St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-19
ANOTHER RIVER CONVENTION

The executive committee of the Missouri
valley improvement has issued a. call for a
waterway convention to be held at Kansas
City on Tuesday, the goth day of December,
to take into consideration the great import
ance of the improvement of the Missouri
river, and of combined and active efforts to
secure that end. Stimulated by the success
of the convention held in this city during
the past summer, the people of the Missouri
valley seem to have awakened to the neces-
sity of prompt and united action in order to
secure appropriations for the improvement
Of their river. AS an illustration of how i'm
portant this matter is to the people
OF the Missouri valley, the execu-
tive committee recalls the fact that
in 1878 fleet of barges was sent from st.
Louis to Kansas City for cargo of grain.
They succeeded in making successful trip,
carrying out POS, SIG bushels of corn and
"A, 1913 bushels of wheat at cost of So
cents per bushel for transportation, includ-
ing insurance. AT the same time the rail
| roads were charging Ii cents per bushel on
wheat and s cents on corn. 1t is also
stated that although the barges made the
| upward trip empty they made at the rate
charged profit of 100 per cent. The COM
mittee estimates that if the river between
st. Louis and Kansas City was improved
to successfully employ barges, it would save
in the matter of transportation of wheat
and corn alone $4,000, 900 annually, OF
nearly twice the estimated cost of improv-
ing the whole of the 800 miles between st.
Louis and Sioux City. And if the river
was improved from st. Louis to Sioux City
it is estimated that twice this amount
would be saved annually or four times the
estimated cost of improving the river to
that point. In its address the committee
says:
From the facts disclosed by the expert
mental fleet of 1885, and from a knowledge OF
the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, derived
| from a long experience with them, Capt
LowERY, who had charge of the Babbage
company's fleets in 1878, arrived at the con.
| clusion that with adequate improvement OF
these rivers, grain can be carried from
Kansas City to New Orleans at freight
charge of cents per bushel It is believed
that corresponding rate from all other
Missouri river points, and cents added fol
| lue ulRu0T COStS vi Ocedu IT6lSQCdR6 To lOrelgT
| markets from New Orleans than from At
lantic ports, would not exceed II cents pei
| bushel. making the grain available for export
| from New Orleans at the same charge as from
Atlantic ports.
The current rail rates for years past from
| Missouri river points to Atlantic ports has
not been less than q cents on wheat and Il
cents on corn-a difference of cents on corr
q in Fo,,o 81 IL
route. The price of grain in the Missouri
| valley is the price in foreign markets, less
the cost of placing it there. The price III
foreign markets is fixed by the supply from
countries other than our own, hence TIL:
saving, if realized as it may be by the i'm
provement of our rivers. will inure to the
producers in the Missouri valley. and will ap-
ply to the entire product of our FARMS as
well as to that part exported.
The product of the Missouri valley in thu
census year 1879, the last for which we have
accurate statistics, was 81, 1851 bushels O.
wheat and 414,3i9, 500 bushels of corn. These
crops at and cents respectively give a to
| tai sum of S22,074,4 56, which river transpor
| tation would save to the producers of thu
| Missouri valley, on each crop like that O.
| 1879.
| We have to consider, however, not alone
| the benefits that may be secured, but thu
! dangers that may be averted. The high COS
! of transportation in this country, maintain
/ ing as it does the high cost of American grai1
| in foreign markets. and the reduced cost O.
! transportation from grain-producing coun
tries in Asia incident to the opening of tn,
| Suez canal, reducing as it does the cost O
gram from those countries delivered in tn,
| same markets, has so stimulated their produc
| that they threaten soon to drive American
grain from all markets accessible to both
and so reduce the profit of its production il
the Missouri valley as to depress our agricul
tural industries and compel the adoption o
other products. The contrast between