Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-09-25
Backers Would Make
Morehead Busy Port
Continued From Page Onee

Continued From Page Onee
if il is certain that Morehcad will
be served by regular steamer line
with solid financial support. This
sort of support would be provided
should the Baltimore interests sue
coed in forming Il new corporation
10 take over the Morchcad terminals
under tWcnty-four year lease.
The tWo-pronged drive in Wash
ington is being directed at the De
partmcnt of Agriculture and the Re-
construction Finance Corporation.
The Department is being urged TO
make Morehead the center Tor stor-
agc of cotton and tobacco, the pur-
chase Of which has been financed by
the government. At present, huge
Quantities of North and South Caro-
lima cotton, upon which the Federal
! government has loaned money, are
being stored in warehouses at Gal
weston and other points along the
southeastern Atlantic coast and inc
Gulf. It is argued that tranSporta-
tion costs would be much less il the
: cotton were stored at Morehcad ana
that it would be much more con-
veniently located for eventual re-
shipment to textile plants, most Oh
which are in North Carolina.
Proponents Of the warehouse plans
point out that there is absolutely no
logic in shipping the tobacco away
from where it is raised. They con-
tend that when the government mas
financed the purchase OF tobacco lor'
saw, British Imperial company, the
soIndcst thing to do is TO store 1t IN
warehouses located near the grow
ing place-this pointing straight al
IMOrchcad.
Then the tobacco would be kept
tncrc until the Imperial got ready
TO export il, when the next lo9Icai
step would be to load it at Morehead;
thus giving the port more business
/ In the matter Of ports Of entry Tor
essential raw materials for na1lona
defense, the r. F. c. has the power
of selection Of ports-thou9h no
body seems to know just why IL
should be vested in that agency u
former U. S. Senator Henderson is
in charge and it is at HIM mat III"
Tar Heel Congressman are directing
their efforts TO have MOrchcad used
/ II is pointed out that raw material
copper, tin, rubber, etc.-Whch
brought in for use by industry should
not be concentrated at any one port
or even in few; but should be
spread out over the entire coast, thus
minimizing the chances Of success
4 full destruction of the material by
enemy air attack or bombardment.
Congressional advocates Of the
plans realize that they are up against
tough proposition. Time after time
intensive efforts have been made TO
build up business al Morchead ana
/ lust as many times they have bog
ged down badly after rosy Initial
prospects.
They feel that this time the right
combination may have been found,
and there is a large degree OF OPP
/ tjmism in their view Of the chances.
To begin with, it seems practically
certain that plans for the HInKIna
lease of the terminal facilities vii!
50 through. The proposed lease must
of course, be approved by creditors
of the port terminal setup and OF inc
once statc-oWned Atlantic and East
Carolina railroad, now operated by
private interests headed by II. L.
Edwards of New Bern and Ed Buc-
han Of kinstOn.
That will give solid and sub
stancial financial inducement tot
establishment Of regular calls for the
port terminals and the railroad to
the port will be controlled by in
! terests which also control steamer
lines. 1t is obvious that these inter