DURANGO COTTON IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY, 19 
rate higher than that paid by the cotton belt. Attention may be 
called, however, to the possible entry into the situation in the not 
distant future of new factors which may result in a lower rate by 
other routes. 
Granted vessel space, it would be possible to move the Imperial 
Valley cotton to eastern United States and -Kuropean markets 
through the Panama Canal from the port of San Pedro. Calexico, 
the southernmost point in the Imperial Valley, is 248 miles from San 
Pedro, and the carload cotton rate from all points in Imperial Valley 
to San Pedro is 40 cents per 100 pounds. Before the European war 
an ocean rate of $7 per ton was available through the canal from 
San Pedro to New York. If, after the close of the war, when a large 
tonnage of vessels will be released for peaceful commerce, the ocean 
rate is equally favorable, the freight charge by the canal route will be 
less than by rail, even with the additional expense of marine in- 
surance and the cost of transfer at San Pedro from cars to vessel. 
No figures are available to make a comparison of through rates to 
European ports via San Pedro with those via Galveston or New 
Orleans, but the rate via San Pedro under normal conditions would 
probably be the lower. The rail rate from the Imperial Valley to San 
Pedro is 65 cents less per hundred pounds than the rates to the Gulf 
ports, and it is not likely that the ocean rates from San Pedro to 
New York and to European ports would exceed the rates from the 
Gulf ports by so large an amount. 
The freight rate alone is not always the determining factor in the 
selection of one route in preference to another. Consideration is 
given to questions of service, and an important element of service is 
the length of time in transit. The present average time by the rail- 
and-water route through Galveston or New Orleans is two weeks to 
either of those ports, plus an additional week to New York. Records 
of past sailings indicate that there would be an advantage in time in 
shipping to New York via San Pedro through the canal. 
In connection with the water route through the canal, mention 
should be made of the railroad now under construction between San 
Diego and El Centro, the completion of which will give the valley an 
outlet for its cotton through an additional Pacific port. Although 
San Diego is 102 miles south of Los Angeles Harbor (San Pedro), 
and therefore somewhat nearer the Panama Canal, yet in view of 
the fact that the total distance from San Diego to New York is ap- 
proximately 5,000 nautical miles, and that to Liverpool is in excess of 
7,000 nautical miles, it is not likely that this slightly shorter distance 
from San Diego will make any difference in the ocean rate. With 
respect to the rail haul, however, the average distance from all cot- 
ton-ginning stations to San Diego will be 85 miles less than to San ~ 
Pedro. If account be taken only of Imperial and Calexico, at which 
