The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-04
RICHMOND, CITY
Of OPPORTUNITY
Gateway of South, Its Com
mercial Greatness In
creasingly Apparent
WHOLESALE. TRADE
is GROWING RAPIDLY
transportation Facilitie S
Reach All Ports of South
Giving City Great Trade
Advantages

No American city faces future
more full Of promise along every line
Of material progress. of commercial
expansion or industrial growth than
does this hustling, busting city We
call home-Richmond. The CONNER
cial gateway to territory of ever
Increasing wealth. the Southern States
Of the American Union, the center
of Thousand incidents OF historic
interests, the Mecca of the millions
who love to visit and TO View the
scenes of the sixties. Richmond holds
4 distinct. a unique position, in the
life Of the nation.
The early worthy of Colonial fame
who chose the site OF Richmond at
the head of navigation of the James,
who planted it upon its beautiful
hills. builded better than he knew or
dreamed of. Richmond stands to-
day in the very forefront of the line
OF progress. Her industrial future
IL assured. Her commercial great
ness In not yet to come. 1t Is here.
The future holds for 1t an expansion
which would stagger the statistician
Of this day.
Shipping Facilities.
Richmonds commanding CONNER
cial position is due to its magnificent
shipping facilities, which are not ex-
ceeded by any city of the American
continent. All the important railroad
systems OF the South converge here
or are controlled by systems that do
come to Richmond. They open up to
tie Richmond business house a mighty
empire from which to draw trade
an empire which, by reason OF its
own rapidly increasing importance. Is
proving and viii continue to prove u
rich field for every legitimate bust
ness activity.
In order to reach the great South
and Its trade, the principal indus
trial and commercial enterprises of
the North are coming to Richmond
by means of the establishment of
large plants or branch houses. The
next decade will see ven more rapid
progress in Richmond than ever be-
fore Tor tkis very reason--the desire
Of the business interests OF the North
70 get in closer touch with the great
trade OF Dixie.
Richmond's railway facilities are
the foundation for her great and
growing commercial importance.
\ They are making OF her the grea,
distributing point of the South. The
railway mileage owned and controlled
BY railways converging in this city
reaches the enormous total of 24,3i3,
while the mileage of other lines which
connect at short distances from Rich
mond with the lines converging here
gives the city a total availa Bile rail-
Gay mileage OF 42.5n2 miles,
such tremendous mileage opens up
to the business Of Richmond oppor-
tnnities for trade along every line
and makes the city one of CONNER
cial opportunity.
A Beneficial influence.
The fact that Richmond is located
on navigable water has beneficial
influence upon its railroad rates. In
. recently published article along this
line Mr.. f. S. Goodman. traffic man
Gger of the Richmond Chamber of
Commerce. has this TO say BY rea :
son OF It's location at the head OF
navigation OF James river. Richmond
has. from Its earliest days. possessed
ample means of communication and
4 @1nstrumentalities OF transportation in
keeping with the times During the
era antedating the extraordinary
growth OF railroad construction in
this country and for many years at
ter It's inception and during its pro-
gress. its water borne commerce
made Richmond distributing point
for q large and rich tonnage. and
there existed actual and controlling
competition. assuring this city not
/ only low water rates. but, BY reason
thereof. also low rail rates. AS the
cost of rail transportation has de-
creased, the railways have increased
their business and tonnage at every
port and along every river in this
country. In competition with water
borne commerce. to such an extent
A. to be felt acutely even in our larg-
est cities so that water competition,
while once controlling. has. in many
instances, now become only poten-
ttal. Therefore rail rates are now
controlled. not always by the exist
ence, but by the possibility. or. in
other words. the potentiaiity.t of wa
ter competition. Just as the influence
or value Of the locations of num-
Der OF other cities in this country are
IN this category. so Is Richmond. at
the hsad OF navigation OF the Jam s
river; 70 that 1t may be said that our
rail- rates. which have been SO far
reaching in contributing to our great
growth, and will continue to do so In
the future, are what they are to day
Ay virtue OF our favorable location.
Riehsaond Merchants. Active. -.
The business interests of Richmond
have not been slow to realize the fact
that they had great field In which
to exert their activities. For many
years the wholesale business houses
of tho city have been most actively
pressing their claims for a goodly
snare Of tho trade Of not only Vir-
ginia and the Carolinas. but for the
further Southern States. and now
Nichanond's jobbing business. running
into the scores OF millions each year.
touches the whole trade system OF the
south. Richmond's business men and
citizens realize that a greater sc nth
means q greater Richmond that a
more prosperous Virginia means en-
larged usefulness and greater oppor-
tunities for Richmond. Hence Rich
mond II not provincial in its aspi-
rations 1t stands for the develop.
ment CT Richmond, Virginia. ana Vt
the South. 1t IL ready to and does
Throw the weight of Its influence for
every good word and work looking
Tor the moral and material uplift of
the State, section and nation. Once
the political capital OF the Union OF
6,MaheYn Coinmonwealths. tH>hmond
hOlds Il high privilege 10 lead in
III things soc for Southern uplift,
Southern EXPANSION, and Southern
prosperity.
.Esroet Cor Facilities.
The street car people will deserve
for what they have done this
NnaR N nnlarRinR thu DonnihilttfAa of