The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-10-26
Mobile Wants a Belt Road
So Does Pensacola.

The Mobile Register in a recent is
sue contained a double-column edi-
torial on the need Of belt line rail-
road and says the port Of Mobile can
not progress unless it is supplied.
The Register tells Of the long wait,
since 1910, for the commissioners to
make a move towards securing the
belt road, but says the city is no
nearer q realization of the necessity
now than in 1910.
Mobile is situated somewhat SINH
1arly to Pensacola in this respect,
excepting that the taxpayers of PEN
sacola voted bonds for dock and belt
road purposes. That appears to have
been the end, however, for the city
commissioners have not only failed
to carry out the wishes of the citi-
zens, but last year blocked all efforts
to have port commission created
so the project could be put on BUSH
ness basis and carried through sue
cessfully.
The Register, in the course of its
editorial says:
For four years the Register has
been directing attention to the i'm
portance of belt line as being neces-
sary to make the port of Mobile mod
ern.s Prior to that the question was
mooted in one way or another, and
as far back as 1910 Mayor Lyons as a
member of the Joint Rivers and Har-
Dor Committee signed a report urg-
ing the building of belt line.
So far, nothing has been done
towards securing this public utility
It is q fact that for some reason the
city commission, elected by the peo-
pie to do the peoples bidding and
to manage their business, has failed
to expedite the doing Of this essential
part of the peoples business.
A belt line was never more needed
than now. Every few days there is
evidence in the news that shippers
to trade in Central and South Amer
let are studying gulf ports to find Out
II the ports are equipped to handle
such and such classes of business, and
the official figures of Mobiles com
petitors show the result Of this study
The ports that have the equipment
are the ports that are chock full Of
ships and that are growing.
IN presenting this important mat
ter to the people of Mobile it is some,
times necessary to show what other
ports are doing and. what returns
their port authorities New Orleans Il
regarded as the best equipped port Il
the United States, and as it is TIT
second port Of this country, surely
Mobile can profit by the experience
of New Orleans, and where she hal
succeeded Mobile can safely follow.
One of the arguments most Otter
advanced against public belt is tina
it is an experiment and therefor,
would be of doubtful value to Mobile
The reply to that is the result in New
Orleans, and the Register lets tn
New Orleans States tell that story
On last Sunday morning the State
had this to say of the Public Bel
there:
''The Public Belt here is declared t
be the most successfully operated sys
tenn in the United States. The in
crease in business in the last tire
years has been in excess of 100 pc
cent. The equipment, even prior t
the purchase of the Baldwin engine
or locomotives, was declared tn
finest in the United States. The cos
of maintenance and operation is com
paratively small, while the profit
are correspondingly great and even 9
this early date indicate that in tn
course of few years the Publ
Belt Commission will be the creates
revenue producing branch of the mi
nicipal government"