The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-12-15
A NEW TRADE CURRENT

IT N SPITE of the fact that the Panama Canal has been so very recently that American port cit .~ies and American shipping men have begun to awaken to the possibilities in trade with the Orient Of course for a long time business men with some vision have sensed in a vague way that there was d great field there for commerce. exploitation, but no practical measures were adopted to profit from the geographic and com mercial advantages created by the canal
 This advantage is greatest for the cities of the South Atlantic seaboard and those on the Gulf of Mexico and some of them at least, are beginning to realize the immense importance and tine almost unlimited potentlah- ties of developing trade with the Far East by the use of the Panama Canal route and are getting into ins.
 One of these is Galveston, a city which in many ways is peculiarly fit ted to take advantage of and develop this Oriental trade. It s situated near the eastern entrance Of the Pa mama Canal and for all that great re- zion east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Mississippi River 1t IS the logical port for the outlet or ds ex- ports and equally so an inlet Tor us Imports In addition it is the larg- est cotton port in the world. and for the last few years the demand Tor cotton in the Orient has been increas- ing. Several large Japanese cotton firms are already located 1n Calves ton. and Japanese boat service has al ready been established.
 Another thing which is going to be of great benefit to Galveston is the fact that it has abundant port facil- tiles for the handling or the large business which is undoubtedly coming to her Ample wharf space. large warehouses, the slip system oi wharves and nearly all of them equip ped with railway tracks where car.
 
 directly from freight cars. Such ia cilities are of almost incalcuaple val re to any waterfront city, and Bridge port could well profit from Calves tons example.
 Occasional shipments from the Eas have begun to come to Galveston ant 1t is hoped that it will be only com
 hn traF fic will become steady and regular In developing trade with the East . Galveston is especially fortunate il : having in her territory something lilx three hundred mills which manurac ture oils of all kinds from vegetabl seeds. In the past it has been tn policy of these mills to operate iron three to six months in a year. usin cotton seed alone, but with the hig prices of labor and materials. as we as the increased demand for revenue on an investment. they have bee looking to find a suitable commodit on which they can work the entir year. This has been found in soy beans, and D ~-.uts imported from tn Orient. A sold cargo of the latte was recently unloaded at Galvesto and shipped to the. inland mills, an enough others were to follow to kee the mill going until it could get see from the next cotton crop.
 This is only one of the many iten in what will undoubtedly become long list of com::l odities coming in Galveston and other American DOT through the Panama Canal and trade opportunities are more ar more opened up in the East thel will be constantly increasing nun westward.
 It is quite likely that it will be long time before the opportuniti tradewise with the East, made pra tscal by the Panama Canal, will b come accomplished facts. It is ha Nto realize the vast extent of tho Eastern countries and the immen amount of their undeveloped r sources, once they begin to devel' rapidly and a steady current of tra is begun between the Orient al American ports, by the way of t Canal, the effect can not help but
 felt in business all over the Unit States.