Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-08-04
cuT-rHRoAr COMPETITION ON
RATES GREATEST MENACE
TO WATER COMMERCE.
DRIVE BOATS OUT OF BUSINESS,
THEN BOOST FREIGHT RATES
Laws Suggested to Prevent Railroads
From Cutting Rates Suggested as
Remedy-Burton Doubts PubIic's
Readiness to Accept Such Radical
lesislation-Plans for European Trip
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Washington, Aug. 4.-That the most
effective way to induce commerce to
return to the rivers of this country is
to protect them against the unrestricted
competition of the railroads, is the
opinion to which the members Of the
congressional commission on water
ways are fast tending. Senator Burton
has recently admitted that he Is con-
WINGED on this point but he has SER
ious misgivings as to whether the
country would favor the very legisla-
ton which would accomplish the de-
sired result.
The commission is getting plans per-
fected for Its trip to Europe, and is
making up its itinerary. securing ap-
pointments to meet authorities on
waterways and transportation in gen.
eral in the various countries which will
be visited, and getting together all pos
sible material which may be utilized
to facilitate the investigation.
The commission has had its attention
called particularly to the. experience OF
European countries in which 1t has ac-
tuaily been necessary to pass laws
prescribing that railroad rates shall not
be made so low as canal rates, when
the rail and Waterways compete. By
this means only has it been found pos
sible to keep the railroads from taking
all the freight, driving the boats off the
waterways-and then advancing the
rates higher than ever.
Speaking Of this matter, Senator
Burton expressed the opinion that the
most important thing to be accom-
plished now, to reinstate traffic on the
rivers, was to protect the business.
but" he added, "I don't know whether
the country would view with favor the
effort to pass legislation which would
accomplish this purpose Suppose for
instance an act should be proposed.
that the rate between St. Louis and
Kansas City, by railroad. must not be
less than 100 per cent of the rate by the
Missouri river carriers; how would the
people of those cities. and OF other
places feel about it? And suppose like
/ legislation were proposed for the route
/ from st. Louis to New Orleans? What
would be the effect
| 1.-THE railroads Of course are able to
take the business away from the water
courses, II permitted unrestricted COM
petition; and besides doing this they
have in fact bought control Of the
waterfront realty in cities, and made Il
impossible for boats to secure landings
in many cases. am inclined to the be-
lief that under present physical condi-
i tons on the Mississippi that river
would make it impossible to sustain a
profitable traffic by steamboats,, If only
the terminals could be secured and The
railroads were not permitted to drive
i the business away by excessive COM
petitive methods"
7 This expression by Senator Burton
Is regarded as Of the highest signifi-
canoe, in view of the fact that in recent
years students of the internal water.
ways situation have been TENDING
toward the same conclusions. The con.
gressional commission is getting ready
for some painstaking investigation
along this line.
This new view Of the matter, i
adopted. would mean that protective
legislation for the waterway commerce
would precede efforts at physical i'm
provement of the rivers. The expens,
of general scheme of river improve
ment and canal building is so immenst
that it staggers Investigators. More
over, they find, as in the case of tn
Ohio river, that the more a stream i
improved, the less traffic it sometime
bears All this has turned attention
to the possibility that legislation is tn
thing needed, to curb the competitive
{ methods of the railroads.
The railroads advantage lies in tn
] fact that 1T can take freight for al
. destinations, and at all seasons.
shipper who has the privilege of choos
ing between rail and water may desir
}. to divide his tonnage. But the railroa
traffic manager can say to him, eff yo
don't give US all the business, we wi
find it announcement to provide cars fo
that part of the business which yo
must move by rail or leave unmovet
You must give us all the business, q
your competitor will beat you in thes
markets which you can only reach b
rail. We will see to that" This threa
Is enough to settle the matter. Whe
the boats are thus driven off the rive!
for want Of business. or fall into cor
troll of interests friendly to the raj
roads, the rates go up and the com
petitive losses are made back.
. 1.-THE passage of the right sort {
legislation on this aspect would /
d worth more than the expenditure I
: a half billion of dollars IN improvin
n waterways" declared a recent govern
g ment investigator. And that impressio
h is getting strong hold on the water
>. ways commission.
IL -
y y Generous or HypocrItIcaI1