New-York tribune., 1922-10-29
Montreal Supplants Ne,c York
As FIRST Grain Export Center
local Port Must Look TO IaureIs If IL Is to Re-
tain First Place i'm Future in Foreign Trade;
Movements Under Wayfo Undermine Leadership
BY David S. Kennedy

Ysthir the last five years Montreal
tss supplantsd New York as the greata
est grain exporting center Of North
America. or Of the world. The Cana
,iian city stands next TO New York in
no volume and value Of general ex~
oorts, above Boston. Philadelphia, Nor
goIk. New orlesns, San Francisco and
seattle. With modern port facilities,
dose connection with !nterior sources
sg supply, the advantage Of rail and
yater competition, Montreal has not
fai1ersd in her stride toward a still
higher place in foreign commerce.
This statement is made TO emphasize
ehe fact that New York has definite
task to accomplish il it is not to lose
supremacy in other phases of trade,
as it has done in grain. Satsfactloh
rith the present status OF the CITY
as the premier center Of foreign eoH-
,uerca will not provide protection
Gains, changes In the future. The
work OF the Port Of New York Author
tv Ia evidence Of the intention OF the
commercial interests Of the city to keep
abreast OF the times. The same en-"
Hphtened enterprise is needed IN other
directions
In thts connection II should be re-
-csrsharad that New York did not gain
its existing pre-smiuence througn IN
heY4sancs or through natural evolution
one hundred yesrs ago It was uncer-
tsin whether Boston, Philsdeiphfa OF
New York would stand f1rst among
Aneriesn CITIES. At that time the hits
tewo ports exceeded this city In COM
rnerefal Importance. The turn eams
q al ~RxH
and an impetus was given 70 trans
through New York which placed 1t
definitely in the forefront.
Barge Canal Avsilabie
There ss evidence now that unless
New York is on the alert Montreal
will succeed by the same tactics, OF
~ather through the exercise OF slm-
lar natural advantages. Montreas mas
he benefit of competitive rail and
svafsr rates, while New York has yet
"a bsneAt fully from the existence OF
{b5 new Barge Canal. If the advo-
.ats. of the St. Lawrence waterway
gucceed in putting through their
..rbame FOR the construction of great
cSa1nel there is some probability that
!, vast amount of the trade now routed
bv New York from the Middle west
VIII be diverted TO the Canadian out-
ct, Such result Will follo" "nee'e1
4be supporters of the scheme reailze or
not their vision of ocean ships plying
.hrourh the river to lake ports.
In 1912 New York handled b3,ooo'Voo
bnsbeIs Of grain, against 3s,oo0,0Oo tor
Montreal. By 1921 the grain noving
4broupb this port had fallen to 6s,oOo,-
ann bushels, after reaching maximum
~ $4,000 900 during the var, whlle
Montreal had reached 130soo0,ooo push.
ai~. n is expected that the totals OF
4o5a vii, show a still greater predon-
,nance in favor of Montreal.
This seizure Of supremacy In grain
pas not the result of accident OF OF
causes that could not have been cor
rectsd. Congestion on the rsiiroads
Jsading TO New York, or WITHIN the
Jinaits of the port, together witn Ihe
EXCELLENT facilities offered at Montreal;
resulted In the phenomenal grown OF
tbe Canadian city. Some Of these fac-
tors are temporary. 1t remains TO De
seen whether others are permanent
New York Loses
The comparative rise and fall OF
MontresJ and New York as gram eS-
porting centers are shown in the toi-
owing table, which presents the pic
ture more strikingly than any other
,l,rnr;n+ion figures showing bushe4s);