again working with the city of Cambridge and Dorchester County, are
about to launch a channel and pier program that will in reality create a
second port in our State capable of handling large ocean ships. Similar
projects in other parts of the State are sure to follow.

One new terminal does not make a port nor are we concentrating on
this project alone in Baltimore harbor. A completely new pier for the
handling of copper on the Hawkins Point side of the harbor has been
constructed by the Authority and is now in operation by the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad. The Authority joined hands with the Western
Maryland Railway and created a dual car float facility to greatly im-
prove the efficiency of the cross harbor movements by the Western Mary-
land. At the present time the Authority is in an advanced state of
negotiations with the Pennsylvania and the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
roads, seeking to acquire the general cargo facilities of these two rail
carriers for the purpose of modernizing these piers so that Baltimore will
be competitive with any port of the United States.

When the Authority officials approached me some two years ago and
requested my support of a program involving many millions of dollars
to renovate the Port of Baltimore, I gave careful study before approving
the program. All of you recognize that a revolution is taking place in
the railroad industry of this country. Mergers of large rail carriers
appear inevitable. How Baltimore would fare under new management
of a combined rail system was a question without a definite answer.
But the Commissioners of the Authority, after painstaking and costly
study, concluded that if Baltimore offered modern waterfront facilities
and reasonable and competitive charges, this great port would be attrac-
tive to any combination of railroads and our maritime business would
flourish rather than dry up. I gave this program my full endorsement
and the Legislature approved additional financing powers for the
Authority. I am happy to tell you that I have been informed today that
the negotiations for the acquisition and renovation of the general cargo
piers of the Pennsylvania and the Baltimore and Ohio railroads are
expected to be concluded successfully in the very near future. As busi-
nessmen you will appreciate that the scope of this undertaking is a huge
one. The two railroads have cooperated fully and the Authority has
given this program priority attention for more than a year. This may
seem to be a long period, but the transaction is a most involved one.
The rights of our fellow-citizens working on these piers must be pro-
tected; the rights of the property owners require full consideration; and
the physical renovation program demands the best skills of our engineers
to assure us of modern facilities upon completion.

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