New-York tribune., 1908-02-13
KNOX ON WATERWAYS
f)yR COMMERCIAL FUTURE
Plea fos National System in Connec-
ton .cith Panama Canal.

p.-tshurs Feb .s-Wi.h four United States Sen
s-ors as many Congressman and several hundred
ef rhe most prominent business men OF the Pitts
burg district "a attendance, the annual Lincoln e
Rir-hday dinner Of the Pittsburg Chamber OF Com
r,erce held At the Hotel Schenley tonight
The chief address delivered by Senator p g
Knox The other speakers and guests were Sen
stors J. p. Dover. Iowa. Thomas H. Carter Mon
rana and Boies Penrose Pennsylvania. and Con-
sressnan J. sloat Fassett. OF New York Thres
congressman OF this c:str'c, James Francis Burke
nr a J. Barchfeid ard w. II. Graham We're also
present President Il u. y. English Of the Cham
Der of Commerce introduced Congressman Burke.
who acted toastn.aster-
TIE dinner preceded by toars OF inspection.
receptions. and luncheon "a the DuQuesne Club.
All guests. except senator Knox. arrived In
this city early to-day. Senator Knox. who spoke
last night Kalamazoo. Mich. old not reach here
until early in the even;ng
The speakers ard the.- topics Senator
KNOX our Commercial Future; Senator Do!liver,
kS:aram Lincoln: Senator Carter. business
Ken IN History. and Congressman Fassett. In
;e-nationsl Trade the American Merchant Ma
rre"
Senator Knox said IN part:
VIII ,he government. of this nation through It's
inoongruity OF spending certain ssqooOovn' % enc
poss 20 ss m aTbes re Of the
states ;wo or three score millions to enable @ then them
.he spending that sum outside the Up5ed @ 1 States m r
ssss the nsst srsic Of the Mississippi basin and
sT sheir c. contribution to that work: cannot bsIeye
that with its trne nature aine1
BEYOND the larger Importance Of cheap water
the immediate requisite OF securing a full return
the great investment on the isthHns, mus ana s.
ana revenue. establishes as basic in our nationai
policy OF internal improvements these propositons
IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED.
Fjrsr-That we should discard further procras-
tinatsons and about the systematic and COM
pTehesive in1provemennnt Of al ports and water .e
canal. order, If possible. to complete all Of them
not possible. TO complete the largest proportion
Seoond-Tha1 the maximum depth of the canal
should be fixed the minimum depth OF the chan
nitnde e or ca4sbie of Commercial magnitude.
Third-That all the rivers Of the MISSISSIPPI oasn assn
nornic utility permitted by their physical and com;
a trane ane 'Se e ,ne to the isthan canal
and the PACIFIC by modern and adeGua.e csna1sd; Us
fIsR-f Lake Ere 10 the Upper Ohio.
That modern and improved water routes furnish 81
fundamental freights on which the time consumea
by ihe vast cargoes of ore. coal and grain travers
Ing our he a6ss s sn a S Q. eevF the
stage Of water attains depth OF nine to twelve e
f r ten oIs 3or e erynn coal or ore
40 lo miles Of railroads intervening be
greater ss5e than the Charge Tor CARRYING the
1eg! loo miles on the lakes and 80 TO f1 % per pt fsI
burg to New Orleans. 1000 miles by river. when
nevefoOt stage offers the cheapest transportation
Il IS not strange that the sections Whch nave nave
Improvement should regard the larger prosperity
% 9s ' s prss hafs of Thee is
superficial color TO their belief that they are re-
fne harbors and deep channels of lakes and
board. and that justice requires the like treat
sentiments of sectional jeaiously That feeling has
nd Improvement.
pose in presenting these facts is 10 estaolsn a
ihe needlessness of any sectional conflict and
ing the improvement of all waterways and har-
bors to their utmost utility 1t is that the con-
a fsInporsry ana passing phase. and that these
improvements return more than their cost. not
perity and commerce of the nation-which is the
Of n Of national m n that
will repay their cost and interest In a compara-
Government improvement of harbors and water
ways 5udiciously planned 10 serve large commerce;
effective completion Will be repaid by the increase
Of government revenues from enlarged population
issue. with 4 large profit in addition.
COST OF THE SYSTEM
Engineering experts have estimated the cost Of
neighborhood of 1900. and, 1 understand.
oonsoidsted Eonid form m this comprehensi1e
whole Suppose the amount increased for con
Interest and sinking fund charges of four per
cent would make the annual cost SSlofoN AT
ffe low estimate Of eight dollars per capita con-
fr1bution to the national revenues, this would call
Tor an Increase Of population by this vast ex-
panSfoD Of cheap transportation averaging $3.50.
600 during the term Of the debt. in other words
INC gain OF population and revenue needed to
make the government revenues whole would very
tle exceed that directly traceable within the past
thirty years 10 the improvement Of the lakes end
such partial work the rivers has attained
efficient results IT would he gross pusillanmity
70 doubt that before the maturity Of the debt
half reached the gain in population and revenue
directly due TO the work would many times
cesd that requirement
An interest widely ciassed as prejudiced by and
opposed to the comprehensive plan of waterways
Is That Of railways But that view is only
preiUoiced and selfish: il is absolutely erroneous.
The re tef Of the railways by transferring a good
snare Of their loT-ciass fregfts TO the waterways
is not adverse TO their prosperity Jt is
2 sfort-sishfed notion that they oppose that
change European experience has established the
h~ that with waterways carrying the slow and
heaTy freights which most congest the railways
.hd on which their net return is the most narrow.
re growth Of industry and population than
rornpensates them in the growth of their high
class freight. express. mail and passenger traffic.