Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-12-14
WILL SOUTHERN
PORTS BE READY?
Completion Of Panama Canal Means Much
10 This Section If Our Ports Are Equip
ped For Handling the Immense Traffic


A special report sent out from the
Pacific coast recently says that in
making ready for the opening of the
Panama canal in 1915, work is going
on in every harbor there from San Di-
ego to Prince Rupert. Each and every
one is busy dredging, building break
waters, replacing old wood with steel
and concrete, extending docksge facili-
ties, lessening pilotage and stevedoring
charges; and that the large shipping in
terests are sending commercial agents
throughout the East and Europe seek
ing to stimulate demand for the pro-
ducts of the Pacific coast. Another
report says that practically all the
big steamship lines in the world have
had representatives on the Pacific
coast during the past summer, planning
to catch share of the new Panama
traffic. In one coast city non-profit
sharing stevedoring company has been
organized by the chamber of commerce.
and everywhere great expenditures of
energy and money are being made to
popularize the ports with the steamship
lines.
Another move is also being made in
behalf of the Pacific ports which, if sue
cessful. will defeat the plans now under
way to move to Charleston, Whining
ton or Savannah the ten billion tons of
coal which the Stonega, Clinchfield and
other mining companies in Southwest
Virginia could send to those ports in the
years to come. 1t is nothing less than a
deep and widely ramified movement to
have the United States Government op-
crate the Alaska coalfields and furnish
steamer fuel to vessels from coaling
station at the Pacific entrance of the
canal. Should this plan result, as is
hoped for by the Alaskan interests and
those of the West, as there is evidence
to show, it is safe to declare that not a
ton of export or fuel coal will go from
this section into either of the Carolina
or Georgia ports. Moreover, 1t would
take away large part of such business
now going to Norfolk and Newport
News, certainly that of fueling Govern
ment vessels.
There is one other matter which, con-
sidered from the standpoint of its i'm
portance, is fairly clamoring for atten-
d tion, namely: the repeal of our obsolete
navigation laws. Not a ship subsidy,
mark you, but simply a repeal by Con-
gress of that law which prohibits for
eign-built ships from registering under
the American flag. That the casual
reader may understand the harm of this
law, let it be explained. By reason of
our laws it costs more to build ships in
the United States than in foreign ship
building yards, and for this reason all
but about eight per cent of our mari
time shipping is carried by foreign
steamship companies. If the law is re-
pealed Americans can, by having their
vessels built abroad, go into the coast
wise and foreign shipping trade. But
how is it, you ask, that the foreign
owned and operated steamship lines can
now carry on our coastwise trade for
us? The answer is that they do it by
the simple expedient of making ours
only ports of call. To give an illustra-
ton: A British steamer, with a light
cargo of English goods for Havana, can
take on few thousand tons of coal the
Government is sending to Panama. and
after delivering these at the places
named, it puts into Mobile for lumber
or into Savannah for cotton, and then
on to Norfolk for enough coal to steam
1T across the Atlantic. 1t cannot re-
main permanently in our coastwise
trade, nor could any vessel owned by
Americans but built abroad and employ-
ing foreign seamen.
The South, particularly, has never
favored ship subsidies. Indeed. there is
no demand for ship subsidies anywhere.
except from the steel interests. But
the South as well as the Pacific coast is
/ going to feel the pressing need of more
: Avessels when the Panama canal is open:
and, above all considerations, the South
Atlantic ports have reasons to combat
the undemocratic, paternalistic plans
now on foot to put the Government in
the coal business.