The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-13
MOBILES GROWTH AS SEAPORT SEEN
lConttued from pare seven


 here, do not include other ports in the Mobile customs district.
 The first II months, excluding June, of the fiscal year of 1924, saw commo- dities valued at $4,743,777 move into the United States from overseas and coastwise ports through Mobile. This represents a gain of $1, ,SO4, $40 for. the year, as Il months of 1923 show inn ports valued at $2,939. .137.
 Exports Slump
 Exports slumped for the year. to the extent of $2,292, ,29e. This loss is at- tribited to the sudden reihoval of the market created in Japan for rails and structural materials by the earthquake several months ago. The Japanese at. tempted to secure the whip hand iH American markets and dictate prices but the American manufacturer refua. ed to be coerced in cutting prices and q practical embargo resulted effective March 31, of this year.
 Steel rails, principal commodity to the east, is listed in third place on the 1924 table, which is compiled as ex- elusive of the months of May and June. Their value was $3,029,97S. Cuba, San to Domingo now provide great mar ket for steel rails, and of all iron and steel commodities from the Birmingham territory through Mobile.
 Imports reached a high value during the year. Sodium nitrate, from Chile, led the field in values, a few cargoes of the fertilizer reaching a value of $2,s31, ,o17, with bananas in second place, worth $533, ,706 and with mo- lasses, from Cuba and Santo Domingo, third, worth $5O1, ,44O. These figures are for 1924, exclusive of May and June. .r
 Lumber Leads Field
 Lumber and wood products lead the entire field of export for the year. Just plain pitchpine lumber, excluding from the table, its by-products, was worth more than eight million dollars. Detailed, rought pitchpine valued at $6,- 45O, ,4S5, and dressed lumber and timber worth $1,645,4S7 passed through the port to Europe, South and Central America, the Caribbean Is- lands and to all parts of the world. The grand total of pitchpine is shown to be $S,O95,972. Tight slaves worth $352, 1885, and slack slaves worth $14s,- 2e6, were shipped from the port.
 King cotton fell into second place in the export rank, with the total value of the staple shipped through Mobile worth $4,476, ,S23 steel rails held down third place worth $3,029, ,97S, flour was fourth in value with its grand total reaching $2,4S3, ,736. Resin, included among the principal commodi- ties handled into ships from Mobile, ranked fifth with the world it's value declared to be $435, 5,225. Export fig. ures given here are exclusive of the month of June, 1924, with import fig ures including all months except those of May and June.
 Unofficial figures on June, 1924 show that commodities alued at $120,- no were brought into Mobile, while exports were worth $2,969, ,210, during the month.
 New Lines Open
 The last year has seen the addition of two steamship lines to the port These are the Transmarine Corpora ton, running a coastwise service from Port Newark to the coast and iron Port Arthur to Mobile to Pensacola tC OII NCWdIhs 1hG ANCW AOLA dnN Porto Rico Steamship company enter ed the field and like the Transmarint is maintaining a regular schedule Ol ships in and out of the port. Othei services from Mobile are maintaining their schedules with cargoes declared to be heavy with freight congestion re ported in some instances.
 The recent reopening of the Mobile Far East berth by the Isthmian InC and Norton Lilly and Company in com bination is expected to swell the to tals of the showings at the close of thu next fiscal year. This will be only a part of the immense volume of water borne traffic which Mobile is confident ly expected to have with the comple tion of dredging work around the pri vately owned piers, and the buildingi of the port terminals embraced in thu port movement program of the state oi Lost articles are found, work is ob-