The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-11-21
FOR PORT DEVELOPMENT.

FOR PORT DEVELOPMENT
The long fight freight rates which has been
waged by Gulf and Southeastern ports Of the
United States placing these ports on parity with
those OF New York Boston and Philadelphia has
been won. and Pensacolas quota for financing the
Mississippi Valley Association, which put through
this fight should be paid
According statement made by John A. Mer-
ritz chairman of the Pensacola finance committee
OF this association, several hundred dollars are still
due, the local share in this movement.
Senator Fletcher has notified members of the
Mississippi Valley Association that the federal adj
mnistration has recognized the right of the ports
of the gulf and the southeast to freight rate which
will enable them to compete with other ports. and
bid for part Of the business which logically would
have been routed through southern ports had it not
been freight discrimination of the past.
The discrimination of the railroads in favor of
the eastern ports built up tremendous export and
import trade and the probability is that such dis
crimnatory methods would have continued, had it
not been for the congestion of these ports during
and prior to the war; when the trade of the entire
world upset. for long period.
90 long had these ports of New York. Boston
and Philadelphia had advantages other ports
that these advantages had gone practically unques-
toned, and it not until the exegencies of the
called attention to the manifest unfairness OF
this policy and it's reaction on the entire country
that any steps taken for adjustment
The advantage which had been accorded the east
had built trade of such tremendous volume
that when the war came, making abnormal demands
in export, it found impossible to meet these
mands in any adequate way, and a time with
port congestion. and coal shortage and the Hud
River in the grip of ice and snow, the entire
world faced one of the gravest crises of all mari
time history.
The reaction swift and Officials of the
government and private interests Immediately
turned their attention the south, trade out
let with the result that the realization forced
upon them that this part OF country did need
he trade af thu Than Tho dn
needed the outlets afforded on the Gulf and the
South-Atantic
The fully demonstrated fallacy of concen-
tration of maritime business at few centres. in
stead of distributing it in such way to best
meet trade conditions. The government realized,
through the hard lessons of adjustment. that
the development of it's ports the south was not
only more feasible, but more economical way of
meeting the necessities presented by world trade.
and so was more ready to meet the demands of the
southern bodies when equal rights with
other ports were demanded.
But. in spite of the needs of the nation, certain
private interests We're strongly entrenched to
make the fight of members of the Florida delega-
tion, and others interested lifting the ban on
southern ports hard and difficult task. But the
demands made by southern congressman had the
strong, militant support of the Mississippi Valley
Association and it splendid fight
made by this organization, that the discriminatory
freight rates against Pensacola other gulf ports
were lifted
The work of the association fostering the for
eign trade of the gulf cities demands and should
have the unqualified support of every business
of Pensacola, for it means that the products of
manufacturing centres of the middle west will be
shipped from the United States through gulf ports.
With freight rates at this port meeting at
other ports, Pensacola should command much of the
export and import trade for South America and the
Orient.
No decision of recent years has meant much
for the development of Pensacola all West
Pensacoa's sharo of the fund which has been
necessary to carry the work of the Mississippi
Valley Association. through which such splendid
suits accomplished.