The morning call., 1893-12-19

The merchants and farmers around Red
ding seem to have discovered, after the
visit of Congressman Camlnetti, that the
Sacramento River is worth something for
transportation of merchandise. For a ves-
sci drawing not more than twenty inches
of water it Is navigable from Red Bluff to
Redding. The distance is only forty-six
miles, but in the payment of railway rates
there is a material difference between these
places. Red Bluff. having competition by
water, can get freight to San Francisco for
S4 per ton maximum, but Reddng has to
pay SS to SS so for its forty-six miles of
disadvantage. The same products are thus
Disseminated against, and Rrdding cannot
help itself unless it will make use Of
steamers and scows on the river also.
INDEPENDENTLY of the existence of railroads
the river should be used as far az posi- BILE.
1t is the cheapest route to market for all
heavy freight. most Of which can wait dis
patch a day or two. Reddiug merchants
are said TO be making inquiries f"r cargo
steamers of light draft suitable for their
purpose. Ii they do not exist they can
build one. They might even build it on
the spot. 1t would pay its cost within a
year or two II the railway rates are taken
as basis. When this can be done Red
ding people will find self-help the best
remedy. They need not rely too much
upon badgering the Government for ap-
pr0priations when they can do the work
themselves to great extent.
So many disasters at sea are occurring
within a practicable radius of San Fran
cisco that it might DE worth while coasid-
ering the advantages of po owerful dredger
and pumping steamer combined. The
Gosford is likely 10 be raised from her
cly, had bu ka alx 4
have prize in a good ship and large
residue of coal unconsumed. If the pumps
of such dredger as the Brancker, now at
work deepening the channel of the Mersey,
were available there would be no question
about raising the Gosford, and a steamer
like the City of New York might have
proved light work. When not thus en-
rloyed such vessel, even half the size of
the Mersey specimen, would do grand
work in deepening the channels OF the Sac
ramento and San Joaquin. Beginning at
the mouth and working upward. pro-
digious tonnage of mud and silt would be
raised in year or two and the navigation
correspondIngly improved. All the dredged
matter thus raised could be transferred to
the land as fertilizer or built into the
levees. River Improvement at present
makes very slow progress.
A change has come over the spirit of the
dream of the Imperial Federation League
of Great Britain. With the close of the
year it winds up the business of the GEN.
trail organization on the ground that the
league has reached the limits of effective
action. 1t coufesses failure to attain any
thing practicable in the development of
any scheme which could weld the d ffer-
ent portions of tile British empire into
oil Ac oh nd
Rosebery's have been applied to the solu-
tion, but nothing has como of II. Australia,
South Africa and Canada and all the
smaller colonies must continue TO drift
about on policies of their own choosing.
and on the whole they are more likely to
prosper by independence. They have
nothing in common with England or each
other but trade, and that is not interfered
with. How England could benefit them
by its Parliament meddling any moro in
tlmately than now In their affairs Is not
APPARENT. How they could give assistance
to England in domestic or foreign affairs
by advice is also obscure. The colonies
would all like exclusive trading and tariffs
in return for playing the part of chickens
under the wings of the hen, and that is a
policy which would bankrupt England in
a few years. mo more Of this" is the cry
on poth sides.
A compliment Is paid America on the
superiority or artisans tools. The Frank
tarter Zeitung holds that American tools
show such improvements in design. con-
struction and invention over those of other
countries, including England. that they
bid fair to beat all competitors. They are
lighter, handler and more adapted to their
purpose. This applies to hammers, augers,
files, axes, saws. spades, screws, nails,
sharpening ana cutting tools generally,
and even the handles of tools as we'll as
agricultural implements. One advantage
arises from substituting cast-irun for
wrought-iron where this is possible, il be.
ing hus easy to duplicate any broken part.
Economy OF labor is studied with an
earnestness nowhere else realized. Per.
haps England stands next to America in
tool-makinR. but as rule what 1t pro.