transported from the railroad cars to the ships at the minimum of time and expense. The Government of the United States has already established a fast railway mail service between New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, and Tampa, to connect them with the Havana steamers, making the distance from New York City in thirty-six hours, and touching the principal cities of the Atlantic coast, where mails from the west are collected, as the trains pass daily. The distance from Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and other great cities of the West to Tampa is about the same as that from New York to Tampa and from those cities to New York, and the railway connections are such that a letter from Chicago via Tampa to ports of the Caribbean Sea would have the same advantage of speed and transportation as a letter from New York, and freight from the Western cities for such port would be carried by rail to Tampa as quickly and as cheaply as to New York. The distance from Tampa to Colon, taking that port as an illustration, both as to time and mileage, is much less than from New York, the time being five and a half days, while the steamers at present in use between New York and Colon make the journey in eight to nine days. It could not be expected that the exporters of New York would avail themselves of this advantage of time in the shipment of heavy merchandise, for the cost would be much greater if sent part way by rail, but for mail and passengers it would be found very convenient; while the merchants and the manufacturers of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and other cities of the West, who produce most of the articles shipped to South America, would not only be able to place their merchandise upon the docks of Tampa in the same time and at the same cost that is required to deliver it in New York, but with much greater convenience and less cost, so far as wharfage and handling at the terminal points are concerned. The same holds true of merchandise imported into the United States from the Southern republics for consumption in the Southern and Western States. The merchants of Chicago, some months ago, sent to the President of this Conference a memorial for the establishment of steamship facilities at Tampa, which is in accordance with the foregoing facts. The merchants and manufacturers of the Southern portion of the United States would derive great benefit by the establishment of the proposed line, and the rapidly developing industries from that section seem to be entitled to special consideration. At the same time, in addition to the advantages already pointed out, all those engaged in trade between the United States and the countries bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean would enjoy the great benefits of competition. With properly constructed steamers the proposed line would be of incalculable service to those engaged in the shipment of fruit and other perishable articles, which suffer severely from long voyages and bad weather at sea. A very large portion of the fruit coming to the United States from Central and South America is consumed in the Southern and Western cities of the United States, and the same is true of coffee, hides, and other merchandise, while the principal articles of export from the United States come mainly from the same cities; the flour from Richmond and Minneapolis, provisions from Chicago, refined petroleum from Cleveland, and furniture from Grand Rapids, while Georgia and the Carolinas, as well as other Southern States, are largely interested in the shipment of cotton goods. But the greatest advantage to be derived from such a line would be the improvement in mail and passenger transportation between the United States and the ports. east, west, and south of Colon, the time from New York to the latter port being shortened to five and a half days or six days, if, as suggested, the proposed steamers make a deviation from a direct line from Tampa to Port Limon and Greytown. The voyage from Tampa to Colon, 1,200 miles, would be made by fast steamers in less than five days, and by rapid railway trains either New York or Chicago could be reached from the latter port in six and a half days. Such an improvement upon present facilities for travel is worthy of the careful consideration of the Delegates to this Conference and of the Governments they represent. The plan above suggested for a line of steamers from Tampa to Colon proposes that the steamers, if established, shall visit the city of Mobile regularly to deliver and receive freight, after having landed their mail, passengers, and freight at Tampa. There are also many considerations in favor of New Orleans as an outport. The geograpical position of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi makes it the natural outlet not only to Central and South America, but to other ports of the world, for the products of the great valley this river drains, which constitute the bulk of the exportable commodities of the United States. The breadstuffs, the provisions, the agricultural machinery and implements, the furniture, and petroleum, and the centers of their production are all within convenient distance of water transportation. In many instances the construction of rival railway lines has diverted commerce from natural to artificial channels, but the difference in distance from Chicago and St. Louis to the ports of the Gulf and the Caribbean Sea via New Orleans is so great as to offer advantages over New York as an outport that could not be overlooked if proper steam-ship facilities to these ports were furnished. There are already several lines of steam-ships of a comparatively insignificant tonnage between New Orleans and the Central American ports. They represent a growing sentiment and a growing sympathy which should be encou aged and fostere by the several Governments interested. These steam-ships have already done much to increase the exports as well as the imports of New Orleans, but they have been established and sustained by private enterprise, the assistance given them by the United States Government having been so small as to be unworthy of consideration compared with the aid extended them by some of the Spanish American Governments. It has been maintained before the committee that the portion of the United States most interested in the development of direct traffic between New Orleans and the 563A-21 ports of the Gulf and the Caribbean Sea is that which suffers most from over-production, and has until now been the least interested in the expansion of foreign trade. New Orleans is the terminus of six trunk lines of railway and of 20,000 miles of river navigation. It is the largest port of entry in the South. Its imports during the last fiscal year amounted to $15,400,000. Of that sum $10,400,000 was composed of five articles, all of which came from Central and South America, namely, coffee, sugar, fruit, hemp, and India rubber. As before stated, the Central American countries already pay a good deal to maintain the existing transportation facilities on the western coast of the continent. Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Republics of Colombia and of Venezuela bordering upon the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, can be reached by moderately fast steamers from Tampa, Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, or Galveston in from three to five days. These countries contain a population of 20,000,000 people, while the population of the United States approximates 65,000,000. It would be difficult to overestimate the benefits that would accrue to all of these States from prompt, regular, and economical means of mail, passenger, and freight transportation. In view of these facts and of their proximity, and of the small amount required to furnish ample facilities, it seems incredible that the Governments at interest have so long delayed the establishment of such facilities. It is doubtful if anywhere upon the globe there exists an equal opportunity for accomplishing commercial results as beneficial to 85,000,000 people as could be secured at the small cost involved in establishing first-class communication between the ports of these States, and it is confidently expected that at the Governments of the several countries named, when attention is properly directed to this subject, and when the small cost of adequate service is pointed out, will adopt the necessary measures to secure it. Experience demonstrates with reference to transportation facilities: First. That they should be frequent, rapid, regular, and economical. Second. That they should be under the control of or friendly to the interests which they are supposed to serve. And, as before stated, the policy of many of the Governments interested shows that Government assistance for the new lines contemplated is regarded as essential, from the fact that it requires several years before speedy lines of communication become self-sustaining. In view of the proximity of all the ports of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the advantages that would accrue from increased social, commercial, and international intercourse, their dependence upon proper communication, the improbability that this will be established by unaided private enterprise, the duty of Governments to promote public welfare, the small public expenditures required to secure adequate mail, passenger, and freight facilities, and the necessity for their control by the countries whose interests they should subserve, the International American Conference recommends to all the nations bordering upon these waters the granting of Government aid in the establishment of first-class steam-ship service between their several ports upon such terms as they may mutually agree upon with reference (a) to the service required, (b) the aid it is necessary to extend, (c) the facilities it will severally afford them, (d) the basis upon which they are to contribute, (e) the amount that each is to pay, (f) the forms of agreement between the several Governments, and the nature of contracts with steam-ship companies necessary to the successful execution of a general plan for such service. MANUEL ARAGÓN. J. F. HANSON. |