The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-12-15

drainage and utilization of the Wa
ters for swamp and overflow lands.
In the Atlantic interior system,
there should be a deep waterway
from Gulf of Mexico to the Great
Lakes, and a deep and continuous
Atlantic inner passage from New
England TO Florida; the present plan
for improving the Ohio should be
carried out promptly, and should be
perfected by any forestation and res
ervoirs required to control the head
waters; the upper Mississippi and
the Missouri should be improved and
canalized the lower Mississippi
should be connected with the Rio
Grande and with the waters of Flor
ida by inner passages; the navigable
rivers flowing into Gulf of Mexico and
Atlantic ocean should be improved;
and all appropriate links in the sys-
TEN should be adapted to vessels of
standard draft, and should be con-
nected with one another and with the
Great Lakes by canals of standard
dimensions. In the Columbian Puget
system, the rivers should be improy-
ed and requisite connecting canals
should be constructed; and in Cali
fornia the Sacramento, San Joaquin
and Feather rivers should be so i'm
proved as to open the country TO in
terstate and foreign commerce.
IL has been roughly estimated that
the inland waterways of the country
could be improved in 10 years at a
cost of $50,000,000 annually in such
manner as to promote interstate
commerce and at the same time
greatly reduce the waste and extend
the use of the waters. If done at the
cost of the people, the burden would
be S0.62 II per capital per year, or
1925 in all.
II is roughly estimated that the
direct benefits would comprise an an
nual saving in transportation of
$3.50, 900; an annual saving in
flood damage of $3.50, 100000; an
average saving in forest fires of at
least $25, 100000; an annual benefit
through cheapened power of fully
100000; and an annual saving
in soil erosion tor corresponding
benefit through increased farm pro-
duetion) of 100000, 000-a total of
81 900. 900, or $3.50 per capita
annually, /. e., 20 times the cost. In
addition, large benefits would result
from extended irrigation, from the
drainage and settlement of swamp
and overflow lands, and from purified
and cheapened water supply with
consequent diminution of disease and
saving of human life.
Various indirect benefits would
arise through the inter-relations
among the natural resources. The
development of water traffic in lieu
of rail carriages would reduce the
constantly increasing consumption of
ties and mine timbers, now a heavy
drain on our forests; il would reduce
the consumption of iron, since water
vehicles require but a quarter TO a
third of the metal required by rail
vehicles of like capacity; and it
would correspondingly reduce the
consumption of coal for both pro-
pulsion and smelling.
Reckoning the total cost of do
nestle traffic by rail and water and
wagon, with freightage on imports, it
is probable that the average Ameri-
can family pays for transportation of
food and clothing more than 20 per
cent of their actual cost. /. e.. our
consumers pay too much and our
producers get too little for the neces-
saries of life. This condition would
be relieved by the development of
water transportation on an adequate
scale.
1t is estimated that the income de-
rived from power developed by works
for the Improvement of navigation
would alone, at current market rates
utilized in cooperation with states
and citizens, compensate the entire
cost of maintenance and continued
development after the initial expen-
diture of $500, 600, 000 as a working
capital.