Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-02-12
can be rightfully and honestly deter.

I1utus
What will be the final result of the
now much talked Of consolidation in
the management and ownership by
private capital Of our countrys great
railroad interests, can only be sur
missed.
That the contamination of such a
great, far reaching and not impossi-
ble scheme would promote our immc-
dlate future industrial prosperity as
a people and as nation, must be ad-
mitted; mt the same time the greed
of capital and its power to control
trade, would become a menace to our
commonwealth unless this danger
were averted by the ownership by the
government of some kind of freight
carrier which would be operated in the
interest Of the people as check to
exorbitant freight rates.
The question of government owner
ship of the railroads themselves is
even now receiving attention from
our best thinkers on political economy.
/ do not believe that the time has
come for that, or that such a policy
will ever be warranted in this coun-
try; but, to my mind, the one alter
native, for the present and distant
improvement of inland waterways, TO
be owned and controlled by the peo-
ple-whercver such waterways are
practicable and advisable--as public
carriers and regulators of freight. I'm
til these matters are honestly and ably
determined, it would be bad policy
indeed to abandon the canals of Ohio.
1t Is Il fact that the canal bed, ex-
cept those portions situated in some
of our large cities, is really valuable
only as Il canal right OF way or for
use w IL IdIliOuu. illiS nuS Dcti ucui-
onstrated by the effort to sell during
the past two years some ID miles of
the abandoned Walhonding canal for
agricultural purposes, the sale of
which hardly more than paid for sur.
veying, advertisements and expense of
selling.
The hasty abandonment by the Leg
islaturc of the States canal property
in Toledo, Cleveland and Cincinnati,
already effected, has resulted in cost
ly experiments and in IL loss TO the
treasury of the State reaching into
millions of dollars.
1t is often good policy in trade TO re-
tain the ownership of property await
ing good market, even if Its posses
sions costs taxes; so the State, as the
owner of it's public works, should not
be too hasty in parting with It's canal
property, for any temporary outlay for
it's maintenance will be more than
covered by the returns.
Experiments are now being tried In
Europe, as well as in this country, in
the propulsion of boats on inland
waterways, by means of electricity
or other motive power, with the OBJ
ject of lessening the cost of transpor.
tation, which give promise of great
results.
In conformity to a resolution passed
at Brussels in 1898, for the purpose of
the study and investigation Of the i'm
portant subject of promoting the util-
other matters pertaining distinctly to
waterways, an international Congress
Of Navigation is to be held at Paris
during the course of the Universal
Exposition of 1900, ut which time II is
expected that the great engineers and
commercial people of the world will
be present and take part in the delib
erations, in an attempt to determine
in what manner and by what means
navigation can be improved in order
to again make 1t controlling factor
in the carrying trade of the world.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
d. The amount collected from actual
tolls and rents has amounted, during
fhe past year, to S90,S09,12, of which
amepnt the Miami x Erie canal has
paidSin $50, 151.41, the Northern Di-
vision cf the Ohio canal S15,055.15, and
the southern division of the Ohio canal
$6,602.56 an increase in cash collec-
tions over the previous year of $10,'
9e4.94 the credit of increased receipts
being wholly due to the Miami and
Eric canal.
The net earning of all canals over
cost of operation amounts, since they
were first built to the end of the pres
ent fiscal year, to $J,307, ,646,36, as pei
statement herein contained
II is fair to assume that the market
value of the state canals will amount
to the cost of their original construc'
tion, leaving a cash net earning oven
and above all expenditures to date, OF