The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-06
make 1 CHEAPER RATES |:
BY00P[N||k'|C RIVER
John B. Noon Urges Improve.
tnet1ts iii the
James.
RID Ri, US, THEN, OF MONO POLY
Shows That Years Ago Virginia
Regulated Rates Through
Legislature.

y - f-I = r p III
In his address before the Upper
James River valley League at SCOTS.
ville,f Mr. John 3. Moon related much
Interesting his tory OF navigation in Il
former times, declaring that tho peo-
plo uld learn much from the expc-E
rlence OF the past One hundred and
sixty-tWo years ago the Leg islaturo
Of Virginia passed law, he said, au-
, thorizing the justices courts OF GOOGLE
land. Amelia, Henrico, Prince George
and Albeninrlc counties to have tho.
streams cleared SO that the farmers
could ship their tobacco down the
James and AppOmattox Rivers. Mr..
Moon then proceeded to trace the va
rious laws enacted to protect the rivers
and to aid navigation The rates were
regulated BY tho Commonwealth. the
Legislature having supervision over
the charges on every article trans
ported. l5
state Fixed River Rates.
Mr.. Moon said In part:
You will find in3the old acts con-
corning tnverns. iturnpllSes, ferries and
matters where the public was concern
ed that the State undertoo'. to reg,l-
late the rates. The regulation by law
of such matters as railroad rates is
nothing new. If want to go to Ricll-
smond and the railroad company
!
no3choice but to pay, because tie rail-
road has been allowed by law to OBJ
tain monopoly Of the transportation
to that point, and !, as an Individual,
am not IN "a position to contend or bar
gain with them. Only by NIL tho pco-
pie speaking through the government
can bargain be made for the rates
as to each Individual. This Is an un-
derlying! fact which every man must
feel to be true when he considers the
matter, and there is deep-seated con-
yiction In the minds Of the people that
they ought to have some voice in flx-I
ling such rates.
subsequently to these Acts thai
James River and Kanawha Canal was
built as far west as Buchanan r. the 1
forties and flfties Of last century,
and was finally taken over n 1870 bv
the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad.
which has since been absorbed by the
Chesapeake and Ohio.
Problem of Trun.portation.
The problem now before us is, can
VIC cheaper Transportation by reopen
ing the old navigation of the river and
putting itsin the sharf u was seventy
five or one hundred years ago? Car
5riage by water is universally recog-
nized as the cheapest known mode of
LTuHSpOEtHIIOuif anu WOTRSs Il on a very
large scale have lately been or now
being carried on by Germany and Eng
land and by our own government at
Panama to provide for 1t for large
vessels. . The question for us Is, can
it be made racticahle here? We could
never afford tosrevert to the old style
of push boats, and men withfpoles. but
with the new Invention OF Spropellors
and steam and gasolenes launches and
cheap and simple gasolene and ,petro-8
leum4 engines it might possibly be !
made u SUCCESS. AJAX |
When we sec such inventions used
to drive automobiles over our country
roads, the question arises. cannot they
be economically and effectively used
for boats in two or more feet OF water,
and local line opened for them, say
from Richmond to Lynchburg. which
would offer3tthe cheapest transporta-$
tion possible, requiring no large out
lay OF capital and open to every one.
who might choose to run boat?
I'VE must recognize that there are
difficulties in. the way, old dams to ba
cleared out and the channel to be
| opened. all requiring money. and per-
| haps adverse interest to fight. Wei
should Investigate and go into the
matter carefully and intel'igent'Ts andgl
| IL VIC conclude there is anything to
be gotten out OF the matter, do our
best to get it,
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