Show l iDAIL Y HASKIN LETTERi LETTER i t f Panama Mississippi Trade Route f t. t 4 i 4 By By J. J HASKIN y V Often Often nen sp spoken ken o of a as u twin t projects In hi I A Ui thai l. l both are r giant nt Undertakings oven even CorI for Cor I l' l t an tage age ago of confident engineering the conn con- con n of th the Mississippi river and ald the tho conI conof con- con I t tI n of the P Panama nam ca canal a bear a a. still tUI ore fascinating r relationship t p to o one an an- vs oth other thir r and aM one which i IB startling t In Its Us pr pr promise mize mh This Thin t Is their complementary rc- rc I J I as elements o ofa 8 a new mw w world w-orld M. M LA v trade df J That 1 t e rs building I C Panama and n. n id along the tho iiona afton riv river l t- t t IC for toz r foie Alic worlds world's orl I of commerce cocce eom a a L. L Panama canal P canal ocean route is the unavoidable able conViction n c on forc forced d home b by cons consIderation of ot these those two waterways conjointly Containing 1 2 square miles within It its basin or 01 about one half of the Uve tive uye area areaS of the country and reaching with its th the grain stock and ore markets of oC the Northwest and West cud nd the hei of f the Middle states ep th th Mississippi riv river r system y tom forms r u u. wide wide- pread n network of ot waterways arranged to the greatest ant advantage for gathering th the country s prod products Tho The Panama cana canal forms torms the strategic ke key necessary o the fullest realization of oC tho the rivers river's import Import- ance With It its completion a a. waterway In opened be between w n tho the lan st r Industrial center and tho the markets of ot the East Worlds World's Greatest Manufacturer The United States i Is tho the worlds world great great- este manufacturer and there Is every reason reason rea rea- son Mn to o that It St will steadily continue continue con con- to Increase tt It its present lead The output of ot Its Industries has grown from four and one fourth billions of oC dollars in 1870 to five tho and third one-third billions In 1880 and third one billions in 18 1800 0 thirteen billions in 1 1900 OO and is now more than twenty billions Of these growing totals the Mississippi valley produced 27 21 p per percent cent in 30 10 per cent In 1880 35 Zo percent percent per percent cent In 1890 O while today It Is producing about 40 per cent Wares turned out by the factories Inthe Inthe In Inthe the area rea drained b by the Mississippi l have reached the tho annual enormous value of oC and there thero is almost unlimited unUm unUm- Hed opportunity in this territory for Cor further further fur fur- ther thor industrial development de The rhe gross oss value of nil all the products of tho the valley valloy is approximately approximate 15 or greater than that of oC the ant re worlds world's International International international trade That these incomprehensible ble figures will be multiplied d many fold with coming years of or progress seems scorns as assured assured as as- b by indications of present growth and is made doubly certain by the buildIng buildIng building build build- ing of the Panama canal Sources of River Elver Thus the Mississippi has its sources in one of tho the moat re regions ons of oC the thi world and the future of this region Is Ison on only limited by the will of the tho people who I Inhabit It with the improvement and control of ot tho the great rivers river's channel and the tIle channels of its principal tributaries the vast transportation to the port city New ew Orleans Crom whence by shorter routes than those thOle enjoyed cd by competitor nations of Europe these goods may be shipped snipped through the Panama canal to countries on bri tb the west est coast of ot South America and nd In th the th far tar East New ew Orleans Orleans Orleans Or Or- leans will command th most significant markets t for manufactured products This is an outline of ot the promise e of ot the nations nation's s two greatest engineering projects projects pro pro- tho the Pacific Atlantic-Pacific canal and the Improvement of oC Its It national river rl With the successful completion of both there thero is Iff great reat probability that the trade map of the world will undergo a wonderful r re re- re arrangement Among other things It H seems to Indicate that the worlds