The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-07-20

Senator Tsliaferre Quoted on River
improvemenss--unlted States
tire Greatest Taking Ma
ton on Earth.



Special Cor. ocala Banner:
washington. July 1.-THE para
mount interest Of the soutn In the
movement which. according to indica.
tons here, is gathering force through
out the country for larger appropria-
tons for rivers and harbors has re-
ceived fresh illustration in the una
nirnity with which representatives
and senators from the southern states
have given endorsement to the work
Of the national Rivers and Harbors
Congress. This body, representing
commercial organizations in practi-
cally every state, is endeavoring to
unite all sections Of the country in a
demand for an appropriation of fifty
million dollars annually for rivers and
harbors. In calling attention to the
advantages of a national policy of wa
terways improvement, the executive
committee Of the congress thus
quotes Senator James p. Taliaferro of
Florida i'm endorsement of the move
ment:
Il favor liberal policy of river and
harbor Improvement. ] think we are
on the eve of our greatest commercial
development, and our rivers should
be improved to insure the cheapest
freight rates. and our harbors deep
ened to put US In touch with the mari
time markets of this and other coun-
tries. Trade expansion, to my mind,
is very much dependent upon rates
Of freight, and they in turn are large
ly controlled by water transports
ton"
The old proyerb to the effect that ST.
lence is golden seems to be out of date,
according TO statistics, which the CEN
sus bureau has collected concerning
the telephone in this country and
abroad. That this is the country of
greatest commercial ability which the
world has yet seen is too well proven
to admit Of argument, and statistics
gathered concerning the telephone
show that so far as it is concerned
we are the greatest takers. Speech
is literally turned into gold. We have
more telephones and use them oftener
than any other people, condition
that is attributed by many to the fact
that telephone systems abroad are
generally owned by the governments,
with consequent restriction of de-
velopment. Whether our business in
stinct has developed the telephone, or
the telephone our business instinct
is not shown by the census report,
but other surprising facts are. In
1902, citizens Of the United States in
dulged in more than 5000, 100000
talks by telephone--more than sixty
messages apiece. More than $4,000
900 was spent in new construction
In 1906, this country had one tele-
phone for every % Inhabitants, or
44.S instruments per 1000 inhabitants.
European nations with government
owned systems. were far behind. In
deed, the ownership by the govern
ment seems to have prevented a gen.
eral use OF this invention. Sweden,
where the phone is most common,
had only one for every 46 inhabitants
less than half the supply in this
country-and England, the home of
municipal ownership Of such utilities,
had only one phone for every lis in
habitants-less than one-fifth of our
supply. Much of the talk concerning
cheaper rates abroad, is. according to
Mr.. Webb-a foreign expert-a mis-
take. for though the rates are low the
service is abominable, necessitating
the sending of any important message
by the so-called urgent rate" which
Is three times the ordinary charge.
Certain 1t is that the citizens of the
United States are the greatest tele-
phone takers of the world.
While officers in Uncle Sans army
are not filled with delight over the
importation Of an English army tailor
who is to make for them uniforms
as In uniforms" at a cost of some
thing like half a years salary-that
is to say, $500 to $1,000 for each out
fit-the privates are getting consider
able satisfaction out of the statement
of Mr.. Winter, the tailor in question,
to the effect that the American fight
ing man is the smartest. best built,
and best set up in the world. Before
leaving England. the sartorial artist
was quoted as criticizing our soldiers
adversely, but he has learned from