Evening journal., 1915-01-15
Continued from Page 10.

tinerant representatives OF conf
panies which invest neither their
money in bank accounts nor per-
manent quarters. l sincerely hope
that the Insurance Section will be
able to produce good results during
the new year.
As to the management Of the Exc
cutive offices. | desire to state that
the business of the organization is
conducted along strictly business
lines. There arc no wasteful expen-
ditures of money and every penny
spent must first receive the scrutiny
and signed approval of the President
Of the Chamber of Commerce. as
we'll as the Managing Secretary and
the Treasurer.
The routine work of the office it.
self Is extremely heavy, yet attempt
to conduct il with the aid Of one as
sistant. two stenographcrs and an
office boy OF course the Credit RAJ
ting Bureau which is a new depart
nient. calls for the services of am
other assistant and another steno-
grapher
Industrial.
The Industrial situation in Will
mington. ! regret to say, has been,
spd is now. suffering from a period
of what | believe 10 be national de-
preston. Whether political condi-
tlons have had anything to do with
this condition (as is repeatedly
stated by some) is. so far as ! am
concerned, beside the point and is
not, am sure. a proper subject for
discussion In this report During
the past year only one manufactur-
ing concern of any consequence has
located in Wilmington and assumed
operations and that one moved into
vacant promises.
The facts are. whatever the rea-
sons may be. that fully 80 per cent
of the inquiries received by the In
dustrial Bureau are from financially
embarrassed concerns who wish to
take a new lease of life in a new To-
cality and arc hungry TO replenish
their treasures at the expense Of
our citizens An equally large per-
centaRe of tho inquiries received are
Invariably involved in some scheme
10 raise capital either by stock flota-
tion or are coupled with a demand
for a cash bonus, rebate Of moving
and installation expense. remission
of taxes. free factory site and build
ing OF other untenable proposition.
I have persistently taken the stand
that while we should and do make
every legitimate effort to increase
our industrial establishments, II an
Industry is not clever enough to sec
the benefits of being located in "A
city with SO many natural advantag rs
and not strong enough to finance
itself and invest its capital in our
city as an evidence of faith in us,
then II is not worth spending our
money on.
Other cities with large commercial
organizations are fast coming to see
the wisdom of this attitude and at
the last Convention Of the National
Association OF Commercial Execu-
tives held in Cincinnati. Ohio. in
September, 1914. this plan met with
unanimous approval.
Freight Rates and River Front.
Apart from the prevailing hard
s.s!;;ssises HINES and national Industrial de-
preston. there are. on the other
hand, certain definite and specific
obstacles to the immediate industria
progress of Wilmington Anon,
these. but by no means the most i'm
portant. Is the lack of a deep wato
front in the strictest sense OF tn
term.
Most important. however is vii
mington's disadvantage with regari
to railroad freight rates. A manu-
facturer (and especially one who's
raw material or finished produc
amounts TO large quantities in ton
nage) before building or relocating
his factory invariably chooses
point Of location having a low freigh
rate or competitive water freigh
rates.
Rail freight rates. il must alway
be borne In mind. are based largel
upon the length Of haul and the wat
er rate or the rail and water rate.
A city having water transportatio
IN the strict sense of the term, en-
Joys a cheaper competitive freigh
rate than an inland city and the In
lorstate Commerce Commission re
cognizes this factor in fixing COR
petitive freight rates.
AS ar instance Of such discrimins
ton in rates, / quote below freigh
rates on iron and steel shapes an
car materials, two commOditie
chosen at random, large quantities {
which are used by local concerns.
Railroad rates on iron and ste,
shapes from Pittsburgh. Pa. I
Wilmington, 10 per 100 pounds: [
Baltimore, IA 1-2 per 100 pounds: [
Norfolk, 20 per 100 pounds.
Railroad rates on car material
knocked down: From Philadelphia I
Wilmington, 27 miles. .0S per 10
pounds; from New York to Wilmine
ton, 11S miles, 10 per 100 pounds
from Baltimore to Wilmington, Z
miles, 10 per 100 pounds: from MOI
folk to Wilmington. 229 miles, II pc
loo pounds; from Norfolk to Ne
York, 345 miles, 10 per 100 pounds
The figures speak for themselves
Now 1t Is evident that TO obtain
lower freight rate or a water con
petitive freight rate. we must hay
possible water transportation. Thu
the development of the river fror
Is very primary essential, If "
are to receive any benefits from Oh
geographical location as reflected
freight rates.
In view of the fact. however. tht
tie proper and consistent develo
ment of our river front seems
difficult from a purely physical al
financial aspect, as well as from n
very much involved situation as r
CARDS the ownership of river fro
property, differences of opinion as
procedure, intense feeling in the G
tire subject, etc, etc, / have as
alternative what ] consider a We
important recommendation to NAL
II must, however, be borne in mi
that water transportation to a su