Evening star., 1919-04-14
ST. LOUIS BOASTS
OF BIG BUSINESS
Benefits by Mississippi River
Becoming Outlet for
Foreign Trade.
VIRTUALLY OCEAN PORT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

ST. LOUIS, April 14.-Some cities
sought war contracts others had war
contracts thrust upon them, and still
others stood ready to accept them
but were neglected. st. Louis got
hardly any and was disposed to feel
she had missed something. But 1t
turns out that, because comparatively
little of her business was thus tied
up with government adjustments. st.
Louis has been able to move sure
footedly ahead in this reconstruction
period.
But something did happen during
Importance to st. Louis than many
war enterprise did or will to other
communities: something so far-
reaching in its yelation to our Tor
eign trade that not merely st. Louis.
but the cities and towns and areas
adjacent to it in the central west
will benefit by it.
Mississippi River a "Waterway."
The Mississippi river became a wa
terway at last. From the very CEN
ter of the United States goods are
flowing direct to Central and South
American ports without being sub
jected to the delays and congestion
hitherto encountered on the rail
routes to the Atlantic or gulf coast.
Consider for moment that it costs
SI72 to ship a 250-pound case of
shoes to Salt Lake City from here,
and then consider that for 1888 the
same case of shoes can now be ship
ped to Buenos Aires from this city.
So, too, is it possible to ship articles
to Manila and Australia from st.
Louis cheaper than a rail distance
which is the equivalent of that be-
tween here and Salt Lake. The goods
travel down the Mississippi to New
Orleans, where they are transferred
on lighters promptly to the big ships
that go through the Panama canal
Indeed, farm implements can be ship
ped to Havana as cheaply as >they
can be sent to Denver.
Brought About by Government.
All this was brought about by the
government of the United States
through the accident of war emer
gency. People had clamored for years
for some sort of regulation of rates
as would make it worth while to op-
crate barges down the Mississippi.
but friends of the railroads thought
this would interfere with their reve-
nue.. and the dream was never real
lied. But when the railroads came
under the control of the government
and freight cars were everywhere
congested or railroads were crowded
with moving troops the inland water
ways of the natioi. at last came into
their own. The railroads which had
fought it must now see that far from
being a serious factor of competition,
the use of the Mississippi has be-
come an outlet for foreign trade.
Joint rail and water rates have
been fixed so that wheat can be ship
lnd 70 oil Ioy- fnr n I mic
ample, and carried to the far corners
of the globe without going through
crowded New York. There's plenty of
opportunity for both the railroads
and the waterways. as the experience
of the last three months has Shown.
Forty-six barges are built or are
building. ST. Louis is virtually an
ocean port. and the United States has |
a direct and cheap channel of exit !
for export trade running through the !
geographical center of the country.
This is a region of staples, not lux
uries. Here shoes and ready-to-wear
articles as we'll as foodstuffs issue in
enormous quantities for domestic and
foreign consumption. Already st.
Louis has elaborate plans to finance
foreign trade operations. And, as said
at the outset, adjustments of war
contracts were practically negligible
here, SO st. Louis was ready instantly
to resume her great task of supply
soon as land and water tonnage was
released for business of peace time.
Prohibition Small Worry.
Prohibition seems to be almost as
little a worry hereabouts as the DO
lit1cal future of Jim Reed. The brew
er1es are going to be converted to
other uses-some will make near
beer and soft beverages, others al
ready have been turned into high
grade packing plants. Saloons are
going to become soda fountains or
viii be remodeled for dwellings. of
which st. Louis is just now in serious
need.
Bank clearings are forty-eight mil
lions ahead of last year and retail
business is f1ourishing. Conventions.
as usual, are numerous. and there
seems to be little retrenchment in in
dustry. New plants are being built
and jobs are being found for Setnrn.
ing soldiers almost as fast as thew re-
turn. They have a record here of hav-
ing placed 73 per cent of all who made
application through the local organi-
cations. which Cooperate with the
Federal Employment Agency.
Index of League Sentiment.
Politics and the league of nations
come in for their share Of discussion
only enthusiastically. Everybody one
comes in contact with says the people
of this section favor a league of ma
tions. which may or may not be
proved by the fact that when Jim
Reed spoke against the proposition
the auditorium was filled and a crowd
equally as large tried to get in, while
cambridge Colby, orator extraordi-
nary and spokesman eloquent for the
league. attracted only few hundred
persons. This may prove that Jim
Reed is popular and folks wanted to
hear what he had against a league of
nations, and that they already were
familiar with such arguments as Mr..
Colby or any one else might make for
it; or it may prove that a great many
people who follow Reed through his
political gyrations came to be in
structed some more in the ant of fol-
lowing.
Democrats say republicans encour-
aged Reed to produce discord in the
party, but what seems more likely
is that the anti-administration feeling
was being thus manifested by persons
OF both parties. and many came
actually to be entertained by the
odd satire of the senior senator from
Missouri.
Economic Growth Better Topic.
But it is much easier and simpler
to explain the splendid economic
growth of st. Louis and this region
than it's politics. 1t may be sufficient.
therefore, to summarize by saying
that at present the democrats are not
as sanguine of success as they usually
are out here, and that league of ma
tions or not, Jim Reed couldn't win
I