The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-11-09

From the viewpoint of its citizens
Pensacola IS to become the first port
and the greatest industrial city on the
gulf coast.
These are the reasons:
The producing states, including the
Appalachian coal. IRON and hardwood
region the Great Lakes territory, the
Mississippi Valley, and the Gulf
Coastal Plains, are nearer the Panama
canal via the gulf than by any other
ports.
The short haul is the economy of
freight.
The Panama canal is the gateway
to South America and Asia-the nat
uraI foreign trade territories of the
United States-and to the Pacific
states for coastwise trade.
As proof that the central states are
the producing states, So per cent OF
the manufacturers' raw materials are
produced in the Mississippi Valley.
They are the farming states; so pei
cent of the raw materials used IN
manufa curing comes from the farms
1t is true that of the 268.000 manufac-
lures in the United States, that only
10000 are in the central United States
where q majority of the consumers
and raw materials are found. 1t is
also true that 500 million dollars an
nuaIly is unnecessarily expended in
the United States for the distribution
Of raw material and manufactured ar
ticies. With other things, the lower
tarin will aid in compelling the saw
ing OF this annual waste of Sc per
capita tax on the entire population by
the economic location of the factories.
which means that they will be located
50 that the manufacturing center will
be approximately coincident with the
center of population, which is also in
the Mississippi Valley.
The Short Haul.
That the short haul is the economy
of freight needs no demonstration. A
glance at the map shows that the
commerce moving to and from the
Mississippi Valley by the gulf ports
follows the direction of the trade, the
line. Of least resistance and the shortest |
course.
The cost of carrying freight by wa
ter is less than by rail and the water |
courses of the country emphasize the /
economy Of the gulf route, because. OF |
the $4,000 miles of navigabIe rivers in /
the United States. $4,000 miles flow
TO the gulf.
That the Panama canal is the gate |
way to South America is self evident |
er trade in South American and Asia |
than the United States does not make
those countries any less our natural |
trade territories. Their proximity, the |
rule OF distance, and the economy of
transportation viii eventually give the |
United States the first place in THEN
foreign trade.
The most economic route for bulky
western commerce seeking the Missis- |
sippi Valley and. in return, coal and |
Mississippi Valley products, is via the |
gulf ports.
Change to Gulf Ports.
If these things are admitted, then |
the commerce of the Mississippi VAL |
Icy will largely leave and enter the |
United States by the gulf seaports,
which will necessitate changing and /
extending the trade lines to that ex- |
tent. There viii be enough of this /
business to greatly develop all of the /
gulf ports.
With the completion. Of the inter. I
coastal canal near the coasts OF. Texas. I
Louisiana. mississippi Alabama and |
Florida, the gulf ports will be joined I
in a continuous port facility, a single I
great harbor embracing the gulf coast, /
not surpassed in magnitude and pos
sibifity elsewhere in the world The /
exports and imports are, and will be, |
collected and received at certain To- /
calities along this extended port ac- /
cessible to deep sea craft--the deep /
water ports. The ports do, and will, i
VARY in Importance in accordance with |
the amount of commerce they handle |
Comparisons Show.
The comparisons which follow are /
not for the purpose of disparagins I
any port. / repeat. there will be /
enough for all. and new ports will be
required. but II is made to show the
facts as they exist.
The relative rank of the important
gulf ports today, is in the following
order: Galveston. New Orleans, Mo-
bile. and Pensacola. But these posi-. +
lions were obtained before the con-
struction OF the Panama canal, and 1
before the existence of the reasons
FOR tchanging the trade lines.
Then, in view OF the new conditions.
ne viii endeavor to show which of /
the gulf ports should be of the
greatest Importance and arrive at
/