The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-09-09
IMPORTANCE OF TERMINALS

| lack OF terminals (which means high
handling charges) and the lack OF ran
connections (which means high array
| age charges) that eat us up. Remove
these two great obstacles and caplcsl
will finance river transportation lines
because they will then of1er certain
and attractive returns upon invest
ment"
Captain Smith does not stand alone
in holding these progressive views:
His attitude is not exceptional among
river men. 1t may be possible that
the so-called "old time" river man
does not concede that the lack OF ter.
minals. handling machinery and ran
connections is responsible Tor the
idleness of the river. II that Is the
case I have not had the misfortune
to meet al, cold time" river man.
have talked with all the captains and
pilots and mates who have crossed
nv path and they think Just about az
II have indicated. They talk Just like
Captain Smith.
"Giye us terminals" they say, Aand
we will give you steel barges and up
to-the-minute machinery In, place OF
wooden packets and Niger power
The line Of thought OF the progress
siye business man along the river
runs in much the same groove. The
+, trouble seems to be that there are
not enough progressive business men
President Morris OF the Standard
Oil company Of Louisiana is one OF
the most wide awake men have met
, The Job he holds Is excellent evidence
[ of that.
!, 1--WE will never build a plant" he
told me, without water facilities. We
are located here on the Mississippi
and we are using the river simply be.
cause It pays. Our plant at this point
covers 400 acres and we have built
5000 feet Of modern docks and equip
ped them in way that makes 1t pos.
sible to handle our product remark
ably cheap. An ocean tank steamer
clears from our docks every three
days. Steel barges run back and forth
between Baton Rouge and Wood Riv-
er and reduce our cost per ton mile
to very low figure. We are not
philanthropists. We are using the
Mississippi becaues 1t is good bust,
ness and splendid economy to do So
You'll note that President Morris
doesn't claim himself or his company
to be engaged In missionary work. He
doesn't suggest that the great corpor-
alton Of which he is president Is set
ting an example" to other shippers
He frankly and unequfvocally states
that he river Is paying them proflt
and for that reason and no other. they
are, using 1t. If more business con.
Germs, large and small, would look at
this proposition of river navigation
from the same angle as the Standard
Oil. there would be more plants on
the Mississippi's banks and more
craft on the Mississippi's flood. The
cities along the rivers length are
each and everyone OF them a big
business corporation. Is 1t too much
to hope that they will come to look
at the navigation proposition as OF
vital moment to their residents-their
stockholders, II you please and
handle 1t as an eficiently conduced
corporation. organized for profit
would handle II?
! Thank heaven, we OF Davenport do
not have to apologize for our city
Every river man and every up-to-date
business man In these river cities we
have visited, knows about Davenport
and Davenport's terminal project and.
figurativelv speaking, take OFF their
hats to what they are glad to call,
1.-The livest city on the river"
The day will come, I firmly believe,
when some OF the greatest industries
OF the country will be located upon
the Mississippi and utilizing the wal
ley way OF moving their goods to
market. It is plain that in this way
only, can the middle west retain its
hold upon far Off markets whether
they be in this country or In foreign
| lands. And when that dav does come,
the city of Davenport will realize i'm
mense dividends upon the enterprise.
the effort. the intelligence and the
capital she has invested In the Dav.
export terminal project.