The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-04-27
GREAT BRITAIKS SHIPPING GREAT AS in PEACE

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honor with them.
Personally was even more inter
ested In what I saw at Manchester
than In the sights OF Liverpool. Man
chester Is more like an American com.
mercial city than any other / Rave
seen In Europe. There we were guests
of the Manchester Ship Canal com.
pany, which has made an inland city
into one Of the great ports of the EN-.
pire. / once heard n peevish citizen
of New Orleans say in an outburst Of
contempt that "lf Atlanta could suck
as hard as 1t could blow, 1t would suck
up the Atlantic ocean and become q
seaport" That is precisely what Man.
chester did, and the description would
lack something If 1t omitted mention
OF the fact that Manchester Is still
blowing about what 1t did.
Canal Cost $5o,ooo.ooo.
Manchester was 80 miles inland
from the Liverpool harbor. The great
est textile manufacturing center in the
world, II suffered acutely during the
American Civil war from the stoppage
Of cotton shipments. The city was
prostrated, its Industries seemingly ru-
ined. After the war there was a pc
riod Of revival, but it was presently
found that the industry was bearing
an impossible toll by reason of its in
land location. Either the industry must
be moved away to the seaports or the
sea be brought to Manchester.
Manchester, getting this idea firmly
into its head, organized its Ship Canal
company, and set about digging the
great canal. The corporation found
the expense much greater than had
been anticipated, and the city of Man
chester took $25,0O0,OO0 of stock in the
company. To the present time soms-
thing over S50,000,000 has been invest
ed in the canal and in the development
of the Manchester dock and warehouse
district. The city nominates IL Of the
21 directors Of the company.
I doubt If anywhere in the world
there is 50 complete an illustration of
modern efficiency in dealing with trans
portatlon as at Manchester. This is
true because the whole thing was done
once; done as a unity. The canal and
its docks and jetties were fitted into
the whole situation in n scientific |
way; railroads and warehouses were |
provided as part Of the general
scheme. Factory districts were laid
off precisely where they would be most |
easily served either by water or by |
rail.
The result Of all this scientific or
ganization is that despite the expen'
sive necessity Of bringing ships 30
miles inland through the tortuous ca.
nal, there are so many incidental econ.
Omies in other parts of the process
hat the Manchester port is now dis.
.inguished success. This year the
stock of the canal company received
is first dividend on the common
shares, and the earnings are such as
% justify the expectation that divi'
lends will be regular in the future.
Mammoth Grain Elevator.
In Manchester and the next day in
lOhuOh VIC lllSDCNlCb lllOllOlOhOuo lAAAAN
lfter mile of ships taking on and put
ing off cargo from everywhere on
.arth. 1 am not permitted to go too
much into the details of this part of
,ur trip. We were conducted through
| wonderful concrete grain elevator,
,nly recently finished and the largest
n the United Kingdom. 1t was very
wonderful sight to the members of our
,arty who were not Americans. The
americans were more familiar with
he great grain terminals of our lake
,orts, and this Manchester affair was
esigned and its construction super
Intended by an American.
Manchester is now the center of the
reatest Industrial section of Great
Britain. 1t is quite the most Occiden-
al town in the country. The officers
nd directors of the Ship Canal COM {
any, who entertained us, gave the {
.mericans precisely the feeling they
,ould have enjoyed if they had been
ding Kansas City or Los Angeles I'M {
er the guidance Of the Commercial
lub of either of those towns. Every I
ody in Manchester is a booster. He }
nOws that his town is the best town :
here is, and is anxious to tell you :
.hy. Before he has done, he has you :
Onvinced. =
The following day we toured the
ock section of London and saw the :
reatest commercial shipping district :
| Europe if not in the world. At all =
lree Of these ports the most impress =
We thing was the marvellous shipping -.
ctfvity. Ships big and little, steam :
i'd sail, tugboats and liners rushing
trough their port operation in order
lat they might be back at sea. We q
ere provided with a mass of statis- e
cs about the commerce Of each port, I
,ar by year and week by week since q
e war. The figures would not be q
Lrticularly impressive, except as they p
ade it indubitably clear that Eng
nd's shipping and commerce are do T
q business at the old stand.