Marvelous Prosperity of the South 



685 



merce suffered. Some very interesting 

 figures have been recently published by 

 the United States Bureau of the Census 

 comparing the river traffic of 1906 and 

 1889. While every line of business in 

 the Mississippi Valley has increased enor- 

 mously during this period, the commerce 

 on our waterways has actually dimin- 

 ished. 



The statistics represent all craft of 5 

 tons and over operating on the Missis- 

 sippi River and its tributaries, chief 

 among which are the Red River, Oua- 

 chita River, Arkansas River, Black River, 

 Ohio River, Tennessee River, Cumber- 

 land River, Wabash River, Green River, 

 Kanawha River, Monongahela River, 

 Allegheny River, Missouri River, Illi- 

 nois River, and the Saint Croix River. 



Number of vessels 9,698 



Gross tonnagre 4.530,276 



Commercial valuation - $23,545,342 



Gross income Si7,6ii,555 



Average number of em-i 



ployees on vessels \ 15,342 



Total wages paid j $5,805,807 



Number of passenger.Sj 



carried 13,691,956 



Quantity of freight handled; 



(net tons) 20,849.602 



7.3°° 

 3.364.610 

 4.407,162 

 6,331,872 



15.951 . 

 5,337,18s 



28,289,503 



THE MARVELOUS PROSPERITY OF 

 THE SOUTH * 



In six years, 1900-1906, with an in- 

 crease in the population of about 2,400,- 

 000, or something more than 10 per cent, 

 the South has increased the value of its 

 farm products by $728,000,000, or 57 per 

 cent, and the value of its manufactures 

 $761,000,000, or 52 per cent. It has 

 added 3,493,000 spindles to its cotton- 

 mill outfit, an increase of 55 per cent, and 

 its mills used in 1906 about 2,375,000 

 bales of American cotton, or 48 per cent 

 more than 1900. In the six years the 

 South's annual pig-iron production has 

 increased by 896,000 tons, or 34 per cent ; 

 its coal production by 34,202,000 tons, or 

 69 per cent ; the value of exports at its 

 ports, $177,000,000, or 38 per cent, 

 though it furnishes more merchandise for 



* Extract from the ManufactuV'ers' Record. 



export than it handles through its own 

 ports, and in that time its railroad mile- 

 age has increased by 11,441, or nearly 

 22 per cent, and the assessed value of 

 property by $2,490,000,000, or nearly 48 

 per cent. 



With all this money-making going on, 

 it is not surprising that the South is 

 spending millions of money for improve- 

 ments of many kinds. Counties are 

 building better roads, better bridges, and 

 better school-houses. Municipalities are 

 erecting modern public buildings, install- 

 ing water-works and sewerage systems, 

 and using up-to-date methods and ma- 

 terials in improving streets. Railroad 

 operations are double-tracking their old 

 lines and extending new ones, are build- 

 ing handsome passenger stations, increas- 

 ing terminal facilities, and adding to roll- 

 ing stock. Individuals are devoting their 

 earnings to improving their homes in 

 town or country, or in building new ones, 

 in enlarging barns, in buying stock, farm 

 implements and machinery, in installing 

 fencing, and in adding to the machinery 

 for manufacturing. These investments 

 are likely to increase during the present 

 year and to keep pace with the increasing 

 earning capacity of the South. They are 

 some of the manifestations of a prosper- 

 ity that is adding every day of the year 

 about $7,300,000 to the wealth of the 

 South, and which has brought that wealth 

 close to $20,000,000,000. 



During 1906 the wealth of the South 

 increased $7,300,000 for every day of" 

 the year, Sundays included, or a total of 

 $2,690,000,000. The actual increase in 

 assessed value was $1,076,479,788, and 

 this was on the average 40 per cent of 

 the true value. The amazing magnitude 

 of this gain of $7,300,000 a day is strik- 

 ingly shown by the statement of the Lon- 

 don Express, which, bemoaning the ina- 

 bility of Great Britain to keep pace with 

 America's growth, put the increase in 

 Great Britain's wealth at $7,000,000 a 

 week. Contrast the South's increase of 

 $7,300,000 a day with Great Britain's 

 $7,000,000 a week, and then think of the 

 future. 



