The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-06-24

m lI / : 10 1CCh
to it. The Wilmington port is not
the equal Of Norfolk, but twill serve.
II does not commend the enterprise OF
our people that almost the hlghest
rated freight rate territory IN our
state comes down to within ten miles
OF thi- magnificent port of Whining
ton. with its twenty-six foot depth OF
water harDoring ocean liners
/ believe that the North Carolina
Merchants Association and the people
of the State generally, are IN very
great earnest in this matter. May l
OFFER Won a suggestion that is thor
ouchly practical, and that II carried
out would in a very short time revol
~lutionize rate conditions IN the state
and hat would eventually mancl-
pate the whole State from It's unjust
freight rate burden?
Organize Steamboat Line.
Begin the organization of a COM
lnany to put on a line Of oats from
New York and other Northern ports
to Wilmington that viii put the Nor
folk rates into Wilmington. Get u b
scriptions for not less than five hun
dred thousand dollars Of stock, and
ask the Governor and the General AS
sembly when it meets in special SEES
sion to duplicate the amount OF stock
you subscribe, not because we are mad
with ANYBODY. or trying to blum any
body, but because we need the service
and have the with which to
get it. I have the confidence that the
State would not hesitate at this time
to join you in such an enterprise. You
have a Governor who is intensely and
ter. I believe o will find the Cen
eral Assembly responsive to any plan
Of relief that does not do violence to
legal rights and orderly procedure.
The State has spent enough in the
construction of relatively unimport&nt
local lines OF railroad in the last ten
years to have put on such q line OF
steamers. The Federal Government
has spent millions Of dollars in the
last ten years to improve facilities
for water transportation and we have
not spent a dollar to avail ourselves
Of them. Such an enterprise would
put Wilmington on an even rate basis
with Norfolk, but do not think for a
minute that its benefits would be con-
fined to Wilmington, for it would pro-
tect largely reduced rates to the lar
ger part Of the State. and its bencdts
could be to a c~onsiderab e extent
. l~eQualized by making a less rate to the
, port if for reshipment interior than
the rate to Wilmington proper. just
as the boat lines to Norfolk now make
la rate Of 80 cents TO Norfolk and
90 cents to Norfolk if for re-shiplnent
beyond. We a use these boat lines
to get freight into the State from
around behind thish ign a of inter
, state rates, and then if we cannot dis
!, tribute them within the State, Wh3re
!, the State does not nave the rate-n.ak-
: ing power, in competition with out
: siders. we viii ave only ourselves
: to blame, A subsidiary line Of river
steamers could reflect rates but slight
ly higher thar the Norfolk rates q
+ hundred miles further inland to Fay
etteyille. We would quit building up
= Norfolk and would begin In real earn
9 est the development OF trafdc to and
from our own ports that YOU'D speed
e tho day when view i'll have trunk lines
Of road from the North n West with
weight" OF tonnage that would justify
{ the application Of the long and short
e haul principle to intermediate points
e on their direct lines. and would event
ually put something neal the Virginia
q cities rates on our main lines through
0 out the length and breadth Of thu
State.
= Atlanta. practically as far inland a.
a Asheyille. gets a concession in raj
rates from New York, through NORTH
Carolina. as q reflection OF water rates
% to Savannah, in connection with In
a translate rates made by the Railroad
Commission of Georgia. whfle almos
) the highest rated freight territory II
our State runs down to within Tel
miles Of Wilmington.
ROItlSu w Wy u
BID a more important considerable
wiGh US should be that we ere bottle'
Re up on account Of our own Inactivity
le our own failure to take advantage 0
= the conditions which nature has giVe'
~ sand we are bottled UP on genera
= freight service almost as
as If Hobson had sunk a Merr1ma
ID in the channel Of the Cape Fear.
- The Government Inland.
IA By the time this plan could be got
81 ten we'll under way the governmen
'i;r will have completed a free inian
IA waterway with q minimum depth G
twelve feet to Norfolk. Had it oe
CURED to you that this will open u
II, the most ideal transportation faciiitie
I'd la protected inland route-to boat
be with capacity Of a hundred car load
tie Of freight, from Elizabeth City, Elder
ton, Plymouth, Washington. Ne
Bern, MOrehead, Beaufort, and othe
prosperous North Carolina cities,
the great commercial metropolis