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Show FUTURE OF Present Metropolis May Not Always i Remain Supreme i New. York, Feb. G That New York city has not really reached its maximum maxi-mum of growth, and will find its supremacy su-premacy ns the biggest city and the most important commercial center In the Western world threatened by competitors com-petitors during the next thirty years, is the belief of Walter Laidlaw, secretary sec-retary of the New York Federation of Christian Organizations, and a census expert of note. Df. Laidlaw frankly sets aside as preposterous the commonly accepted estimates of the tromendous growth of the city in the next three decades and -prophoslcs that in 1940 the population popu-lation will not exceed 9,000,000. 1 In a long report on "New York's future," fu-ture," Dr. Laidlaw, notes that the two greatest causes of the city's rapid rise to prominence were the building of the Erie canal nnd immense immigration immi-gration from Europe. In the first place, Dr. Laidlaw sees a continuation in tho decline In tho ' share of Now York In the foreign commerce com-merce of the nation. In the last thirty, thir-ty, years it has fallen from 54.8 to 47.7. Canada is becoming an important competitor com-petitor nnd other American ports are doing their best to overturn! New I York, Providence, Boston, Baltimore, ' Philadelphia and other ports are formidable for-midable rivals. The proposed Sntercoastal canal, the development of the Mississippi, tho completion of the Panilma canal and the favorable positions of cities to the south of New York to engage in trado with South America, will all tend to dwarf New York. Other factors fac-tors are the decline of Immigration,1 the diminishing export trade with Eu- ropo; the awakening of China and tho Increasing Importance of Pacific com- I merce. The Pacific coosL the statistician statis-tician thinks. Is bound to run the east hard for Its present supremacy. ''It Is not unbelievable, that Now York may, within a half century, find itself outstripped by some .of its energetic en-ergetic young rivals and in a fair way to become a way station on ihe road to Baltimore, New Orleans, San Francisco, Fran-cisco, or some other metropolis." |