The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-16
'SIBERT PROMISES
 EARLY START ON ! PORT TERMINALS
There Will Be Important Developments During
 March, He Says
CONFERENCE HELD WITH
 l.. & N. RAILROAD HEADS
Docks Boards Plans To Let Contract In September,
 If Possible

l MOBILE, Ala, March 15.-(Speciai Leased Wire )-Plans of the state docks commission for construction of facilities at the port of Mobile will be sufficiently matured to allow the letting of contracts on the first day of the second year of the life of the constitutional amendment providing public funds for the work, ac- cording to information at the local office yesterday. Definite information regarding the status of the tentative program was not divulged, but three was intimation important develop ments,' looking to the selection of site for the wharves and facilities, will come this month. a One million dollars, allowed by state law the first year. will be ample to carry out commission plans to gain possession of land, rearrangement of railroad tracks and other things. On the first day of the second year, in September, two million dollars additions al will be available mad the docks com mission will be prepared to start cons struction work on actual facilities at that moment, it was stated today. $5.OOO.OOO Available-Under pro vision of the law, which enables the state to issue bonds for port construc- tion, five million dollars is available. Five million more will be available when the first five million investment produces dividend. A brief statement of Gen. William l.. Sibert, docks com mission chairman and engineer, yester- day, said there will be important de- velopments during March, The next development of significance will proba- l,I, l. Al. aI. Al -T. two or three. and when the commission definitely decides the plan one, two or three, and when the commission def initely decides the plan to use in port construction property owners will De asked to give their very lowest price. Should the prices be higher than the state board of appraisers considers just. court proceedings would then be instituted by the commission.
 Plans one and two are for port con struction along the Louisville and Nashville tracks, between One and Three Mile Creeks. Plan one provides for the removal of the tracks, so as to permit the placing of docks and wharves where the tracks are now located. Plan two provides for canal to connect the two creeks, the tracks remaining intact. Plan three is at Chickasaw, the exact location being withheld. Back From L0uisville-General Sib- ert has just returned from Louisville,
 Ky, where he conferred at length with W. l.. Mapother,, president of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, re- garding the cO-operat tion the corpora tion will give in port construction. The railroad of the Louisville and Nashville 1 wnltn tn ha hoo
 siderable distance should plan one be adopted. The same road would be af- fected by the adoption of plan two. While General Sibert did not say what were the developments in Louisville, his statement several weks ago said every possible means of cooperation" had been assured by railroads.
 Engineers and other attaches of the commission are working at ''top speed" preparing preliminary work in connec- tion with the giant project of port building, and it is known that when plan is adopted the plan will be far advanced
 The commission will not get away from the idea that facilities, for which there is no immediate demand should not be built. The facilities will De those which the commission believes are essential to a successful port
 The statement of the commission to- day that two million dollars addition al will be available in September in- dicated port work will be far advanced during the latter part of next year, pro- vided there is no delay in getting pos session of the land, which will De necessary for port use. The first one million dollars is considered sufficient to get the land, rearrange tracks and do those things necessary before work actually begins