The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-10-11

ed to put us in q condition where w
ought to be is SO large as to be beyont
the possibility of the country to fur
nish. We might as well put railroad
! Improvement out Of the question The
public will use what they have got un
I'll they get more, and that will not bC
in a short time.
THE newspapers talk OF a deer
channel from Duluth to st. Paul Sup
pose we build canal. Where are
| you going to get water to float the
boats. The water would have to b,
pumped 100 miles"
He suggested a canal placed on
rockers. into which little water could
be flooded from one end and then
tilted with jacksCrews so that boats
would be floated to the other end.
But let us do what can be done.
There are others in the world beside
ourselves, and some of them are ac-
tive. There is talk of canal from the
lakes by the ottawa river to Montreal.
This would put Montreal fifteen miles
nearer Duluth than Buffalo Is, and II
would be almost impossible to get
traffic to take the longer route. Chi.
cago wants ship canal and would be
glad to have them build 1t, but there
are some difficult problems. Where
would you get the water? The shores
Of the great lakes touch two countries,
and people at the upper end of the
lakes will object II enough is taken
to operate such canal
But don't delay the whole move.
ment on this account. There is water
enough from ST. Louis down to make
channel with all the water in the
country. All the movement wants Is n
man with intellect and money to pay
the bills. Such a channel would save
from three to five cents on every bush.
ell of grain exported. Such a canal
from st. Louis to New Orleans, will
be worth as many Panama canals as
you can imagine"
Then he said that a six-foot channel
with a three mile an hour current
would not be sufficient. If grain could
be carried thus in boats, and the boats
could be sold at the end of the trip
for ready money, the companies haul
ing grain would about break even.
But the craft must come back, and 1t
costs money to go against the current.
Unless twelve or thirteen feet Of water
is available boats would not be in a
position to do cheap transporting"
Mr.. Hill said this country has made
as good use Of its railroads as any.
He said that the railroads of England
are capitalized at $230,000 per mile,
and that they average 100000 per
miles per annum, and only pay half
the wages we do here. The roads
here on a capitalization of $4,000 a
mile make a showing Of 100000 ton
miles per annum.
THE question of transportation,
continued Mr.. Hill, sis a question this
country is up against. There is cry
ing need for the improvement of the
Mississippi river. 1t can't be delayed.
Every day it costs more and more
money to every one in the Mississippi
Ndllts ldl tuSL do SOluhlbuo, Univ
Don't delay the work for a canal be-
tween here and Lake Superior. We
will need more rain than we have been
| getting to get that"
Mr.. Hill gave some statistics of the
falling off of trade that the Great
Northern has carried on with Japan
When that service was begun the road
carried 100000 tons annually. Fol
the year ended December 81, 1905, II
carried 81,042,000 tons. The next year
it dropped to 100000 tons, and this
year it is much less.
There is nothing we can furnish
Japan cheaper than others do. Thu
means of transportation are arrested
now and it will be long time befor,
they will be started again. We can
raise money. The railroads have gone
as far as they can in increasing thu
capacity of the present equipment.
What we have suffered in the pas
is nothing to what we will suffer il
the future I would not be surprised
if congress is asked for money to con
tinue building railroads. The people
will do it. They are not bad"