world's trado trade will b be g diverted from Crom tho the Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlan Atlan- tic to the Pacific oC ocean The western rn coast of ot South Am America lies Ilea nearly due south of ot the mouth of oC the Mississippi and therefore through the canal New Orleans has bas the most direct route The distance from Now Orleans 1 8 to to Yokohama Yokohama the trade ce center oi or japan lapan DY oy way oi or t is ss miles against miles by way of theSues the Suez Sues canaL New Orle Orleans to Shanghai tIm the commercial center of China via Panama Is Is' Is 10 54 miles as compared with miles via Suez To 10 kong one of tho the chief distributing ports port of or merchandise to eastern castern Asia tle distance dis dis- lance tance nce via Panama is while via Ia the Suez it Is The Tho Philippines by way of oC Panama are 1093 miles nilles as against 1 46 miles by way of or the Suez Suc Melbourne tho the largest larlest Australian commercial com corn mercial port 9 s miles mUes distant from Crom New Orleans b by wa way war of ot Panama and via Ia Ia Su z American goods find especial favor In Australia and likewise our exports to Now Zealand aro are rapidly increasing Tho The distance from New Orleana Orleans Or Or- loans leans via Panama to Wellington Now New nv Zealand Is 18 7 39 against 0 via the tho Suez Will Shorten Routes Thus the Kio canal will shorten steamship routes from New Orleans to Manila 1953 miles to Hon konE 2062 miles to Shanghai to Melbourne to Yokohama and to Wellington So the canal eme tremendously doU ly promotes promote the advantages of or New Orleans a as a trading port but more moro than this the waterway a at at Panama gives to the Mississippi port tho the advantage ad over o London the tho pres present nt dominant city in Oriental trade by bring bring- In trig ing it the nearer of or the tho two to most of ot these ports pom The Tho New Orleans routes loutes will willbe willbe be bei shorter by miles mites to Shang Shanghai lal b by 1753 to Melbourne b by 1 1977 to Yokohama and miles mUes to Wellington It Is proper to assume that command of th the markets markets' of oC all on those countries bordering upon the Pacific ocean will bo be given to the products of oC the Mississippi valley by hy tho the development of oC the Ibe Panama anam Pacific canal ocean routes route Tho The markets of or the Pacific countries ell all In the tho course cours of rapid growth se seem e m destined to become the largest Ill In the tho world moreover moreo the bulk of these countries countries countries' coun coun- tries tries' imports arc aro and will for d decades cades remain manufactured manufacture articles article B By re reviewing u. u viewing the amounts of oC present Pacific trade rade trade a B. guage is Is' given for tho the estima estIma- t tion on of oC that volume of business which should como come to the gulf ulC city cli- through the opening of the Panama canal and tnt the improvement of ot tho the Mississippi river with its tributaries to the thA fullest possibilities for navigation The total value vaHle of merchandise l o entering the tho ports of America other than the United States StateR Is 15 greater than each Mch year ear This Thin trade Is mounting swiftly China Is f taking approximately worth orth of goods each year Her r people are aro Just determining to share In Western civilisation atlon This tion should bring with it a a. growing de demand demand de- de mand for commodities B of the Wets that will mil climb to a B. staggering value Japans Japan's Imports Import amount to about a tl year year- About worth of Joo goods s I in taken annually b by Australia Aus and New Ne' Z Zealand lana together take worth The Philippines R end nd the tho Hawaiian wallan Island Import value 7 75 7 yearly Offers Direct ct Route The connection of Argentina to the Pa- Pa chic coast by rail offers otters A n. direct route 2 vIa vla Panama to this country whoso an annual annual an- an nual Imp imports amount to This shows an aggregate Pacific trade of fl 1 II which m may y bo ho expected to to o double dO treble and quadruple during tho thu present c century n There Ther remains about worth of trade don done by ports on the W Western tern coast of the United States giving a a. total o of of ot rapidly expanding trade In which the twin p projects should aid the Mississippi |