The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-13
Will Ask Legislature to Cede Her Made" Lands in
 Mobile Bay
S5O,OOO, ,OOO WORTH OF
 BUSINESS LAST YEAR
Plans Under Way to Erect Docks and Warehouses on New Ground-15OO Feet of Harbor Front Land
 Owned by the City
By RICE GATHER


 Mobile, September 12.-(Special) Mobile is planning municipal docks system to meet the demands of q com
 merce that, just prior to the open ing of the European war had grown beyond the facilities of the port to handle. The first step in her cam pafgn will be to ask the legislature of 1915 to cede to her all of those made lands thrown up in Mobile bay by the deepening and strengthening of a 27- foot channel
 Big Increase Shown
 At the close of the fiscal year on
 June 30 Collector of Port Percy W Nfaer announced to Alabama that the states seaport had handled in 12 months s50.000.000 worth of business, exclusive of business that was coast wise. That was clear gain of s2o- 100000 over the preceding year
 Simultaneously with this announce ment came the statement from H. Farquarson Kerr. president of the See berg Steamship company. that ware house room in this port was insuffi- cent for the handling of his cargoes
 His ships were going elsewhere to get business because Mobile had outgrown her swaddling clothes.
 One hundred business men of Mobile got busy. In body they called upon the city commission one day at the city hall and said; '1f we are to conn., pete for the business that the Panama canal will bring to our very doors We
 must be properly equipped. We have not one inch of space in which to ex-
 pand." There was only one man in the hundred who said no.
 Mayor Pat J. Lyons told the 100 the c;ty's plan. It was to acquire at
 cost of nothing these made" lands. At once, he said, the city could spare s500- coo as nucleus for the vast sum that will eventually be invested. And upon the new ground will be erected docks and warehouses capable of handling more business than Is handled at any southern port. Mayor Lyons is now in communication with the best informed builders of docks in the world. He is casting about for competent con sulting engineer before whom he will lay the city's plans for expansion
 WarenOuSe RatprOOf
 The city at present owns 15o0 feet of improved harbor front land Upon it Is constructed what engineers have Said are ideal sheds, made of steel. The floors are of concrete. rendering the
 warehouse ratproof. The sides are open, rendering the building itself practically fireproof At the city wharves the river steamboats tie up and the bay boats land. Steamships from across the seas, vessels of more tan 5000 tons register have moored The first cargo of the southern staple that ever went from Mobile to the orient was loaded there last year
 While the general and sundry im- ports and exports increased to $50 000- 900 during the fiscal year that ended June 30 no less remarkable gain was made in cotton receipts and exports Not since the civil war has such rec ord been achieved as that of the cotton year closing August 31. More than
 430,000 bales were sent from this port to Europe in 12 months. gain of
 more than 100 per cent over the pre- ce ding year.
 For this notable fact business men assign number of reasons: First, the S raightening and deepening of tho channel, enabling vessels of deep draft to come up the bay and drop anchor | in tho stream without the assistance | of a tug; second, rne issuance of through bills of lading, which had hitherto been refused by the Louisville 1 and Nashville railroad; third. the re- duction of insurance rates in the local harbor, and, fourth. better rates Decrease for September Business in September showed a fall 1 ing off in forign trade. but local merchants believe that the loss in Eu- rope will be retrieved in countries to the south. Fruit imports have i'm creased because of the quarantine against New Orleans in some tropical ports. There are fast developing mer- chant lines to Venezuela, Argentina and other South American countries One steamship company accepts ship ments for the west coast of the south ern continent for shipment through the canal. Mobile does more business with Cuba than does any oth- CT port than New York There Is n lnew line to Porto Rico. With all the islands of the West Indies and south even to Martinique and Trinidad there lis a growing trade.
 When the normal business of the world Is resumed Mobilians are deter mined to have their share and to. be roa dv for the natural increase