The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-03-26
IMPROVED WATER WAYS.
byernment's Duty Is Plain-Unless
government Helps By Improving
y Water Ways Traffic Conges-
N tion will Continue. s..


with special reference to the devel-
aRpp1ent OF river and harbor improve
Aaents, the Manufacturers Record of
his week says:
'Transcending in Importance ev-
ry other business question before
e American people is that Of trans
brtation. We are at critical per-
when freight congestion and in
1equate transportation facilities are
be burden Of the business mans life.
great expansion Of transportation
eilities is vital to business expan-
to growth of trade and commerce
to the increasing wealth of agri-
tural, industrial and general bust
less interests.
''The development of the country
has been more rapid than it has been
4 POSSIBLE for the railroads TO meet,
q and yet we are only at the beginning
of the real broad development of this
sWonderful land. It is now seen that
k$fhe Improvement of our waterways
MS vital to the progress and prosper
1 iGy OF every section, and instead of
Fbleing antagonistic to the railroads
!. Interest, is essential to their best
prosperity. TO provide the facilities
needed for the growth of population
and traffic III this country will tax
the financial power of the railroads
and of the Government itself. It
|, is now everywhere accepted that it
Z will take an expenditure of $5,OO0,-
100000 to fully expand and equip
ne railroads of the country to meet
fhe needs of the times, and yet the
N yatlonal Government has expended
eHth the last ten years an average of
\ only about $20,000,000 on rivers and
: hafbors, and will doubtless now halt
EtanN hesitate unless backed by the.
overwhelming demand of the people
'Kdf the country, in issuing $500,000,-
1000 of securities for river and har-
work, or one-tenth Of what the
ailroads must do by private capital.
Every available means of trans
ortation must be utilized, every
dver susceptible of improvement to
ks4lch an extent as to furnish greater
S8thansportation facilities must be
\ deepened or Strengthened, every har-
Por with which nature has blessed
bur country must be improved for
larger ships and better shipping facil-
,itles. The present congestion is not
\ temporary. 1t will be the normal
f. condition of the country, unless an
, expansion commensurate with the
vastness of the resources of this coun-
try be made.
:, "From the Atlantic to the Pacific
and from the Lakes to the Gulf traf-
fic is congested Lumber men are IN
4 able to deliver their products, though
fHaager buyers are scrambling for it;
SSron and steel interests are harrassed
10y the inability to secure the raw
Rmaterial, and when they have secured
pat, by inability to deliver the fin
he'd product; the cotton growers of
Che south and grain growers of the
Eyest, the cotton mill man and the
Vlour maker are all alike harrassed
tby the present conditions.
II $50 great is the pressure upon
Transportation facilities that rail
Sioads would make more net profit if
they had a smaller volume Of gross
y iness. Their lines are overwork-
!, a, their rolling stock cannot be util-
lied to the best advantage, their ter
minal facilities are cloeged, and the
life Of the railroad OPERATOR from the
|, president all the way down through
every graduation Of the office, is
A5urdcn.
I "Upon the National Government
PESTS weighty responsibility. 1t is
the servant of the people. Congress
is but the directory Of the mightiest
corporation on earth, that of the
United States, and the people, who
are the stockholders in this corpora
tion, have the right to say to Con-
gress that our rivers and harbors
! shall be utilized to the fullest extent
#possible, and that, too, without re-
Nsard to whether the cost be $500,000,-
400 or five times that amount. This
Country is rich enough not to be
Avasteful in foolish extravaganza, but
Sich enough to carry out every great
Norll Of this kind which will add to
fhe prosperity Of all the people Of all
SECTIONS. -
TIJE STATES AT JAMESTOWN