Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-01-15
IN OUR
VALLEY
BY CHARLES HALL

DRESS dispatch headlines thls
L morning read to the effect tina,
the Laredo port will be reopen
ed about Friday.
Friendly cities Of the border town.
which has endured so much stress
lately, congratulate her on this an
nouncement. But 1t will probably be
many days before anything like her
former status in the shipping world
Is restored.
Meanwhile Brownsville has been
put on the shipping map in a man
ner which it is believed she will not
entirely lose. Some of the brokers
here intend to make their Browns
vile offices permanent. Brennan 81
Corrigan have announced to this
effect. Many of the other brokers
will have representatives here. From
this added shipping, many other
things will naturally follow for the
benefit OF Brownsville and the VAL
ley.
THE misfortune Of one city has
brought TO Brownsville dis
tinct advantages but there Is
probably no n thing that will help
fIld a big city like that deep wa
port which has been the goal
1T 30 many months.
A deep water port for Browns
vile Is now probably nearer than
eve before in the history OF the
idea. We should leave no stone I'M
turned to point out that added
shipping facilities make a greater
need for 1t.
The day that Brownsville gets
such an outlet TO deep water ship
ping, on that day she will begin 70
take her place as n Of the most
important coast cities. 1t will add
TO her growth like no other n fac
tor now conceived by her citizen
ship. In fact the nation needs
Brownsville as a shipping center.
INFORMATION has been brought
to the engineer Of this column,
which If true will give another
argument in Washington, and else
where, why Brownsville should have
such a port.
This is the so-called Bannap line.
Frankly. we never heard Of the Ban
nan line until the information was
placed in our hands by a newcomer
10 this city.
1t is said that when James j. Hill
was building his railroad TO the west
he had an engineer named Ban
nan through whose efforts an ina
ginary line was drawn from Duluth
TO Denver. Equal rates TO all ship
ping west of that slanting line. This
line, it is said. extends from Denver
10 Brownsville, forming somewhat
of an obtuse angle. 1t is o said
that all freight 10 a port at Browns
vile can enjoy the same rate from
those far distant cities IN the other
side OF that line as could be enjoy
ed from-say Corpus Christi ID
Brownsville. or any nearby eastern
point. 1t might be well TO look fur
Their into that angle.
LREADY Brownsville is feeling
~ an influx Of people. Whether
they be winter visitors or per-
sons coming to establish a perman-
ent home was not obtained. But re-
quests for homes during the past
week or so have been made at the
Brownsville Chamber OF Commerce
at the rate OF eight Or ten a DAY.
Now, there is another angle TO this.
The homes are hard to find. Some
one wanting a safe investment
should make a survey. They might
find either nice efficiency apart
ments or good neatly furnished
uAomes which can be rented for
bmething like $50 a month, an at
y-active proposition. Anyway, more
homes right now would help out. II
is not known how many home seek
ers never reach the Chamber OF
Commerce to put in their petitions.
AND on top Of all this some one Is
~ trying 10 get the city OF Browns
vile III the Monkey business.
This will probably give waggish wri-
tiers opportunities to try their hands
out at punning and terse sayings.
But from all We could gather from
the letter on the matter, the pro-
moters are in dead earnest.