The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-07-29
Statewide Organization Perfect
ed at Meeting Held in Co.
lumbia Last Week.
GOVERNOR COOPER TALKS
Development of Ports in South
Atlantic States and Export
and Import Business is of Vast
Importance.


wide organization was effected in Co
lumbia Thursday as preliminary to-
the formation of the South Atlantic
Export corporation, which corpora
tion is to seek to develop trade be-
tween Wilmington, Charleston, Sa,
vannah, Brunswick and Jacksonville
and South American ports. In the
preliminary effort only $4,000 from
South Carolina is to be raised, a sum
of SIS, 900 being apportioned between
the states of North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The
South Carolina apportionment is to
be raised from the following places:
Charleston, Columbia, Spartanburg,
Greenville, Greenwood, Anderson,
Georgetown, Rock Hill, Florence, Or
angeburg, Sumter, Union, Darlington.
Hartsville. Aiken, Laurens, Clinton
and Lancaster.
Matthew Hale, president of the
South Atlantic Maritime corporation,
came to Columbia for a conference in
the Office of Governor Cooper with
business men from all sections of the
state. relative to . South Carolina's
part in the trade building plan. The
following were selected to bring the
question adequately before South
Cardinals business men and procure
their active cooperation in the
scheme; John ID. Frost, chairman;
Joseph Schenk, Georgetown; r. l..
Montague, Charleston; w. C. Cleve-
land, Greenville; Ben Hill Brown,
Spartanburg; w. ]. Cormack, Column
bia, secretary; and Julien c. Rogers,
Columbia, treasurer.
Among those who attended the
meeting were: Governor Cooper, Maj.
John ID. Frost, assistant adjutant gen.
eral and for 16 years cotton buyer for
the Parker system of cotton mills; H.
F.. Masman, trs tfic commissioner OF
the Charleston Chamber of Com
merce; b. b. Gossett, of Anderson,
cotton manufacturer; T. c. Williams,
of Columbia. vice president of the CO.
neutrality-suspicious. Steamboat COM
pany; Secretary Slater, of the Co
lumbia Chamber of Commerce; w. b.
West, of Columbia, secretary of the
South Carolina Cotton Seed Crushers'
association: Joseph Schenk, chairman
OF the traffic and transportation com
mittee of the Georgetown Chamber OF
Commerce; T. Brooks Afford, former
ly consular agent Of the United States
government at Riga. Russia. but who
now intends 20 so into the export bus
mess; Matthew Hale, president of the
South Atlantic Maritime corporation;
Douglas Mckay OF Columbia, an at
torney, and others.
THE development of ports in the
South Atlantic states, and hence OF
export and import business in these
States, is of great Importance" stat
ed Governor Cooper in commenting
upon the projected plan to establish a
quasi-public corporation which will
devote Itself to the development at
these ports. -Four things are neces-
sary before the goal can be obtained, ;"
continued the governor. Zone is the
securing of shipS. the second is the
obtaining OF freight rates that will
make IL attractive for shippers to
patronize these ports, another is the
cultivation of the good will OF South
ern. Central and Middle Western ship
pers, and the fourth is an agency, or
group of agencies to direct the 9th
er three.
"A fleet of steamships has been se-
cured; II is practically certain that
advantageous freight rates will be
put into effect; business men inter
ested in the plan are now engaged in
diverting shipments from the Eastern
to the South Atlantic ports, and the
necessary agencies are either formed,
or in process OF formation. without
some central, dynamic agency to
maintain continuous flow of freight,
and to handle incoming goods. the az
vantages won, or in sight, will avail
nothing.
"The natural channel Of trade be-
: tween great part of the United
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