Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-09-12
DEEP WATERWAYS.
Wealth to the Western Farmer Is As
sured by It's Completion.

For many years the work of creating
deep channels between Lakes Superior,
Huron, Michigan and Erie has been
going on. AT length the work is done,
or under contract to complete, so that
from all the lakes twenty-foot channels
may practically be said to exist. With
the completion of the inter-lalSe
channels, all the immense and rapidly
increasing navigation converges to the
common eastern terminus ut Buffalo.
The existence of the great lakes has
made possible the so-called northwest,
since it has permitted the products of
the northwest to reach markets at
much lower figure than has been
possible by all rail. From Duluth to
Buffalo, eleven hundred miles, it costs
about one-third as much as it costs to
transship and transport across New
York state. Increasing COMPETE
ton from those countries of
the world possessing cheap land
and cheap labor makes it
imperative on the producers, the farm
ers of the northwest, to search out, if
possible, some way of getting their
crops to the eastern markets at lower
rate than they have been getting. To
every producer in the northwest it will
be of interest to know that on Septem-
Der 1926 there will be convention
held in the city of Cleveland for the
purpose of developing in large way
the facts relating to this deep water
navigation from Buffalo eastward.
With view to decreasing the cost, it
is necessary to use the existing lakes
and river, with supplementary canals,
and to reduce the cost from Buffalo
east in some such ratio as has been Sc
cured in the upper lakes. An eminent
engineer, c. n. Dutton, who has given
the matter a great deal of study, has
prepared the following statements and
figures, which | beg to present, with
out comment, simply asking that they
be read aud thought on:
sixteen great states, namely Ohio, Indi-
ana, Illinois, kentucky Michigan, Wisconsin
Minnesota. Iowa. Missouri North Dakota,
South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas Montana,
Wyoming and Colorado, must ship their sur
plus agricultural products from the great
lakes to the seaboard. Deep-water navigation
would effect an immediate reduc tion in freight
COSTS and consequent increase in crop values
OF an average of five cents buShel on grain
and potatoes, four dollars u ton on hay and
five dollars and upwards n ton on straw.
I'm the sixteen states most benefited the
direct money gain computed On the crop re-
ports OF 1895, will be as follows:
YEARLY GAIN.
CROP Yield, bu Value per bu per 6u
Corn. =. .7.O,OOOO)O $3.50 10000 S041 t360Oo.OO0
Wheat 1856 100000 157, 00312 AZ l67j0,000
Oats 800 100000 1853. 376798 80 % 100000
Rye 49,. 100000 G,6340O0 A 10000
Barley a 4, s a s9s 81 ooSS
.Hay w 100000 2l5,C5O,s6o 7a4 l170lo,ooo
tStraw :. 45, 900 900 2.hO0OUO0
Annual gain on agricultl products $43775o,010
*Gain at "a q toa. tGain at IS a ton.
DOMESTIC ANIMALS (IEArt
Number Value D. CT Cain
Mich cows s.455sl7 $780, 3)5.2s4 ~ So, $3.50. 634
Meat cattle. II, 686,0i4 304 100 e52 Is 5l,S633U7
Sheep ..... 10, 265 947 44,588.ll0 "a 1O.O05,l46
Hogs $50. .26,00S,215 lo901l,olo IA 2o,4o9,9li
Gain in value OF meat animals -. Sl14, ia 90S
Yearly gain one-third of above...... 3S,05S,33
1.-THE sixteen states above referred to have y
total area in improved farm lands OF 1919, 326.S76
acres The increased value of the productions
of these lands will be Si65 80 900 annually, an
increased annual earning of 1885 per acre. II
the market value OF land depends upon
it's earning power, and the ratio OF in
crease of value be taken at four times the in
farm lands of these sixteen states will in
crease in value S933H per acre. or 81 ,866 900 900
as the immediate result of the opening of the
Maritime canal Of North America.
"Vast as this sum appears, it Is q partial
statement of the gain to the west resulting
from deep draft navigation to the seaboard,
because it Is based on the short crops OF 1894,
and does not take account OF truck, fruits,
small grains, dairy products, poultry, eggs,
horses and mules, and wood, timber bark, ETC.;
neither does it take account of mine products
and manufactures, or the increase in values In
city and manufacturing property"
This movement has received the in
dorsement of most of the United States
senators from the west.
Last winter the legislature of Mime
sofa memorialized congress in support
of this measure. Senator McCleary, of
Mankato, is gathering data from Can
ada and the United States with view
to urging it.in the northwest and in
congress. gfgWb We Fah sa sft ~
The east has no transportation ques-
ton. Her manufactured goods, worth
perhaps thousands of dollars ton, are
not perceptibly affected by slight diff
erence in freight. The farming dis
tricts of the west are vitality affected
when all profit in their crops is eaten
up by the carrying charges. As ma
tional question it should be borne in
mind that the manufacturing east re-
ceives her raw products largely from
the west; also her cheap food supplies.
In turn she finds her best market in the
farming states of the west 1t should
also be remembered that the enormous
cash balance annually required abroad
to settle the foreign exchange must be
provided in the main by the western
and southwestern farms or by gold.
The pressure is urgent. The naviga-
ton cannot be provided soon enough
if commenced now. The convention at
Cleveland will be marked by the pres
ence of many specialists with specially
prepared papers covering a wide range
of public matters. AS chairman of the
executive committee, respectfully re-
quest correspondence with commercial
bodies, public officials and the papers,
if in any way it may lead to fuller in
formation and a quickened interest. In
particular, desire assurances of sup