The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-16
English Buyer Gives Opin- ions Regarding Birming-
 hams Handicaps
.PROHIBITIVE RATES
 ARE CHIEF TROUBLE
Offers Suggestions to Railways for Getting Birmingham Products Into All the World
 Markets
By PERCY DONALD

By PERCY DONALD
 MT. Donald. an experienced English
 buyer gives opinion that prohibitive
 freight rates and indifference to nat
 ural advantages are depriving south
 of great opportunities The article is
 taken from American industries.
 Four months ago Birmingham and other Alabama towns in the iron district were quite unknown to me. though I have trav- eled to many parts of the world in con nection with the iron and steel industry. Indeed. I thought of Alabama merely as the place from which came the Alabama Coons." familiar to every child in Great Britain from their nursery hush-a-byes
 But what of the enormous natural prod ucts of the district? Iron, coal and iron.
 Here nature with foresight has placed every mineral necessary in the production of cheap iron and steel side by side.
 Recently had the pleasure of a motor run around the district and saw miles and miles of these resources. In fact, 1t seemed impossible to get away from them Tho very stones on the road were iron bearing.
 Why is 1t then that I, long resident of Birmingham, England, and others abroad know nothing of this veritable iron E,dorado?
 The req sons are not far to seek. To be known outside your own country, you must export. The populous districts ot the United States are north; and the pro- hibitive freight rates are barrier against southern works securing trade from these districts.
 The exports markets however, are at tho very door of the south Up to the pres, mt the prolific and natural fields have been ignored by the south chiefly by reason of the few shipping facilities snd perhaps in greater degree on account of the competition of Germany. But not withstar ding German competition, had the problem been looked into seriously before the war. it would have been found that given the necessary shipping facilities the trade could have been secured for the south. How much more so Is that the case now? What is being done at the present moment when the whole world is actually looking for supply services? Should a buyer cable for quotation 1 for southern iron and steel products C. | i. f. China. Australia. India or South | Africa, what Is the position of the works !? Merely that of being unable to quote be- | cause they cdIlIlot Ect tift 6ootS o"o' l Why not send to New York to ship? Be- 1 cause the southern railway companies arc i not sufficiently alive to grant exceedingl, | low export rates to New York with q l view to building the trade.
 The following gives an instance show | ing the blindness of southern railways t. | their own and southern inter ests. Re gently 200 tons of nails in bags, as is usua | for export, were wanted to i'll space in | New York steamer. The business was 1 given to a well known Alabama concerr and date fer delivery agreed. The ex | port freight rate of 29 cents per 100 wa' 1 high out the space having been booked l at low rates 1t was decdde to pay same ] At the last moment the railway discoV cred the nails were in bags instead o | kegs as is usual here. It at once de n,anded Go cents per 100 freight. The ne l result was some quick cabling. the south ern nails were cancelled and a replace To ordered from northern districts. In addi ton the south lost any further possibillt. on orders for either further nails or otne l goods The painful aspect of the anal Is that nails in bags should be about | per cent less freight cost than in kes' :, ewing to their packing closer. This al ready is recognized by several of tn | steamship companies
 | Cnntras st with this method Of doing busi ness the attitude of one of the northeri lrBIWnyS WHICH ueSiicu to tdht ehS Ne''' goods on another contract from work Tot quite so far south to Montreal To shipment at 16iA cents per 100.
 | The folder of one of the southern rali I way companies refers to the unique pnsi ton of Birmingham Gadsden and chat tanooga with reference to export traue It would appear by this that they realiz Il htc fact but do not grasp the oppor
 tunty.
 | Now In what direction must we lool for a cure that will bring Alabama inl her hirthright?
 First the southern railways should i'm mediately grant low rates to mortimer rorts for export to ports of the worl from which reasonable shipping facilitie cannot be secured south. These rate | must be low; the lower they are tn shorter is the time they would have be operative This would at once start volume of business moving. which shoftl Il would prove sufficient to induce steamer
 to either call in run a service diree
 from southern ports. It would also q
 away with the attitude of shipping con panies down south of charging mor freight space than from New York. Min
 months of valuable time has been los and this step wants to be taken withou
 further delay.
 | Secondly, the movements of sailin
 ships and steamers of any kind frol I | n comprehensive scale. There are hur dreds of beats leaving southern ports fc
 various parts of the world. booked b l private charterers. There is no compr' l: he.. sive register of these. Nine-tenths { them have to have some deadweight care as a sailing necessity. They don't kno' l where to get 1t and your iron manufa'
 turer does not know of their existenc
 The southern railways, without cost, an by combined action could cure this dit
 ability.
 If every southern port railway traff
 nanaser was to send daily to souther
 daily newspapers for publication li
 showing daily arrivals and future sai
 jngs of vessels where bound. and whe | the charterers or agents class or classs of cargo that will be taken, etc, etc,
 would at once place at the disposal
 every southern manufacturer the info l nation necessary.
 With very slight geographical knowledi he could arrange many shipine ents
 cebnot at present do. For instance,
 take possible extreme he may find
 railway ship chartered for Genoa.
 rirht have a cargo for Canary Islam Of sufficient tonnage for the boat own to accept the inducement to call In ther