The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-04

IS only One-eighth or the latter As
this question Of transportation de-
ternines TO great extent the exist
ence or the nOn-existmce Of a possible
industry, and enchances or diminishes
the value Of every article OF export in
proportion to its efficiency and ecOnO-
my, the battle cry Of the west for
twenty feet Of water between Duluth
and the sea is no great problem to
account for. In the year 1888 there
passed through the Sault Ste. Marie
canals no less than Il. 234. 664 tons OF
Canadian freight, alone having a value
Of $500, COO, 900, while American ships
moved some 16S, 600 900 tons through
the same waters for the same length
Of time.
The $500 and the Suez-
THE total traffic through tha7locks
Of this 500 canal, for less than eight
months, is five times as great in num-
Der Of vessels and slightly lesS thar
twice as much in actual tonnage as
passes through the SueZ canal during
an entire year. Through this same
Suez canal which boasts OF carrying
the commerce. Of the world. there float
ed through the locks Of Susan Mary
a tonnage Of il. 1850, 600. The stupendous
proportions of the traffic on our Great
Lakes may also be realized from the
fact that more ships sail the Detroit
river than enter either the port OF
London or Liverpool. A greater mum
Der of passengers carried annually by
the lake feet falls very slightly short
OF 2c.O00.OO0- The city of Buffalo. which
claims the largest grain elevator in the
world, does business in the trans
shipment Of grain and flour which ex-
ceeds that done by any other city in
existence Cleveland, with the eXcep-
ton Of the Clyde, is the most extensive
ship-building centre Of the present day.
The neither shores Of the lower lakes
have been necklaced with a collection
of the busiest and most prosperous
manufacturing centres in the United
states, and so much so THAI today our
cOuntry'S commercial centre Of gravity
VIII be found to fall somewhere along
the northern portion of Ohio. Mill and
foundry and factory in all these cities
depend on the great iron freighters that
steam north with coal and bring south
ward their cargoes Of timber and grain
and iron, and il is in the possibility Of
such economic exchange that turks the
secret OF Uncle Sans mercantile
greatness.
1t Is in just this. too, that lies the
secret OF how the United States has
taken such a generous hand in the
feeding Of the world It is an ac-
eepted fact with shippers that Liver
pool makes the price Of cash wheat.
and that every cent saved on the cost
OF delivering American grain at Liver
pool means so much money to be paid
to the owner of this wheat at the time
1t is sold and shipped. So Duluth. in
a commercial sense, is placed by the
Great Lakes 1000 miles closer to
Europe than is, let us say. St. Louis.
The Canadian government has recently
realized this fact, and. although they
have heretofore allowed American YES
sells TO carry Sc per cent of the traffic
OF the Great Lakes, they are now per
fecting deep waterway system from,
Port Arthur to the Gulf Of St Law
renee that promises 10 threaten even
the business Of the port OF New York
and the comparatively diminutive Erie
canal The last link Of this enterprise
OF the Canadian government was forged
by the opening of the SOulanges canal.
and by its operation il is expected that
the cost of transporting lake freights
TO Underwater VIII be reduced to such
an extent that there viii be q saving
Of from one TO two cents a bushel on
wheat Inc Canadians have expended
over S62-OO0,O00 to secure their fourteen
feet of water between Port Arthur and
Montreal and in comparison with this
the $40, 600 expended by the United
states seems relatively insignificant.
when one remembers the
surprising extent 10 which our com
mercial interests are involved in such
deep waterway improvements. Our
greatest interests in this connection. OF
course, are in the iron and coal ex-
change, which takes place between
Ohio and Lake Superior ports
Iron and Steel.
1t is an Unappreeiated but fndis-
fact that the Great Lakes lie
at the root Of Americas present
supremacy in the iron and steel mar
ket OF the world. It has been actually
the reduction Of lake freight rates on
these two essentials Of life and com
merce, brought about by improved ia
cintleS Tor loading and diSchareing car
goes, the increased tonnage Of lake YES
seIs,and the improvement Of rivers and
harbOrs, that has allowed the American
steel worker triumphantIy TO invade
the EnElish markets.
But as the increase in. population NJ
the United States demands new fields
for labor, as the west fills I'D and de-
Velops and the future commercial
growth or this country is found TO lie
IN the direction of the foreign marker
il is on this great, though somewhat
neglected, artery Of commerce between
Duluth and Buffalo that the economist
OF the future viii place his finer TO
ma tne true pulse Of American pro-
Sress- Much has already been done. but
it must not be forgotten that dinnfntI-
tive canals are a brake on the wheels
or commerce, and that before the
United States dominates undisputed
the markets Of Europe II has a river
and haroor bill to make law, and be-
fore Uncle Sam, in the face OF the
hercest competition, shall become the
MAKER OF bread and iron for the world
be must took to his Iakesr'
The Burlington Route Changes Time.
On ard after
SUNDAY. February q