The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-12
WHY INLAND WATER
SYSTEM is DETECTIVE
Commissioner Smith Points Out
the Conditions That Prevent
Its Development
Unorganized and Not Standard
lied 1t Can Not Compete
With Railways

WASHINGTON, July 11.-Lack of
practical and commercial unity in the
entire inland water system of the
part l of the report on transportation
by water. now submitted to the presi-
dent by Herbert Knox Smith, commits
sioner of corporations of the depart
ment of commerce and labor.
The commissioner dilates in his let
ter of transmittal upon the facts that
while the United States has altogether
a total of about $500 miles of river
navigation of six feet depth and over,
and more than 1000 miles of canals,
these totals are broken up into large
number of unrelated parts by reason
| of different depths and different con-
ditions and that the diverse nature of
the floating equipment increases this
lack of organization. Many vessels
are built for special traffic nr local
conditions and are thus often not
interchangeable" over different, even
though connecting, routes.
| In general the commissioner shows
| primarily the relation in which the
| inland waterways Drivers and canals)
stand to the whole transportation sys-
| tenn of the country. While waterways
are subject TO many limitations they
have nevertheless great possibilities.
They are not now carrying anything
like their proper share of the coun-
try's traffic.
WATER SYSTEM IMPERFECT
Through" freight constitutes a
| great. part of the country'S trafnc. A
reasonable share of such through
/ freight is essential to the success OF
the water system. Inland waterways
can not prosper generally on merely
| local traffic. But the water system,
unorganized and divided as it is by d.
versities of channels and equipment,
is greatly at a disadvantage in COM
petition with the rail system for this
| through traffic. For the rail system
of the country is standardized, physi-
cally unified and it's control largely
centralized and Is thus well adapted
to handle through freight.
The canals of the country illustrate
an extreme case of waterway decline.
About $500 miles of canals have been
constructed. Over half of this
mileage, costing more than $S0,000.000,
| has been abandoned. and canal traffic.
excepting that of some short ship
canals. has steadily decreased.
| The report also calls attention briefly
| to the very unsatisfactory condition of
water terminals, a matter of the high
est Importance in transportation.
EUROPEAN METHODS
| 1t is noted that European countries
have in many cases distributed the
cost of waterway Improvement upon
| localities in some ratio with the spe-
| cial benefits received. while very little
| of that sort has been done IN this
| country.
The report also sets forth the steady
advance of steam over sail power, and
the tendency toward corporate owner
| ship of steam tonnage. especially the
larger vessels. In 1906 the average
size of vessels owned by individuals
was 113 tons and by corporation SIG
tons. Operating expenses, so far as
obtained, averaged about so per cent
| of the gross earnings. The lowest ra-
ito of operating costs was on the bulk
! cargo vessels of the great lakes the
highest that of the packet lines on the
Mississippi system and southern rivers