Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-08-23

pfld Tor dellNeGS at Llltie INoeh ho
 meal was received several weeks later
 and was found to be unfit for use. II
 had spoiled in transit, and the railroad
 company said it was due to conSes-
 t;an of trafiic-or, to be more specific.
 a shortage of cars It is not unrea-
 sonabe to suppose that congestion in
 the moving of freight is always due |primarily to a shortage of cars, lack of sufficient rolling stock or some
 other deficiency in equipment; but
 this is merely an explanation of the
 cause and not a removal of the effect.
 If the Ouachita river had been in a
 navigable condition, as formerly, this
 cer of meal could have been loaded on
 a boat and transported down the
 Ouachita up the Mississippi and up
 tue Arkansas river to Little Rock in Hess time and for less money than the railroad demanded, and the meal would have been in good condition up- on it's arrival at Little Rock This ap-
 plies only to the heavier classes of freight, for the rivers, no matter what their condition, can not hope to con- pete with the railroads in carrying light articles.
 Perhaps the best argument in favor of improved waterways can be found in the fact that towns and cities situ- ated on streams upon which boats ply with any degree of regularity are we'll favored in the matter of freight rates and it is reasonable to suppose that the railroads rates of trans portation are made to conform with the river rates. Jonesboro is not on a river, but the distance from St. Louis to Jonesboro is considerably less than from St. Louis to Helena, yet the rail- roads charge a higher rate from St. Louis to Jonesboro than from St. Louis to Helena, which enterprising city enjoys the advantages of being on the Mississippi river, accessible to boats al all seasons. It is fact, now officially appearing in the Congress- ional Record, that freight is frequent ly shipped to Helena, THROUGH JONESBORO, for a less charge than the same freight is shipped to Jones' horo, and it is also an unofficial fact that freight is shipped from St. Louis to Helena and re-shipped to Jonesboro for less charge than the same freight is shipped from St. Louis di- rect to Jonesboro, and Jones 5oro is between St. Louis and Helena, all three cities being connected by the same railroad.
 This is clearly a case of unjust dis against Jonesboro but it shows quite plainly the advantage, in at least one way, of water transporta- ton and the necessity of water way 
 The magnitude of the undertaking can be best judged by taking an au- thentic map of the United States, 1 showing the hundreds of rivers and lakes. It will show that, with the plan as outlined, put into operation, it | will be possible to go from New York l @ Kansas City, and even further up the Missouri, entirely by water; or ,orm Cape Nome, by way of the Pan ana canal, the Gulf of Mexico the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Pitts 1 burg. Taking into consideration the | thousands of smaller streams all of which are contemplated in this colos- ,a' movement, there is practically no init to the territory that will be af- ected
 There is plenty of business for the ailroads, and this improvement of our ' land waterways would mean more business and therefore more railroads, )ut the real benefits would be reaped y the people and the country would soon reach a state of development uch as the world has never seen nor 'Ieamed Of