The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1906-06-02

growth of the traffic led to an i'm
proved 2O-foot channel, provided witt
an 500 foot lock in 1896. Followin,
the example of the United States. tn,
Dominion Government built a cana
laround the Canadian side Of the fall,
In 1875,
THE volume traffic through this
canal far exceeds that through the
Suez canal. In 1891 the traffic at the
Old st Mary's Falls canal was $50.
ooo tons. as against i,l30,oo0 tons
through the Suez canal; but with the
enlargement of the American canal
a rapid increase In traffic immediately
DEVELOPED. By 1889 it equaled that of
Suez canal (about 700, 900 tons in
each. In 1925 tonnage OF Is 900
600 tons went through the II Marv,s
Fail canal, as compared with s. 500
ooo tons through the Suez canal and
IN 1901 the figures for the ST Mary's
canal were ., 403, 065 tons. The pres
ent traffic through the American canal
exceeds the total foreign trade of the
port Of New York, and is equal to
nearly hall the total volume of the
foreign trade of the United States
In value the traffic through It. Mary' g
Falls canal presents less imposing
figures, though even in this respect
tits by no means insignificant. The
value of freight passing through
the canal in 1896 is estimated at $l95-
600 600 and in 1901 at $500 600 600.
The Indian traffic alone through the
SueZ canal in 1896 is valued at $500 =
600 600. Nevertheless trade increase
ing nearly one million dollars year
within a period of five years. may.
prima facie.be expected to have had
important economic effects.
"As in the case of the Suez canal
the most striking results have been
on the machinery trade, the influence
OF the st Mary's canal on the ship
ping industry OF the Great Lakes be
ing especially marked. 1t is not too
much to say the development of
the earring trade on the Great Lakes
both in the number and kind of yes
sells used, is due almost wholly to the
500 canal. From 1881 TIL 1895 the
volume Of commerce through the De-
troit river increased from II, 500, 900
tons to 29,OOO,0OO tons. During the
same period the volume of commerce
through st Mary's Fall canal increas
ed by 1850, 600 tons, and as the large
er share of the canal traffic goes
through the Detroit river to Lake Erie
ports. the increase in the traffic
through the Detroit river is seen to
have been mainly in thd traffic from
Luke Superior made possible by the
existence of the canal and locks at
Saulte Ste. Marie. This increase in
tarffic has meant corresponding in
crease in the number Of vessels in the
late earring trade. and probably half
of the $3.50 vessels on the lake are
employed in business depending on
the canal. Between 1883 and 1897
the total tonnage oe the lakes increas
ed from 10000 to l,4l0,OOO tons,
the increase being more than the to-
tai increase in the American Merchant
Marine during this time. Further,
while in 1888 the Lake tonnage was
but sixth of the total American Mer-
chant Marine in 1897 it was nearly
two-sevenths of that total"
What else has here been accom-
plished? From the same authority
quote:
The geographical changes in pro-
duction that have resulted from the
operation of the ST. Mary's Falls canal
have been accompanied by important
movements Of population. A definite
connection can be shown between the
canal and certain particular pop
ulation movements, but with other
changes the canal has been only one
of several factors. The increase of
population around the shores of Lake
Superior may fairly be aecribed to the
development which has been given to
that country by the canal. Taking the
countries bordering..on Lake Superior,
we find that from 1880 to 1890 the
population of the Michigan countries
increase from 81 $50 to 116,6OO; OF
the Wisconsin counties from 5000 to
Al 900, and of the Minnesota counties
from 6.4OO to 54.7OO. The total in
crease is not startling figure in the
United States but compared with the
percentage increase in these same
States as q whole the result is striking
During the decade the popula
tion in Michigan and Wisconsin in.
creased in each case about q pei
cent and of Minnesota about 10 pei
cent. In the Lake Superior counties
the per cent OF increase was in Mich.
iRan 80 per cent in Wisconsin 40(
per cent and in Minnesota 800 pei
cent. The only explanation of the diff
ference is that the new lines of indus
try have been opened up by the larger
Soo' canal. One conspicuous feature
of this increase Of population in tn,
Lake Superior region is the develop