The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-10
PEOPLES FORUM
PORT AND PRODUCING
 CENTERS

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 I cannot understand why your papers, located at both Birming- ham and Mobile, do not center your editorials, as we'll as your news items, in featuring the nat ural position of both Birmingham and Mobile.
 Birmingham: AS you know, Bir- mingham can manufacture steel and pig iron at least from one and half to four times cheaper than any other place in the United States on account of the ingre- dients, viz, iron ore, flux and coal, being within a radius of a few miles of one another. What other manufacturing city in the United States enjoys this advan- tage? A railroad for the handling of heavy commodities of this char acter can be built and operated from Birmingham to Birmingham port, located on the Warrior river. and they in turn can carry these heavy commodities at freight rate cost of twenty five cents per ton maximum, or switching charge minimum, and an open barge with a carrying capacity of a thousand tons (to cost not over s4,000 or $5,000, each with push boat costing about s100,000) will bring to Mobile tidewater iron, steel and coal in quantities of 10000 to 12,000 tons each push boat at a maximum cost of twenty five cents per ton and minimum cost of ten cents per ton. The maximum includes taking the barge back to Birmingham port empty, and the minimum includes carrying it loaded with freight from Mobile as high as Birming- ham port. There is an abundance of freight to be carried from Mobile up the river, provided the proper rates are made. There fore, you can readily see that the difference in the freight rate by water from Birmingham to Mobile over the present freight rate by rail, which is two dollars and some odd cents, on pig iron and steel would be five times cheaper. Now, what does this mean? This means that Birmingham can manufac- ture, as above stated, Iron and steel one and one-half to four times cheaper than anywhere in the United States and can deliver to tidewater by barge five times cheaper freight rate than any other place in the United States. At Holt, Ala, there Is, a large furnace located on the river banks. Not one pound of pig iron or steel is shipped via water from this furnace and no barges built suit able to take advantage of this low rate, but all shipments are made via rail I believe I am correct errators base the rate of these commodities on the Pittsburg base rate on pig iron and steel.
 Mobile: After delivery of the raw material from Birmingham Is made to Mobile. what port is more advantageously situated? First, we receive the raw pig iron and steel at least five times cheaper freight rate. and at Birmingham the manufacture of iron and steel is one and one-half to four times cheaper than at Gary, or Great Lake ports, or any other port in the Pnited States, consequently, this iron and steel, including freight, should cost correspond ing less price delivered to Mobile.
 Manganese Ore: Manganese ore can be brought to Mobile and de- livered at cheaper prices than any port in the United States where the pig iron and steel is accessible by water Surely, we can get man ganese ore delivered to us at Mo bile cheaper than that delivered to Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes, as it takes steamer at least seven days longer to make the trip to the Great Lakes, and the