The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-04-24
PHILADELPHIA, COMING PORT
With Opening of Panama Canal
Pennsylvania VIII BE Greatly
Benefited-Freight Rates viii
BE Lower.
Philadelphia, Pa. April 90.

Philadelphia, Pa, April ~.
/ Probably at no period in the his
tory of Pennsylvania has there been
such a widespread interest through
out the State in the Port of Philadel-
phia as is now resulting from a gen
eral recognition of the fact, by farm
ers, manufacturers and the general
public alike, that it is through this
channel, if at all, that the big indus
tries and the " little man are to
profit by the opening of the Panama
Canal. And while Pennsylvania has
not been so quick to recognize her
opportunities as have some other
States, the movement under headway
to extensively develop port facilities
at Philadelphia indicates that heed is
now being given to what is admitted
to be absolutely necessary if there is
to be any considerable commercial
expansion in this State.
The fact that such important prep
arations are being made by other
ports, on both the Atlantic and Pa
citic coasts, for new trade via Pan
ANA, is pointed to by commercial ex-
perts as proof that the effect of the
new ocean transportation route will
/ be immediate. 1t is a logical conclu-
sion, therefore, that with Pacific
ports like Seattle spending millions
preparing to export to Eastern States
| thousands of tons annually of pro-
/ ducts heretofore excluded from
Eastern markets by excessive trans
continental freight rates, the Port of
/ Philadelphia must be prepared to re-
ceive that commerce, and to have the
States own export products to re-
turn, or Pennsylvania will lose, and
the trade will go to other Atlantic
seaboard ports.
This is an aspect of the problem
having to do only with advantages
resulting from the Panama Canal,
and is entirely aside from the
equally important consideration of
natural increase in foreign com
merce, which is advancing yearly.
Other Atlantic coast ports are
spending millions to be in a position
| to bid successfully for a large part
of this intercoastal and South Amer
/ lean commerce, the principal consid-
Grafton being that the opening of the
Panama Canal, shortening old routes
by thousands of miles and reducing
transportation costs hundreds of dol
/ lars per shipment, will create and
maintain entirely new markets.
/ The truth of this is demonstrated
/ in the data of experts who have in
vestigated the subject. A compari-
son of present and future transpor-
tation costs on just few of the i'm
portant products of Eastern and
Western States, for which commodi-
ties there are increasing demands
and undiminishing supply, is a con-
vincing illustration.
nm bpr for instance nrninaa6 N
vast quantities in many of the West
/ ern States, has virtually been eX-
cluded from Eastern markets be-
/ cause of the high cost of railroad
shipment. But even with these eX-
; eessire transcontinental freight
/ rates as an obstacle, Western lum ber
| has been a powerful competitor in
( the market as far eastward as the
I transportation rates have been less
! than $15.
/ 1t now costs from S4OO to $425
| to ship a carload of lumber from
| the Pacific coast to New York, Bos-
| ton, Philadelphia and their nearby
terminal points. BY the Panama
| Canal route the rate will be So a
| ton, or $3.50 for a carload lot. In
/ other words, the present railroad
| freight rates on that commodity
are just two-and-a-half times what
| the water transportation costs will
! be, via Panama.
On the other hand, it has been
pointed out that proportionate
economy in the shipment of coal via
the Canal route, and the consider
! ably increased industry of the West
will almost coincidentally create a
new market for anthracite coal
more than 100000 tons of which
is now produced in Pennsylvania
each year, and more than 95 per
/ cent. of which comes from Luzerne
/ Lackawanna, Schuylkill, Northum-
/ berland and Carbon counties.
] In these two products alone there
is a predicted interchange of domes-
tic commerce never possible before
and at the same time equally i'm
portant markets for the products OF
the Atlantic States will be opened
in South America.
In the shipment of Western and
tropical fruit the superior cold stor-
age facilities on vessels will be an
additional inducement to transfer
those products from all carriers to
waterway commerce, and will ma
terially increase the import traffic
or Atlantic ports. There will be
similar exchange of many other
products, and in the newly develop.
ing situation Pennsylvania, one OF
the foremost manufacturing and
producing centres in the United
States, has more at stake than any
other State on or near the Atlantic
seaboard, and is equally dependent
upon port of her own to keep heI
place in continually increasing do,
mestic and international commerce
1t is because of this that every eff
fort is now being directed toward
carrying out the projected improve
ments at the Port of Philadelphia.
Culm Pile Buries Men Alive.
Especial to The Citizen.)