The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-14
EXPERT DISCUSSES
MATTER Of RATES
John A. Fox, Special Director
Rivers and HarbOrs Con-
gress, Visits City.
TELLS WHY UTAH SHOULD
ASSIST THE MOVEMENT
Importance of Extending Water
Transportation Is Logically
Presented.

John A Fox of Washington, D. c.,
one Of the worlds greatest engineers,
and special director of the National
Rivers and Harbors congress, arrived in
Salt Lake City Monday, visited the
Commercial club and renewed old ac-
quaintances here. He is on his way
east, and after stopping 2 few days in
Denver, will visit Missouri river points.
Mr.. Fox has just finished an extern
sIve tour Of all cities on the Pacific
coast, from Bellingham. Wash. 10 San
Diego, Cal. He spoke before the com
mercial organizations in each city, and
went into the interior. taking in cities
as far inland as Spokane and Lewiston,
Ida.
As the result of Mr. Fox's energetic
campaign, all of the coast cities and
inland towns on the Pacific slope are
now affiliated with the National Rivers
and Harbors congress, and their com
mercial bodies will cooperate with kin
dred Eastern CARNATIONS in advanc
ing the worl: Of developing the rivers
and harbors of the nation.
When seen at the knutsford Tuesday
afternoon. Mr.. Fox said in part; lit
may seem TO casual observer that the
people in the mountain districts and
cities like Salt Lake and Denver and
Spokane haze no interest in this great
movement lot SN3tcWatlCallN
and definitely improving the rivers and
harbors of the whole country. IT would
appear perhaps strange TO many that
the special director Of the Rivers AMI
Harbors congress should pause in this
mountain city with Il view of having
the commercial interests OF the city
identified with this congress
"These cities, however, have an in
| terest, and a very great interest. and ]
| ,,.4I -, ~ Il
main over long enough III Salt Lake 10
deliver public address here on this
subject, for | am sure that the people
OF This mountain district, realizing as
they do the cnormity of the injustice
perpetrated upon them in unjust freight
rates, could readily understand how the
bringing of water transportation 1000
miles nearer to them than it is, would.
to n large extent, help them in solving
their rate question.
Movement Is Important.
HThc movement is one which should
be shared in alike by every section of
the United States, whether adjacent to
the Atlantic or Pacific seaboards, pene-
trated by the great river systems. or
far removed in the interior. The man
in Utah. Colorado or Nevada is as much
interested in getting his freight to and
from foreign ports at a cheap cost as
is he who lives directly in the port
city.
f'In discussing this tremendous dues-
ton, many intelli0ent men who live in
the interior lose sight of the salient
fact that ports are merely the gate
ways.
"Take, for instance, the example Of
deepening our barbors as benefit 10
the interior sections: prior 10 the i'm
provement OF Boston harbor, in 1883, il
cost ii 10 cents per bushel to send our
grain 10 Europe, and that grain came
largely from states like Kansas. Ne
braska, the Dakotas and Minnesota We
have expended FIVE millions in Boston
harbor, so that instead of a 2200.ton
vessel coming into that port for grain.
on twenty-three feet of water, we now
have l2,000-ton ships carrying that
grain to Liverpool on thirty.one feet
of water. at 9 $40 cents per bushel The
saving of this S 40 cents per bushel
is not TO the man in Boston, where the
helps the shipper in the interior grow
ing states, who raises the grain.
FThen. again, consider Galveston.
where something like s9,000,000 has
been spent in improvement on that
great harbor. Not only has the com
merce grown 500 per cent during the
last ten years, but cheapcned freights
from lNltTlDl SIaltH aS IdT uDTIH d.
YanlSon, s. D.. have resulted TO Euro
pean ports, so that tine American peo-
pie who enjoy shipment through Gal
weston port, are being saved more than
Sl0,000,000 every year by an improve
ment that in its entirety did not cost
them more than S9,000.0O0.
"However. ii is not only in the i'm
provements of harbors that these cities
of the interior are interested, Tor, If
the policy prevails that the National
Rivers and lIarbors congress is working
for. there will be Il systematic develop
ment of all our great river systems.
lust as has taken place in Germany and
France. which Will enable freights to
be carried 1000 miles up the Ohio river
to Pittsburg. upon a stable and re
liable stage of water. We can make
800 or 1000-ten barge carry freights at
water rates, 260G miles out into this
great Western empire by way of the
Missouri river 1t will enable the pro-
ducts OF the great inland country TO be
borne out NJ water rates along the
great Snake and Columbia rivers.
What It Means.
'ETo show what this would mean TO
the country, il is only necessary TO
state that it will scarcely cost more
han 100000, 600 to thoroughly equip
these rivers as has hecn done on the
oder and Weichtzel rivers in Germany.
md other rivers in France This would
give us about 10000 miles of well.im-
proved. canailzed rivers, upon which
'rcights could be carried at an average
If about one mill per ton per mile
cat present, the rates are as fol
ows on inland waters, unimproved AS
hoy arc:
erie canal '.'.............,,.1.9 9 mills.
ireat lakes ,......--..,........0. mills
,hlo river ''.~'..'.,...Q. I6 mills.
mississippi river '....,.,...,..0.6 .67 mills.
The average railroad rates in the
United States are "a follows:
.ranscontinental group q. mills
outhwcstern group .... \ mills
lhWeslgru urou,