The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-12

'If Birmingham does not inn mediately prepare to construct even a temporary terminal 1t will miss the greatest commer- cial opportunity of it's exist ence," said G. A. Tomlinson, di- rector of the inland waterways commission last night on his re- turn from a visit to Stort Creek where he went to inspect the site of the proposed terminals. He was accompanied on the trip by Charles F. Wood, engi- neer for the Port of Birming- ham corporation; Henry T. De- Bardeleben and George Craw- ford.
 "Upon my return from Europe
 three weeks ago. after an absence
 Of four months. was amazed to
 find that nothing in visible way
 had been done towards the con-
 
 ham to serve this municipality and
 the adjacent territory he con-
 tinued. "This prOcrastinatiOn on
 the part of the city of Birmingham
 has made it necessary for the fed-
 eraI railroad administration to put
 joint rates into this territory by
 way of Tuscaloosa.
 q was sent south by the director general of the railroads to check some of the terminal recommendations made by the engineers of this division and have visited St. Louis, Memphis Vicks- burg, New Orleans, Mobile and Mont gomery
 "The administration has appropri- ated a very large sum for transporta- ton development on the Warrior river and the director general was prompted in this action by the tremendous cam paign made by the Birmingham peo- pie for the development of transporta- ton or the Warrior and the direct as- surarce that terminals would be pro- vided by this municipality at sone river point convenient to railroad connections.
 Nearly all of the new barges for the river have been completed and three steel towboats will probably be finished in January, while four steel steamers to ply between Birmingham and New Orleans will be completed about the same tims-
 "All the large cities on the Missis- sippi river have now, or are providing. adequate municipal terminals and as far north as LaSalle, on the Illinois river, a small city 60 miles from Chi cago municipal terminals are being provided without any assurance from the government at least that any water service will be furnished.
 'It is inevitable that if Birming-
 ham does not provide nt early
 date some sort of terminal equip-
 mcnt on the Warrior river it will
 be necessary to convert the mod
 fleet we are now building to
 some other service. The possi-
 bility of congestion on the raiI-
 roads at an early date will make
 it imprative for the railroad admin
 istration to his floating equip
 ment to the fullest extent and this
 equipment cannot use river banks
 as wharys or trees for cranes.
 The opportunity of a lifetime is presented through the administrato to the state of Alabama to use the wonderful waterways of this common wealth. The, director general of tho railroads is npt only in sympathy with the operationl but is earnest in his desires to restore water transporta- tion on all waterways when the route is practicable and traffic justfies.
 To-day I have been assured that up- ward of 300.000 tons of freight, ex- elusive of coal tonnage. is ready to be moved by water to and from BirminE ham, I should like to go on record as saying that if fairly efficient terminal is provided at an early date the Warrior river service of the rail- road administra tion can be operated at profit It takes two or three years under. most favorable conditions to put a railroad on a paying basis, so that the transportation situation on the Warrior river is peculiarly and TO- markedly attractive from the stand point of a vessel man"
 MT Tomlnson, who in private life is a steamship owner. predicts great things for this district if the terminals are provided on the Warrior river. He will leave this morning for Cordova where he will visit the government plant which is putting in transports tion cranes During his short stay in Birmingham he was greeted by large number of old friends as he is we'll known in Birmingham. and. in fact, throughout the state