The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-19
Bulk Commodities Basis
 or Mobile Port Traffic
Greater Diversity In Commerce Is Continually
 Noted From Alabama Gateway

,95S tons, O.7, pc rcent. All others-S6,912 tons, 32.2 per cent.
 Lumber and prodcts-217, ,596 tons, 53.6 per cent.
 Iron and steeL65,s11 tons, ST per cent. s-a t.
 Coal-S3, 1923 tons, 47.5 per cent.
 Cotton-28, ,07S tons, 3.9 per cent.
 Naval stores-1S,942 tons, 2.5 per cent. ss re
 Salt-l7,997 tons, 2.S per cent.
 All others-157 ,564 tons, 2O.5 per cent. .....--.-..-. sl s
 Received
 Lumber and products--211, ,596, 44.S per cent. ... ,....
 Petroleum and products s9, ,413 tons, 1S.2 per cent.
 Coal-77,93s tons, 15.9 per cent.
 Sand and gravel-73,S13 tons, 15 per
 Feed, hay, grain-11,1o4 tons, 2.s per cent.
 Naval stores-s,22e tons, IT per cent
 All others-Zs15 tons, 1.6 per cent.
 CoalE83, 1923 tons, 47.5 per cent.
 Lumber-34, 491 tons, 19.4 per cent,
 Feed-Hay, grain-17, ,6953 tons, 1O.S per cent.
 Naval stores-1O.177 tons, 5.7 per cent.
 All others-2s,S9s tons, 16.6 per cent. II .t'
 But, as Ellis Parker Butler once wrote a story, "Just Because Pigs Is Pigs" so might one do yarn and call it, Statistics is Statistics" For figures are matter of fact and more or less colorless,. but still like the sub ject of pigs they also represent possi- bilities. To mention that so many tons of this or that was handled through Mobile is interesting only to limited number of readers interested in those specific commodities. But all of us have more or less of romance in our makeup and all of us dream dreams of far away places where the mundatie and eommonplace is unknown and to which one, day we are going in realiza- tion of our inborn wanderlust: sa.
 Shipping Has Lure B r s5s
 And what is there to stir the heart and ,imaginatio of sInan as does the
  that enter Mobile are those of the seven seas. Sturdy craft not particularly beautiful to look upon, they come from the quarters of the world, from Africa perhaps, the land of deserts, jungles and vast open spaces; or maybe it is the Orient, the very essence of all that ap- peals to r the imagination again |, might be from the shores of the tur- quOise blue Mediterranean, the cradle of history and of odr civiliZatiOn; but it might be from the ,rock-bound shores of the north land, of the Viking and the Norseman and the pioneers of deep sea lore. But from whatever port she comes, like homing pigeon the ships 0f the sea find safe harbor and port to unburden themselves of the treasures of the world and to fill their bellies with the riches of our inland empire-the Mississippi valley.
 And what does this mean to Mobile: That into tue port comes molasses and sugar from Cuba and Porto Rico, ba- nanas and tropical fruits from Central America, sisal grass from Mexico. chicle from Honduras, shingles from British 4,oiHfnhia,. aluminium oreS from BrltlSh .(Suiana, nitrate of potash salts from Chile spices and burlap from India. coffee from Brazil and valuable woods and ivory from the Malay Archipelago.
 But what does Mobile ship out to the world in return? The port is the clear ing house in export for agricultural im- plements from Chicago, boots and shoes from St. Louis cotton from Memphis, tobacco from, Louisville, grain from kansas City, packing house products from Omaia, machinery from Cincin- nati, furniture from Grand Rapids, sack flour from Des Moines, salt from New Iberia, La, iron and steel from Blr- mingham, lumber from Mississippi, and automobiles from Detroit. This is Mo bile's commerce. not possibly as it lS today, but as iteis destined to be in the near and steadily advancing future.