The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-10-22

can deliver the coal from BirminS.
ham to New Orleans for IS cents per
ton. Assuming the cost from Mobile
to New Orleans would be no greater
than coming to Pensacola, We have
rs cents per ton as the cost Of hand.
ling. All coal coming to Pensacola
on barges would necessarily have to
be unloaded. I am informed the cost
o. this. in New Orleans, 10 IS cents
per ton. That seems to me to DO ex'
cessively high and must be due to
local labor conditions and not to the
bare cost Of handling. II We cake tina
as a basis. although the charge seem
large. we would have basis OF calcu.
lation. The amount OF coal, as
have stated, is over 10000 tons. and
CT this 10000 tons is used for bunke
coal. On the basis upon which W.
have been figuring the coal transport
! ed to September l. eight months
would be 10000 tons, and the saviI
on this. at the rate of 40 cents pc
! ton, would make $4,000. OF course
| the government is not in the bushes
of building canals for specultive pu'
poses but it may be well, as a bust
ness proposition, to call attention t
the fact that the saving to the cit
zens would be 10 per cent upon the
total cost of the construction of tt
seven-foot project recommended by III
special board of engineers. If we est;
| mate on the basis OF the figures c
the Lake Borgne Canal Co., 25 cent
instead Of so cents that ] have take,
as basis, there would be-. a saving G
| $4,000 per annum, or the equivalen
of 20 per cent of the cost of cOnstru;
| ton.
STEEL RAILS EXPORTED.
Another large item in existin
conditions is that of steel rails. Thel
have been large expectations of stee
rails through this port, the total fo
the fiscal year ending June 30 bein
$3.50 short tons. The L. & n. rat
on these rails from Birmingham t
Pensacola is $500 per ton. The Al.
bama Consolidated Coal and Iron CO
estimates that by the Warrior rive
and the inland waterway the transpo
tation cost would be Is cents per tor
saving of $2.45 per ton. This is nc
question Of benefit to the people
Pensacola alone, but of benefit to tt
people of Birmingham and the COZ
| tiguous territory. This would mea-
benefit to at least halt million pee
pie outside Of Pensacola and the te'
ilLO1v lluiICuldlCly 4<o
will leave you to answer the que
ton that has worried political ecor
omists-whether the lessening
freight rates is for the benefit of tt
producer or for the benefit of tt
| consumer.
THE United States government
the parent of Birmingham, which
also true of Pensacola; it is also tru'
necessarily, Of all the cities and town
that will be benefited, directly or il
directly, by this project. Taking tt
$50 tons, the saving to commerc
from the freight alone, at 1854 D.
ton. amounts to $15O,74S.5O TIL;
would be more than one-third Of tt
total cost Of the smaller project tn:
has been recommended by the speci
board. 1t would be saving in OF
year of one-1fth of the total cost {
the larger project-and that saving
saving to Pensacola, to Montgomer
ITO Birmingham and the territo
round about those cities.
| There is another large item u
statistics for which, regret to sa,
are not in my possession and 1 sha
have to reason by analogy. The.
have been shipped from Pensacol
during the last fiscal year over 1890
bales Of cotton. Practically all Of TIL
comes over the rails of the L. & .