The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-23


the carrying of the northwestern grain
freight from the head Caters to the
eastern seaboard markets. The rail-
roads have not, however, kept pace
with the development of the country's
resources, and as a consequence the
shipping industry is paralyzed be-
cause of the admitted inability OF the
railroads to carry the freight which
is offered.
There can be but two solutions to
the problem. One OF these is the in
crease of the number of carrying lines
of railroads, and the other is the de-
velopment of some new method OF
freight carrying system. The develop
ment of the inland water ways is
certainly the sensible solution. Not
only will this afford cheaper transport
tation facilities for bulk freight, but
it will open a line of competition 10
the railroads which will force them
to abandon the methods which have
been used by them during the last
few years for the sitting of COMPETE
ton and the consequent increasing
of freight rates.
The inland cities which have be-
come largely manufacturing because
of the natural resources which lie at
their doors would be immensely bene-
fitted by the conversion of the rivers
upon whose banks they are situated
into navigable streams for vessels
which could carry their products to
the great shipping ports OF the coun-
try, if not across the ocean. But it
is largely the great agricultural re-
gions of the Mississippi valley which
would be benefited most by the i'm
provement of the inland rivers. 4
glance at the map will show that
nature has lavishly favored that great
agricultural region of the United
States by providing river system
which reaches from the gulf to the
| farthermost part of the great valley,
and which by it's tributaries, opens
! the way for water transportation from
| the coal stored mountains of Pennsyl-
vania to the hard wheat, corn and
cattle producing regions of the west
Missouri slope, and which includes
the great corn growing regions of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, the
wheat producing regions of Kansas,
Nebraska and the Dakotas, and has
its western limit only in the borders
of the vast cattle feeding plains of
Montana. The millions of tons Of
freight which is annually produced
in this great agricultural empire can
| not be handled by the railroads with
out serious loss to the producers. So
great has the stress become that leg
islatures and civic bodies are con-
stantly studying the solution of the
problem, and yet it remains unsolved.
| 1t is becoming more serious every
year because of the annually increas-
ing amount Of freight which is pro-
duced and the seeming indifference
of the railroads to provide additional
shipping facilities.
But If the great water ways of this
region were so improved that they
could carry in heavy bottoms the
freight which is offered at the river
shipping points, it is evident that the
railroad traffic would be reduced to
a point where it could be properly
handled by these semi-public facili-
ties, and at the same time the cost
to the producer would be correspond
ingly reduced because of the smaller
cost Of transportation by water than
by rail.
The development of the Rooseveltan
idea of transportation would open the
great avenue of the northwest-the
Missouri river. 1t is interesting in
this particular to know that a reso-
luton was passed at the late session
of the legislature memoralizing con-
gress on this point and suggesting
the advisability of putting the scheme
| into practical oneration