River.
The improvement of the river woult
especially stimulate the development
of Jones, Forrest, Perry, Green AM
, jackson counties, and the benefit
. they would secure would naturally b
shared by all the surrounding coun
, ties. Perry county ought to produc
= $4,000 bales of cotton annually
Z has the soil and the climate, and al
a that is needed is the stimulus tina
, will come from the development O
the river. 1t would mean at least
dollar more per bale on every bale q
cotton raised in this section. for
would result in cheaper fertilizer an
lower rates to market, so the farme
2 would get The direct benefit, and tn
u merchants Of the section the indirec
benefit which will come from tn
greater volume of business.
It freight Rates.
Il Feiaht rates are affected by man
g causes, but il cannot be denied tina
d if the river we're improved, Hattie
burg would be placed on an equi
is footing with Jackson and Meridia
IL and that would mean that other jo
et bling houses in South Mississip
n would naturally be given the benei
IN of the lower rates, and it would effe
IS the saving Ct thousands of dollars
* Hattiesburg and Laurel and the who
Or section would come in for share
the benefits accruing from the reduc
in rates. Those who have had the chan
on to travel in Texas and the Southwe
Ist and who have been observing enou
i'm to look at the Trinity and other Tex
ky rivers. VII ch are the recipien's
ey Congressional appropriations to
Ter prove them, know that the impro
of ment of Leaf river is easy compal
ne, to the problems which the engines
,ur must solve in a country subject to
IRENE droughts like Texas. This S
ON ton has hundreds of small strea
ess fed by thousands of springs VIII
ing never GO dry so that there is alw
is water enough for practical navigat
ore if this section had the right kind
improvements made.
till It is unreasonable then to say
tur- this section has all the elements
of prosperity in Lsaf river, and
i. (Contirucd or rage lou.l