The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-04-03
WHAT TIE INIER.CoAsTAL CANAL WILL
SAVE IN FREIGHT.
Striking Presentation of Facts ana
Figures Little Known to III"
Waterways Committee. Pre-
scented BY the Louisiana
delegation.

The following strong ana coh''"o-
mo array of facts aud figures submit
ted by Hon. Leon Locke TO the com
oit,op on rivers and harbors, at the
snecial hearing given the Louisiana
Tnter-c,astaI Canal delegation, Ines
3av afternoon, at Washington. Ir.
Locke showed conclusively that the
PROPOSED canal would be a stupendN-
Gus saver Of freight to large ana
growing section of the South. o'h'r
members of the committee presented
different phazeS Of the question, ~
cluding that Of drainage ana the re-
claiming of large area OF swamp
lands.
Mr.. Locke, who was the first speak
er. read carefully prepared state
ment showing the production OF the
following articles OF commerce Ia
Louisiana during the year 1906:
Cotton. 946, 40 bales, or 10 OF the
entire product of the United States:
rice, 1854 500 bushels, or 1873 per
cen, of the entire product of the Unit
ed States; cane sugar, $50, 900 tons, or
"a per cent Of the entire product OF
the United States: sulphur, 5000
tons. or 80 per cent of the entire pro-
duct of the United States: petroleum,
81 sol 900, Or , per cent of the entire
product of the United States.
Of these products the parish OF Cal
jcasjeu produced: Lumber $,OOO,OoO
or Is per cent of the entire product or
the United States, rice, $500, 900 bush
els. or Is per cent of the entire pro-
duct of the United States; sulphur
800. 900 tons, or 81 per cent OF the en-
tire product of the United States.
Reduced to figures to indicate ton
mage, the parish of Calcasieu pre-
sents: Lumber, 100000 tons (l2,o0O,-
600. 900 feet); sulphur 100000 tons;
rice, 100000 tons. Total tonnage
500, 600 for three commodities only.
Mr.. Locke added:
ga careful Investigation presents
briefly a saving in freight, on the
presumption that water transportation
is used exclusively, as follows: Lum'
Der, s1l2, 900; rice, 100000, freight to
New York as basis; sulphur, $40. 600,
statement of Union Sulphur company
as per letter: 1857, 1000 annual freight
saving.
"We regret that it is impossible to
present more than an estimate on the
, freight saving as applied to inbound
commodities, but assuming popula'
l ton of 60, 900 in the parishes of Cam
| eron and Calcasieu, it is safe to say
3 in view of the industries represented
5 that the annual saving would be les:
than that on the principal outbounc
. commodities.
| "Summarizing, the saving annual!
= would be in round numbers $500. 900
=. LAS these figures apply only to tina
j. portion of the waterway covered b.
d the bill introduced by Mr.. Pujo for al
e appropriation under the estimate mad
" by Major Edgar Judwin, of sls9,2l5
e it is hereby shown that the sayin
J. will. bv the most conservative est
e mate, be annually nearly two time
the total cost of the said project.
ct eve begin further to present cor
h dition which will serve to emphaslz
i. the need of this canal-namely: tt
I'd city of Orange, Texas, located on tt
&c Sabine river, and therefore in dire
y communication by water with the pc
", at Port Arthur, produced during II
y recent (present) financial stress 90 p
cent OF her lumber capacity as re
of resented by her several mills.
Ill THE Lake Charles district produce
l about 10 per cent of her capacit
he This was occasioned bv the fact tn
M the city of Orange, by reason OF
nd ing on an inland water route, had
to advantage of the export propositic
in which was, and is, unaffected by
condition prevailing in the Unit
g. States.