The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-18

from q rev SuCn IlTmS.
From Mr.. Thurmond Chatham,
president Of the Chatham Manufac-
turing company:
II do not know Of anything that
will be worth more to all the bust
nesses of Jul state than the devel-
opment of cur port at Wilmington.
It will certainly do much to develop
our commerce and result in ans
portation savings to many shippers
and receivers. Selfishly, it would
mean a lot to Chatham Manufactur-
ing company, as during 1889 and
1910 we imported lilo bales of for
eign cotton, most Of this coming
through New York due to lack of
PROPER facilities at the Wilmington
port"
From a high officer of the Corps
of Engineers:
"The port is not a local proposition
and Shout be developed into the ma
jor port city for the two Carolinas.
More water depth and terminal ia
ilities are needed il Wilmington ex-
poets to move forward as a pc :
city,"
In the meantime, Wilmington is
showing every evidence Of arousing
themselves to their possibilities. Mr..
J.. T. HERS, executive general agent
Of the Wilmington port commission,
has been canvassing the exporting
trade very fully and finds them
very sympathetic to the idea of de-
veloping Wilmington as an export
and import port for North Carolina
and South Carolina. They have an
excellent harbor."
From the traffic manager of over
800 cotton mills:
ut will nc doubt be agreed that
the state of North Carolina is in
urgent need Of a fully developed port
for the movement Of Che products of
it's industries and at the present time
the textile products shipped from
North Carolina via water to points
On the Pacific coast, for example,
must move through other ports such
as Norfolk or Charleston and a vast
majority Of the export traffic must
be handled through other South At
lantic or Eastern ports.
"A recent survey of the tonnage of
textile products moving through the
Panama Canal from approximately
twenty Of the larger mills in North
Carolina showed such tonnage to ag-
gregate thirteen million pounds an
nually. We can see no reason why
such tonnage along with the tonnage
Of other North Carolina industries
should not be moved through a North
Carolina port, provided such port is
equipped with proper warehousing
facilities, and adequate steamship
service is provided therefrom."
These comments could only have
been obtained from men who had
been thoroughly convinced that the
port of Wilmington was an asset of
incalculable value to the state. They
could be multiplied many times by
letters from equally prominent bust
mes men and editorials from papers
in all the larger cities of the state.
As Mr.. HERS Travelled about the
state in his effort to induce the use
OF the Port Of Wilmington he found
a great number of potential users of
the port who stated that, because IA
~eilities designed and adequate for
their commodities were not available,
they found themselves unable to en-
joy the rate savings which such use
would afford them. They first sug-
gested and then became deeply in
terested in the establishment of pub
lie terminals and tobacco warehouses
at Wilmington. AS a result of these
suggestions, two applications have
been made by the City of Whining
ton for loans from governmental
agencies for the establishment of
such terminals and warehouses. The
first application for over $1,000, 900
was made in September, 1898, to the
Public Works administration. This
application was not successful.
On December 10, 1910, the City of
Wilmington filed an application with
the Reconstruction Finance Corpo.
ration for a loan of $635,0OO for the
establishment of public terminals and
tobacco warehouses. The application
and all work in connection with it
was, by the joint action Of the city
and county, committed to the Port
Commission. This application was
disapproved on January 4. for the
stated reason that there was not suf-
ficient assurance that the revenues
from the project would repay the
loan.
Immediately upon receipt of this
information from the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation, the Port Com
mission sought and obtained a con
ference with the Chief Of the Self
Liquidating Division of the Recon
struction Finance Corporation, who
Iagreed to reopen the matter and per-
NIT the Commission to file additiona.
supporting data. The application is
still pending with the RIG, anl
daily additional supporting tonnage
figures are being assembled to fur
Their strengthen the showing already
made. Additionally, the governor o:
the state, both senators, several O.
the representatives, and dozens o
outstanding business men are giving
the APPLICATION their w~hole-heartet
support. This definitely shows thu
project to be one of statewide inter
est. A great many organizations ano
firms r actively endeavoring to gel