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RAW a line north and south through New York City and practically every foot of the continent of South America will be found to lie to the

east of the line.

A line dropped directly south from the tip of Florida will land out in the Pacific Ocean, far to the west of the westernmost coast of South America.

Including Alaska and the Alaskan islands in the territory of the United States on the North American continent, the east and west center of the country is located some scores of miles out in the Pacific Ocean, to the westward of San Francisco.

Those are perfectly apparent, but generally unrecognized, facts to which the imminent opening of the Panama Canal has called attention.

Great commercial cities of the East, South and West, doing their best to get ready for the epoch-making opening of the big ditch, have made these and other equally surprising discoveries in geography. They have been drawing trade lines, with the canal as the center, to show how close each of them is to the vast, undeveloped markets of the Far East and the western coast of South America.

New Orleans, for instance, has figured out that the canal will put her six hundred miles nearer Asia than is New York. With that as a starting point, the Crescent City has gone on to make elaborate preparations for the handling of the enormous trade to which she feels she is entitled by reason of her strategic position.

And, strangely enough, it has remained

for the old French city-the sleepy, exotic, picturesque, old town of magnolias, Creole beauties and Mardi Gras carnivals to set its more noisy rivals an example of municipal enterprise and far-sighted planning. What is already done is declared by Commissioner of Corporations Herbert Knox Smith, to be "the best example in the country of a practical coördination of rail, industrial and water business, for the benefit of the entire community."

traffic may not be forced to pay a tribute to a private purse, more than seven miles of the river frontage are publicly owned and managed.

Nearly thirty great wharves have been built at public expense, fitted with huge steel warehouses for the storage of goods and with modern machinery for the quick handling of grain, fruit, coal and other products.

New Orleans lies in a loop of the Father of Waters, backing up on Lake Pontchartrain. The great river furnishes a highway from the North for all the products of the Mississippi valley. Alongside the river also run great railroads, leading down from Chicago and the North.

Though located a hundred miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the giant jetties built years ago by Captain Eads so confine the river that its resistless waters keep constantly scoured clean a deep channel, giving easy access for ocean going vessels. At the docks in New Orleans steamers from St. Paul, two thousand miles inland, and rusty cargo boats from Liverpool and Italy may rub noses together.

That these docks may be kept free of burdensome charges, that the gateway to

But the people of New Orleans have not been content with securing permanent public control of their water front. Equally important with water transportation-more important to local industries -is transportation by rail. And just as railways by favoring one city or one section of a state, as opposed to others, have shown their power to divert and concentrate business prosperity, so have they the power to foster the growth of one section of a city-of one group of industries at the expense of others. If a big plant has a switching track of its own running through its property, cases have been known where a rebate has been collected by charging the railroads to which freight is delivered a considerable sum for each car handled over the private tracks. And where loaded cars must be switched from the tracks of one road to another before getting started toward their destination there are always likely to be delays and other annoyances.

railroad, intersecting all the railroads. entering the city-the Illinois Central, the Southern Pacific, the Louisville & Nashville, the Texas & Pacific and the New Orleans & Northwestern among others. The tracks of the belt road also run along the river front, so that a car of freight can be set alongside any one of the publicly owned and operated docks. Connected with the belt road are switch tracks leading to nearly fifty of the largest industrial plants in the city, putting each one of them into direct touch with all railroad, river and ocean transportation.

Up to the present time about eleven miles of double track belt road have been constructed at public expense at a total cost of half a million dollars. The charge made by the belt road for handling freight is two dollars a car, regardless of tonnage and empty cars are returned or delivered free of charge. For the past year the receipts of the belt road have exceeded the expenditures by about three thousand a month.

The belt road already owns a right of way running in a half circle about the city and it is proposed to shortly extend the line, making a total mileage of over twenty-two miles of double track. For the purpose of meeting the construction expense the Commission which has the affairs of the road in charge has authority to issue bonds up to two million dollars.

This Commission is made up of the mayor and sixteen other members appointed from the ranks of the leading business men of the city. In practice it

A MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEAMBOAT. These boats are important factors in the commerce of the Crescent City.

has been found easy to get able and public-spirited men who are thus willing to give their time and best efforts for the common good, without receiving a cent of salary in return. The actual operation of the road is in the hands of a trained railroad superintendent, a secretary and an engineer.

The plan of operation is simple. If a shipper along the line has freight to be moved from his factory he simply notifies the nearest belt line clerk, naming the destination of the consignment. Next morning the belt will deliver the proper cars on his siding. When the loaded cars are switched out the shipper receives a receipt from the belt line conductor which is exchangeable at the office of the railroad to which the freight is consigned for a regular bill of lading. When inbound shipments are expected the belt line clerk is notified that certain cars, giving their numbers and initials and place of origin, are expected on a specified date. Within a few hours of their arrival in New Orleans they will be switched into the consignee's side-track. When cars are held up by shippers the belt line pays the railroad which owns them a per diem charge during the delay and collects in its turn from the shipper. In addition to its primary work of thus offering equal opportunities to all ship

pers to and from New Orleans the belt line road also does other important work for the common good. Located about two miles apart along the river front on special switches connected with the belt are five garbage-receiving stations. Daily the garbage carts deliver

their loads to specially-constructed garbage cars on these switches. Being first sprinkled with disinfectants, the garbage is then hauled over the belt tracks to points far out in the swamps, remote from the city, where it is dumped and scattered, the idea being eventually to use the land so filled up for agricultural purposes.

The Belt Commission now has under consideration a plan for establishing a system of public lighters on the river for transferring cargo from incoming ships to any desired dock. In this way it will be possible to avoid the necessity of steamers moving from one dock to another to discharge various portions of their cargoes.

Since New Orleans is located on low ground and since the Father of Waters

a distressing habit of suddenly swelling the flood which sweeps down from the north, the state has protected its metropolis by building great levees of stone and earth on either side of the channel. In the building of these great protecting Iwalls the belt road has been of service, hauling the earth and other supplies for the contractors

approaches, "for missioner Smith community."

and distributing it, without change, exactly where it is wanted.

Working in harmony with the Dock Commission and the Levee Board-both state bodies-the Belt Road Commission, appointed by the City, absolutely controls the river front and all its the benefit," as Comsays, "of the entire

The South is supposed to be the most conservative part of the country. Yet not only has New Orleans set an example of the proper way to handle the great question of transportation, but it has also revolutionized her city government. Quietly and with no great excitement, under the leadership of one of the city papers, it has won a great fight against the old and corrupt gang, which has long had control of city affairs, and this spring it is expected that the administration will be put into the hands of the same class of public-spirited and enlightened citizens who have made a success of the Public Belt Road and other municipal utilities.

Plans are also under way for the organization of several steamship companies which propose to run new lines of boats to Central America and, after the Canal opens, to the thriving ports

on the west coast of South America. Public spirit and private enterprise, working together, promise big things for the future of the Crescent City.