Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-03-28

~ HARLEsToN. S. c.. March 1s.-with the ~ountry
[ full of talk about foreign trade, and the need
- for improving the merchant marine, and Guilt
waiting the business of South America the far south
ports of the United States rise and demand to
be heard.
New Orleans of course has large and weu-estab-
lished business Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville.
Tampa, Mobile Pensacola the in question.
They all have fine harbors which free from ice
all the around; the government mas spent many
millions improve their channels; and the citizens
have built and building excellent terminal facilities
They all dressed up to to the international
trade party; but they have nothing to ride in Rob-
inson Crusoe had fine harbor but ne had no bottoms
That's all that prevented him forming cOcOanu
trust, and getting rich.
The southern ports are in the same fix. They have
not the bottoms, meaning thereby regular sangs for
foreign ports Therefore, they can't get railroad rates
interior points would attract manufacturers
to export via the south instead of the north If they
had the bottoms they could get the rates. and vice
But generally and broadly speaking they have
neither.
Now this is not 60 say that the southern ports are
not doing prosperous business. They They
shipping cotton and lumber and naval stores and
the tramp steamers that for these commodities
bring the materials from which the south manufac-
lures immense quantities of commercial fertilizer All
of which is well and good this is the point: The
southern ports shipping practically manufac-
tured goods; and while New York is consested with
traffic. they getting fraction Of what they
have the energy and the facilities to snip.
In very real sense 1T is national waste. Manu-
facturers in the middle west-at Cincinnati for
ple-can reach South America much more directly by
way of Charleston than by way New York. Both
the rail haul and the water maui shorter. But
there regular bottoms from Charleston
America; and the manufacturer must regular
sailings in order to fill his orders. ships
New York, and adds to general congestion confu
sion or that port Shoes are actually shipped from
interior points to Charleston, up the
York or there are plenty of coastwise botoms) and
quires are likewise the life blood of port. The
shipping Of materials sucn cotton and naval
stores and lumber by way of tramp steamers leaves
little money in the port city. The sold at
interior points Atlanta gets the money for cotton
that is shipped of Charleston. That is why the
greatest southern cities interior points, while
greatest northern cities ports. northern port
cities handle immense quantities of manufactured
goods and make a large profit upon them
Why do all o these commodities go north for ship
ment to Cuba and Central and South America,
is shorter distance both by rail by water via
the Southern ports? 1t because the south
harbors lacked terminal facilities
fast disappearing All of them have greatly improved
their docks and coal bunkers warehouses; and
they ready to build as fast as they are
needed
The great difficulty lies in the fact that the lines
of transportation been fixed by usage
and they all point north. The trunk lines from
middle western manufacturing section all lead to New
York and Boston and Philadelphia and to some extent
Norfolk Try to to Charleston from the middle
west you railways began life
as sawmi1 lines which would around large stump
Then, too competition by of the Erie canal forced
down northern rates. The result is that although
Charleston is Cincinnati than New York it
less to ship to the northern city, while Norfolk
mas still greater advantage in rates. example
certain manufactures the shipper gets commodity
Norfolk, which amounts cents a hundred
and to Norfolk he has to pay class 35
hundred.
Now the people of the southern ports fully
aware of all these They realize that if they