Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-06-01

SAttOAIlOS BENEFITS.
Recently Charles X. Sigh wrufe 70
r A. fiolbrook, II Nuskeg,n. asking
Tor Information which 10 snfstsrti italy
and vigorously sst forth IN the following
reply.
MUSHROOM. NIGH, May ~, lsa3
Mr. chssl X Sigh. Grand Rapids. Mich.
DKAg SIA-four letter ~ che - inst
received Ia answer would SAY that
there are about e.ouo tors IT aathrAeste
eoal used here yearly Al present Il ali
comes By rail
You are correctly Informed. When l
Was IN the coal business | shipped by
vessel from Buffalo. and repeatedly
brought carKoes from Buffalo 20 Mus
kegon st "a 10 70 cents per net ton The
rail rate AZ that time was eco per gro~s
ton. or si.Is per net ton. either 10 Grand
Rapids or Muskegon- Most 1t the large
coal mpanies have docks In Chicago.
Milwaukee and Duluth. and the coal
they sell from their yards ~ these points
goes there principally by water. not.
withstandin9 some of them own railway
lines leading direct from the mines 10
Chicago. They carry IL by water be-
cause u 10 the cheapest mode Of trans
portatlon.
sartnise from having read the vari
Gus articles pro and con which appeared
IN the Grand Rapids papers on the sub
Jet II improving Grand river. that your
inquiry Is inspired by desire 10 refuie
some u the Arguments brought out TO
try and show that navigation is no ben.
cit. have noticed that several of
your writers point 10 places and argue
thar iaeatfsa hA a.fN -
used In certain directions consequently
they arr Of no particular benefit. That
- "A specious argument Certain condi,
tions have 10 accrue sometimes before
such advantages come into full play and
display their greatest utility. To Illus
trate: Twenty years ago Duluth con.
sumed less than i0oO tons Of coal and
was supplied 10y ST. Paul and MInneap
oils In the year 1870 che received go.
COG tons. and now supplies 81. Paul.
Minneapolis and all that contiguous ter
ritory. Would il not have been absurd
10 have said twenty years ago that no
advantage existed at Duluth be
cause they received their coal
by rais II conditions are always
10 remain the same a. they are now.
I II western Michigan is To decline rather
than 10 30 ahead; IN the timber which
~ now being used for fence rails and
stovewood is TO last forever and never
find use in other directions. then, per
haps. there lie no necessity or advantage
IN navigation for coal business. But
men do not always build with respect 10
the present alone.
IL il the history Of all the districts
along the great lakes that at first the in
terror advanced the most rapidly. but
when the territory contiguous 10 port
city reached that stage that IL could CON
sumo cargoes instead of car loads. and
that the differences in freight charges
represented a large profit in itself. this
| opportunity 20 make a saving becomes
attractive. and tho distributing point
changes to the port city. To illustrate:
Your Mr.. Lemon says ip an interview
published in The Tradesman that
Grand Rapids receives 2,ioO barrels of
sugar per week. and about fifteen car
loads 81 miscellaneous grocery stock,
all coming from New York and the east
400 barrels Of sugar per week
means Ia. 500 barrels year. Your all
rail rate. understand. Is something like
- cents per loo pounds. or with SOC
! pounds to the barrel. the freight per
barrel is Is cents. Now. this sugar in
cargo lots could be brought from New
York by canal and lake to port city OF
western Michigan FOR 40 cents per bar.
rel as an outside figure. effecting saw
| ing OF 70 cents per barrel. or over $4,000
| on this commodity alone per year. II
distributing facilities are made equal
at some port city, what is 10 proven,
some one from making use Of this adj
vantages Undoubtedly these advan,
tages would have been used long ago
against you but for the fact that these
port cities OF western Michigan, as a
rule. are full Of modern Esans ready
and willing to trade off their birthrighl
for mess Of pottage
Yours truly,
y III Hor upoor