The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-09

T. Is North Carolina gong, 10 nave
adequate state ports? -
The immediate answer is up to the
General Assembly. e. =
Before it are measures to %appropri-
ate $50, 900 annually from. the General
fund to maintain and operate the State
Ports Authority. This agency is charged
with the responsibility Of developing
the ports and their commerce yeti
has not been given n cent by the
state to do so.
Created by the legislature in 1915
when the nation was at war, it was not
deemed feasible or practical at that time
for it to take up its full duties immedi-
ately. Hence, no funds were provided
in the enabling act. But the Authority
did not wait for the shooting to stop
before laying the groundwork to spear
head it's movement to relieve the state
of a pitiful i~nadequacy in its transporta-
ton system.
Placing first things first, it arranged
for a survey Of potential commerce for
the ports and waterways. Made pos
sible by a grant from the Federal gov
eminent, this study is now we'll under
way. It also began planning for
adequate, modern all-commodity ter
minals. With the end of the war came
the opportunity to seek the now-idle
shipyard for conversion into deep-water
terminals and industrial sites. It has
pressed this latter undertaking with a
thoroughness and diligence seldom *
hibited by an agency Of it's type. Follow
ing refusal of the Maritime commission
to release this great facility, the auth
GRITTY took its sound plea to President
Truman. The result is the proposition
is being reconsidered with good likeli-
hood of favorable action. The Au-
thority has been equally as determined
to promote deeper channels and, to-
gether with the Wilmington port com
mission and others, is looking forward
to the start of dredging the Cape Fear
river to 80 feet this spring.
Concensus of all familiar with it's
activity to date is that it has done an
exceptionally good job. And, remember,
this was accomplished without any ex-
pense whatsoever to the state.
But it has gone just about as far as
it can without financial assistance. It
has been the members pocketbooks,
plus the federal grant and one of $1,000
through the Wilmington port commits
sion, that have made it's progress on
it's program possible. 1t has arrived at
the point where it can now do it's most
material work. Farovable decision on
the appropriation will be a green light
toward lifting North Carolina out Of its
water dormancy. Action
otherwise will be a blow to the AL
thority on the eve of it's fruitful state.
The Authority had done it's share,
despite extremely limited means, to give
birth to a practical ports program.
1t is now up to the people of North
Carolina, through their legislators, to
do theirs in advancing it's plans toward
realization. And the best and immedi-
ate means is to properly finance it. 1t
has shown, under quite a handicap, what
it can and will do.
It is impossible to see how the as
sembiymen can fail to effect this i'm
p~ortant initial step to round out our
transportation picture. Over the years,
many millions have been spent for bet
ter highways. Thousands and thousands
of dollars have gone to make the state
more attractive industrially. Yet, the
vital phase of water commerce has been
woefully overlooked. We cannot be-
lieve this has been intentional.
Certainly the General Assembly is
aware that the Piedmont, industrial
heart Of the state, deserves it's own
deep-water outlets in moving it's thou
sands of types of products to domestic
and foreign markets. 1t should have
better and closer entrances for it's i'm
ported raw materials. In tight COM
petition with other American manufac-
turers, the industrialist in this and other
sections of Tar Heelia cannot afford
to suffer much longer the disadvantages