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building Co. and the Todd Shipbuild- ing and Dry Dock Co. Inc., have the most extensive plants at the Alabama seaport. Their largest dry docks are of 10,000 tons capacity and_ their shops and equipment are such that major repair and construction con- tracts can be completed with the greatest dispatch. The Southern Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co., Harrison Shipbuilding Co. and Murnan_ Ship- building Corp. have smaller but effi- cient plants for building small crait and making marine repairs. Immediately after the World war a subsidiary company of the United States Steel Corp. built eleven first class freight steamers of approximate- ly 10,000 tons at Chickasaw, Mobile suburb, and President James J. Far- rell, of the steel corporation, has pub- lically stated that when more ships are required, they will be built at the Chickasaw plant; that nowhere in this country could the steel corpora- tion build such ships with greater economy. The plant at Chickasaw ae CARGO HANDLING AT PIER B, ALABAMA STATE DOCKS. HANDLED FROM SHIP TO WAREHOUSE and the modern industrial city built to house employes, could again be placed in commission with minor re- placements. The big corporation has refused to sell any part of its Chick- asaw holdings. Improvement of channel and _har- bor, construction of modern terminals, with the wide advertisement received as a result of this forward movement by the state of Alabama, together with some favorable revision of the rate structure and additions to rail and steamer lines serving the port of Mobile, have combined to greatly in- crease its commerce, as shown by sta- 50 tistics recently released by the United States engineers. The report shows the total commerce for the year 1928 including bunker coal and oil was 4,- 405,872 tons, valued at $153,268,228. This is the largest total, both in tons and value, in the 200 years of Mobile’s port history. It represents an in- crease of 227,104 tons and $9,795,485 over the 1927 commerce, and an in- crease of 212 per cent over the com- merce of 1921, the first normal post- war year. Imports showed the larg- est increase, and shipments coastwise next. of bananas, The imports consisted largely ecocoanuts, molasses, SHOWING HOW SUGAR IS sugar, dying materials, news print paper, manganese ore, iron ore, kain- ite, manure salts, sodium nitrate, as- phalt, crude drugs, and other miscel- laneous items. Exports consisted prin- cipally of grain, naval stores, unman- ufactured cotton, logs, lumber and timber, coal, coke, manufactured iron or steel, railway track material, pipe, wire, machinery, ammonium sulphate, and a variety of other commodities. By far the most important item in the export list was raw cotton. The value of this item exceeded all others, amounting to $22,353,448. The coastwise shipments, which in- MARINE REVIEW—July, 1929 clude intercoastal trade via the Pan- ama canal, show a_ substantial in- crease. The biggest item in this trade is iron pipe and fittings and other forms of manufactured iron and steel from the Birmingham district. Regular and frequent sailings of numerous steamship lines from port of Mobile to those ports and coun- tries with which the ports of the Gulf have advantageous trade rela- tions should be given a great part of the credit for the Alabama port’s ex- panding commerce. There is an average sailing of one ship every three days from Mobile to LOADING CAST IRON PIPE AND UNLOAD- ING CANNED GOODS FROM PACIFIC COAST AT MOBILE the Pacific ports of the United States. John W. White, assistant to the gen- eral manager of the state docks esti- mates that the west coast traffic to and from Mobile, has increased 16 per cent during the twelve months ending June 1, this year. The four lines in this trade are the Gulf Pacific, Luck- enbach, Redwood and Isthmain steam- ship operating companies. Frequent sailings of the Aluminum line, Munson line, Mississippi Ship- ping Co. and Van Heynigan Brokerage Co. have greatly increased the regular commerce of the port with Central America and South America. A list of sailings published monthly by the state docks commission shows 82 lines making regular sailings to various parts of the world. While providing a site for the Ala- bama State terminal system, the docks commission acquired a tract of 550 acres of land fronting on Mobile bay and within the city limits of Mobile, both for future expansion of the port terminals and for lease to tonnage pro- ducing industries. ee Se ee