The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-21
Alabarna's Wealth In Coal
 Strong Appeal To Mexico
Proximity Of Birmingham Fields To Mobile
 One Of Greatest Assets For Port

can dollars of $123.O0O.OOO. As this yaim in merchandise shipments to us was more than 21a times the value of our total crude oil importation from all sources, this encouraging condition can not be laid to the oil fields. at Tam pico. '
 Further. in 1923. Mexico stood sec
 nd among all the I.atin-American countries in both imports and exports to and with the United States, being second only to Cuba. And this position gained and held without a formal rec ognition of the de facto government by any of the world powers. and with an uncertain system of credits. Then. in spite of this handicap. the value of her exports to her was $132, 100000 and her imports amounted to $109,000. .000. More than even Brazil, our principal coffee market. But now that we have formally recognized the Mexican gov ernment, and Mexico can again estab- fish her credits. what limits may there not be to the development of trade be- tween the United States and Mexico And what part will Mobile play in that development?
 As Mexico begins her upward climb in commercial development, she will. as matter of course. need great quantities of steel and iron, but hat is not all, nor is it all that will pass through Mobile. There will be saddlery, flour, malt textiles, wood and paper prducts. brick, salt, res, metals, machinery and chemicals.
 Then, too, with the period of revolu- ton receeding back to the horizon, Mexico will demand American agricul- tural implements, Always the Mexican is farmer, and even during the un- certain days of changing governments he titled his soil and doggedly went about the business of gathering what was left him Of his crops For like the rest of us. he. knew that he must eat. Marked Change Under Way.
 But time has changed uncertain con- ditions into certain ones down in Mex ico, and the use of modern agricultural implements has but just begun. Vision giant tractor drawing 24 disc blows at work on the ranches where not so long ago persons worked the same field with crooked stick cultivators of a model familiar to Joseph as he ruled Egypt during the seven years of plenty Yes, in truth, Mexico is on the verge of revolution, but this time it is in- dustrial and commercial and the wea- pons are symbolic rather than martial. The crooked stick cultivator gives way to the tractor, Modern implements are coming in.
 Once, during burst of enthusiasm Mexico was called The Treasure House of the World" And who knows but what the speakers was correct. Even now she is first in the production of vegetable fibers and with her era of industrial expansion ahead. will bring her prominence in fruit raising, coffee growing and in the production of cotton, grain, metals and hides And it must not be forgotten that she is land rich in yet undeveloped and hidden re- sources; a little national whose poten- tial possibilities are so big as to stagger the imagination.
 And the part that vast inland em- pire the Mississippi valley, will play in the development of Mexico! There are some things so vivid as to stun the ina gination. and this is one of them. But gigantic as the valleys part is sure to be, Mobile is the Golden Gate through which all this wealth must pass. And Alabama the St. Peter who will guard the gate and tabulate in the book of time the achievements of Mobile as the gate to this great causeway of trade and commerce with Mexico.