The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-20
TRAFFIC BY WATER
DISCUSSION BY coMMIssIoNER HI.
K. SMITH.


-0
Washington. July Is.-Co- operation
between railways and waterways
seems absolutely necessary to insure a
reasonable and efficient use of the In
land water courses Of this country.
This conclusion 10 reached In the re-
port of Herbert Knox Smith, Commits
sioner Of Corporations. in part OF his
discussion OF the subject OF Transpor-
tation by Water. which his bureau has
been investigating for many months.
The second part of the report was
transmitted to President Taft today. 1t
deals with trafic by water, and por-
tons of 1t are particularly suggestive
and significant. 4
1t liz pointed out by Commissioner
Smith that 1T Is a public evil that the
entire transportation system of the
United States should be, as now. at
odds with itself through destructive
competition. while the transportation
needs of the public suffer"
Traffic in ITSELF" the report con-
tinues. lis a necessity for the proper
development Of waterway. State and
Federal work must be supplemented by
private initiative. especially in termi-
mails and equipment, and private initia-
tive will come In only when there is
reasonable chance Of enough traffic to
make 1t profitable. One OF the great
questions, therefore, Is the question of
how to secure for the inland rivers and
canals q reasonable share OF the coun-
try's trafiic."
In the body OF the report, Commits
sioner Smith points out the predomi-
nance Of bulk traffic by water. and the
reasons therefor. Then he outlines the
practical results to be obtained from a
thorough system OF waterways. The
entire transportation system of the
country 10 divided into three great
classes:
a. Rail.
CD Deep water. that Is. coastwise
and Great Lakes.
CD Rivers and canals.
An enormous increase has been
shown in the rail traffic. There also has
been an increase in the coast wise
traffic. On the other hand, the river
and canal traffic shows a marked de-
crease. Discussing this situation, Com
missioner Smith, In his report, says:
1.-THE great mass Of the coast and
Great Lakes trafiic Is bulk. The enor-
nous development OF the Great Lakes
business Ii largely due to the vast ore
and grain trade moving eastward and
the coal trade moving westward About
100000 tons OF ore were transported
in 1907 eastward, and about 1900. 900
tons of coal were moved westward in
40VOs 4nCBo kFc6t ITtlkutSs Ociuk al
bulk and OF uniform character, re-
cefved and delivered at a few central
ports, have produced there q very high
ly organized system of transportation
and terminals, and consequent low
| transportation cost.
The river and canal system, on the
other hand, has been losing steadily.
| The New York canals and the Missis-
sippi river system illustrate this. Up
/ Hu he fra Ne he
nails was more than twice that of the
railroads crossing New York State. u
10 now less than per cent of that to-
1 tai. The situation on the Mississippi
Is illustrated in the traffic history of
| st. Louis. River shipments there In
| 1890 were over 100000 tons: In 1906,
| $4,000. Rail shipments on the othe
hand increased from 100000 tons in
1890 to 1900, 900 tons In 1906.
1.-THE coal trafic downstream from
the vicinity OF Pittsburg. over Sc per
| cent of the entire vessel traffic on the
Mississippi system. Is the one striking
exception to the general decline on
that system. Its success II due to the
| great deposits Of coal practically or
| the banks, and q corresponding demand
for II along the river. But even thii
trafic - practically confined to the
banks OF the rivers. and goes neither
inland nor along the Gulf coast for an!
considerable distance
1.-The situation of water Transports
ton in the Mississippi Valley Is sig.
nifcant and serious It shows best
both the limitations and the possibih,
| ties involved in the present waterway
problem. There Is no lack Of freight
| In that valley, and there has been al
times extreme traffic congestion there
and yet the river Ia getting only an In
significant and decreasing snare of thai
traffic. 1t Is true that physical condi'
lions such as extreme changes ir
water level ana enormous deposits Of
| sediment, affect transportation seri'
ously. But probably more serious Il
| the competition Of the parallel rail
| roads
"The situation there tustifies the
general conclusion of the report tina
rail competition 10 one Of the most i'm
portant factors in water traffic"