The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-12
e u 4 q & ms Times DIgp,,la tch

ii8 95h( Especial to This Times lspatch.)
sESvxAsH1NGToN,%A gus a .- n.y. n invest
ment yielding a return Of six lola RS for
every one Invested seems a business PRO-
posi- tlon I hat 1 II. fguara teed # beyond per-.
adventure A. OF " lure would 5S find 5& ready
takers Y ct Uncle SAM astute business
man though he Is on occasion; ls a !c
cuscd OF persistent ly refusing to take
full advantage OF just h this PROPOSE ton
To: a degree he has end oyed dts sbenef Its
His experience In a limited fashion. In
deed, 1T is argued 81 has iitself NTifo we'd the
accuracy OF claims made In / It's half.
Hs$.'After a careful study OF the subject,
/ am convinced that water rates under
favorable conditions are only one-slxth n
as high as those by rail-, and that every
dollar prudently expended IN impro W "
Ing and 3perfectlng the nayig alton OF our
waters Will save six dollars per annumi
TO the people in red ed rat es. '' say an
authority Repre- entativefJ osopht ~ RAMS N
del, OF ed Louisiana, lss a BS nnembe 81 OF the
II ouse Committee on Rivers and v Har-
bors, and chairman Of 81 the Executive
COMMITTEE Of the Ma tonal II River and
Hnrbors Congress-. MI. 4 Iaansde and the
members OF his organ zation, which N y y
3thirty-four States y OF the Union hold
that four. Government has failed signally
to profit as 1t might from this situation
and they are endenyoring to awaken the
nation Is the value OF its n egleoted treas
Iure In water transportation, to the END
that realization Of the great returns
to be secured from waterway improve
ment will induce the people ii o - e g M
OF Congress an annual River ana dar;-
thor] hill &of at leaats $50 900 900, a
That a dollar saved IN q the cost OF
TRANSFORMATION Is a dollar In tho pocket
of the producer, has become an axiom
IN the economics Of trade. Here are 9
few OF the cases cited by the adyoc Gates
OF Increased appropriate Ions Tor rivers
and harbors. In which stupendous sums
are shown to be thus annually put into
the pockets OF the American farmer, IN
snite OF nm imperfect Il development OF
the oountry's resources In this direction,
#l some thirty-five years ago the cost OF
4 m nsporting a bushel OF wheat from
Chicago to New Y ork was ~ vi cents
by water, by 4 way Of the Lakes ana
tho Erie Canal, and 4s.lo. cents py rail- all;
To-day 1t Is b.25 cents by. water ana
N 40 cents by rail- The present water
rate. In other words, is only about one n
slxth and tho rail rate less than one
fourth OF that which prevailed In the
5s,xties, before the great improyenlents.or
lake navigation, notably the era pllsh.5
Snent of q waterway, nty-one i 1eet
deep at Its shalloWest part tF Oh ~ I,
fl.th and Chicago to Buffalo, There Is
rms saved to the farmer OF the West.
, .m"s II II may he, Is not even situated
c,nse to any navigable body OF Water.i
b',t who still ships his grain via New
York ". from twenty live to th!rty-fl i've
cents nor bushel over the cost OF trans MS
snortation OF the era before the deYelo
sment OF this one means q wafer trans,
IMITATION. The advocate Of rivers ana g
po rho,a Improvement Will tell you 3that
~ ~ he he case OF both rail and water rates
thia great reduction In cost OF transpor-
tatIon and tho consequent saving are 9
airact result Of tho lettering Of the Ia
n,l,ties for lake traffic, as water ira MS
nnrtatIon by comparing with rail traffic
Regulates the cost Of the latter
while 1t Is recognized tnhs WIFE, 1,'.a
,,o,mnatition always serves to equalize
~ tas the railroad Is unable to compete
ss,,ecassfully5 in transportation cost VAIN
-, nrnved routes OF water trans po rtatlon'
me- figures cited show q wing 70 me
o. ~ 49,, az ~ more than five cents per bllshel
81 the present day by means @ ,WAseF
TRANSFORMATION over the cost hy ra!9Eou is
Figuring on the basis OF the cerea !, p paut
uut ,he eralses-Illinois, Indiana, Ohio. Wis
oanain Iowa, Minnesota and Mlchisah---
opNs ~ last census, 2.204 000,000 bushels,
th,u saving OF over five cents per pustel
~ Sraipht rates to the seab0rd mea ms Ii'e
aedditinnaof $4,000. 900 per annum on the
srain DROP alone to the income OF tile
farmers OF these States.
This Immense sum Woula nave s"As
into the hands OF the raAl1u'iua s ~, x.,s
~ nther kinds were Vt not for water
transportat lon; but that ia not al. Kali
road mon admit that the Erie Canal, IN
non i,innti lon with perfected channels ~
me Dstroit, ST. Clair and ST, Marys
r i, rsg,,lat es. and controls 1gelaata