National Republican., 1886-08-03
Tho nennnnln Onnnl.


pears now In a fair way Of coming to the
front again, additional interest having been
lent to the subject by the pending bill in
Congress OF the Ilennepin ship canal. Re-
duction In the cost OF transport is the rem
edy suggested for the present stagnation in
trade, II being indispensable that the trans
port Of raw materials be cheapened both for
industry aud agriculture. The majority Of
our farmers are getting poorer every year.
They are laboring under the burden Of
mortgages on their land, without any pros
pect Of averting the foreclosure and loss OF
their hard-earned homes, while money
lenders and railroad kings, with their
watered stock, are getting richer every day.
Ship canals only enable the capital OF a
country to engage in commercial operations,
because capital is not so easily displaced for
commerce as It is for industry. The true
transport arrangements OF a country should
include both railways and canals, each TAX
ing it's share Of the traffic according to Its
| aptitude, to the great advantage OF
trade and manufacture. The canal
| would not take from the railway either pas
sengers or goods sent by express in small
| quantities, while tho water transports
would comprise substances forwarded In
| large quantities at low tariffs, and on which
| the profit is insignificant. The canal would
thus free the railway from O clog upon its
action, and enable 1t the better TO organize
| its fast passenger service TO its own profit
and the public advantage. The railways
should be content TO carry passengers,
| fourteen to the ton, at 2S cents per mile,
rather than minerals and other heavy goods
at cents per ton per mile, including the
loading and unloading.
| The economical side Of the question was
well brought out by Mr. Daniel Adamson,
NJ. p, who energetically pleaded the cause
Of the Manchester ship canal bill, which
passed the house Of commons only three
months ago. Cotton imported from India
to London cost less for ship transit, over
4,0Ooml than by railway from London
to Manchester, a distance Of 200 miles; and
manufactured goods, sent by through rate
from Manchester to Bombay, paid les. I'd.
for the 40 miles by rail to Liverpool, and
only los. for the remaining 1000 miles.
Water carriage was the carriage OF the
future for heavy and not necessarily fast
traffic; and the legitimate province of the
railways, with their handmalds, the tele-
graph and telephone, was for great speed
and light weight. The late Mr.. Mulvaney
formerly commissioner for public works in
Ireland, insisted on the advlsability OF
taking the sea as far into the interior of a
country Gs possible.
Three important ship canals, the suez
canal, the Cronstadt and Petersburg navl-
cation, and s.the canaliEed river Main, be.
tween Mainlz and Frankfort, to be opened
on the 1st OF October next, formed the sub
ject Of several interesting communications.
Herr Duesing, engineer.lnc chief for the
canalization OF the river Main, between
MaintZ and Frankfort, contributed some
information concerning that work, which
is being carried OGt BY the Prlssiaa govern
ment at cost OF 81, 200, and will per
NIT the largest vessels-1 900 tons burden
that navigate the river Rhine to get up t
Frankfort. NJ. de Saint-Hubert, Of Ma
mur, advocated the making Of canal lock
rs uniform as possible, so that the govern
ments Of adjacent countries might agre
upon system of thorough working, as wa
the case on railways. lie also eXpresse,
the opinion and an outline for connecting
|, all the large rivers OF central Europe-th
Elbe, the Rhine, the Danube the oder, ant
the Weser--thus forming one vast system
Of waterways, connecting the North, Black
and Baltic seas, and making Berlin AM
: Vienna seaports. There would be lengtl
4 OF 621 miles OF canal to cut at an estimates
G cost OF s55,0OO,0OO, requiring a capital o
$40, ,OOO,O 600; but he estimates the traffic a
= 100000 tons per kilometer (0.62 mile
l Taking only half of this to begin with, an
: putting the dues at half n cent per kilC
s meter, there would be an immediate reyenu
= of SO, 100000, yielding more than 5per cen
I on the capital.
/ This statement will show the paid alto
+ neys OF the railroad kings, who so persis
!, emily oppose the building of ship canal
n that progress belongs to public welfare, an
@ their double paid services in Congress an
l. Senate belong to the past.