The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-24
OLIVER PRESENTS
 MOBILES CLAIMS
 FOR B|G SHIP YARD
Selection of Site Will Prob
 ably Be Left to the Naval Affairs Sub ,
 Committee
By HUGH w. ROBERTs

Washington, January 23-(Special.) ] Representative Oliver of the Sixth Ala : bama, has read into the Congressional Record, Mobiles claim for designa tion as the site of naval station, the ad- ditional naval station which agents of the government have declared to be necessary between Cape Hatteras and Galveston.
 |, It is anticipated that the matter of selecting site, in the event such ad- ditional station Is deemed necessary, will be left to a subcommittee of the house committee on naval affairs. In that contingency Mobile will send it's delegation to Washington to advance in person, it's claim
 MT. Oliver spoke as follows regard ing Mobile:
 Mobiles claims for consideration as a site for a naval shipbuilding g yard and dry dock are based upon the fact that she possesses in pre- eminent degree, all the qualified tions necessary for first-class plant. viz, strategic location, defensive works, abundance of skilled and unskilled labor and near vicinity to raw materials used in con- struction, as well as being favored with a mild climate which permits of out side work all the year round
 Mobile not only enjoys water trans portation from the coal and iron dis tricts of Alabama, but is the nearest gulf port to all the great manufactur- ing iron and steel centers of the coun- try.
 The surrounding country is not subject to inundation and traffic is not disturbed by weather conditions .t@I -f
 Mobile possesses the following ad- vantages:
 Located 30 miles from gulf safe from sea attack, entrance to Mobile bay pro- tected by two forts.
 Mild climate, permitting outside construction the year round
 Surrounding country not subject to inundation.
 "Undisturbed by rise and fall tide GA feet average tide.) Two sources of transportation viz, rail and water.
 'Five railroads operating from coal and iron district to Mobile, and also reaching directly and indirectly the greatest manufacturing cities of the United States.
 ''All year navigation on rivers, guar anteeing iron, coal and timber supply to Mobile should railroads fail tn crisis
 More skilled machinist labor than any gulf port
 More ship carpenters, caulkers, etc, than rest of gulf ports combined.
 More foundries and boiler works than any other gulf port.
 More iron, coal and timber located upon Alamaba's inland waterways reaching Mobile than is available to any other gulf port.
 Cheapest inland water transporta tion of any gulf port
 Lowest basis of rail rates enjoyed by any gulf port, and lower rates iron iron and coal districts of Ala bama than other gulf ports west Of Mobile enjoy, guaranteeing cheapest raw materials.
 lover 27 feet of water at mean low tide from gulf to Mobile, and with very little work, estimated a. not ex- ceeding 50 days of dredging, the entire channel can be made available for vessels with draft of 30 feet.
 Fresh water
 Summed up, Mobile has the best To- cation on the gulf; has advanced over all other gulf ports in quantity and quality of it's skilled labor (machin- ist and shipbuilding): and is nearest port by rail and water to great iron coal and timber supply of Alabama"