Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-09

rivers and canals connecting Paris win
the port of Havre and those transporting
coal and ore between France ana Ger
many and France and belgium me
construction OF these French water
ways has cost from %o,coo to over *7S.-
900 mile. They carry but II per cent
of the traffic. the railways carrying ~
per cent The capital investment OF
France in constructing and improving us
interior waterways stands at $3soWo'ooo.
The annual charge for maintenance Is
between thrce and a half and four mil
lions Of dollars. Upon tho capital the
government receives no interest. ana Tor
the maintenance no return. From the
total traffic that passes over these water
ways the boatmen derive an annual re-
venue OF from $lo.0o0.Ooo TO Sl6,WoOoo.
That Is. the government hns made cap
ital investment OF Ssoo,0Cn,CO upon which
II not only derives no interest but pays
an annual maintenance OF over 10 per
cent. BY reason Of this investment IL
obtained bare livelihood by the owners
Of the boats and thcr families. whose
entire revenue is less than the raintcn-
ance and the interest were that interest
calculated at 1 per cent. Moreover tho
waterways are relieved Of all service 10
tho government with which the railways
are burdcned TO the extent Of nearly "
$50 mile. in addition to taxes that
amount to over $s0nO0.oh0 year.
II England were Included in this re-
view /: would be found that hcre where
the railways have not been nationaliz-
I'd they carry a still greater proportion
OF the traffic than the rivers ana canals,
which have not been extended since the
Introduction Of the railways and which,
except in one or two cases where they
have the benefit OF extraordinary natural
advantages, have practically fallen into
desuetude. out Of which the royal COM
mission on canals has not been able to
devise plan to lift them. Tho much
lauded Manchester ship canal IL really
nm extension of the sea from Liverpool
TO Manchester. II has cost over $500
100 and In the fifteen or more years of It's
existence has not paid a dividend TO the
shareholders. It has unuuestionaby
brought about n great reduction In the
railroad rates from Liverpool but
through this port Is still handled by far
| the greater proportion OF the traffic II
! has been said that were the railways
presented annually with the three million
and odd dollars that represents 4 per
cont. upon the Manchester canal invest
ment, in addition to the annual cost Of
! maintenance. they could afford TO carry
gratis all the traffic upon which the
operation Of the canal has forced reduc-
| cd rates Practically the same statement
| has been made In regard to the protect
/ to make an ocean ship canal OF the
waterway between Antwerp and Brus-
sells, and former president OF the New
York Central system said the same
thing in regard to the expenditure pro-
posed for the so-called improvement OF
the Erie canal.
II may be safe to say that il our ma
, tional waterways commission gives due
| consideration TO the incontrovertible
facts that have here been briefly pre-
sented 1t cannot but conclude that the
expenditure Of vast sums upon the dig
cling OF canals and the improvement OF
rivers for the purpose of developing inter-
Tor waterway traffic in the United
States would be unspeakable folly. Such
sums could rever he raised by private
subscription OF tn citizens of the United
States. yet IL they are appropriated by
the government they will come out OF
the pockets OF the citizens. Is the gov
eminent justified in expanding the money
of it's constituents in directions in which
the ordinary business sagacity OF those
citizens forbds their expanding it them
selves?
II would seem that the principal topic
OF discussion and the bone Of conten.
ton will be the project for making q
permanent deep waterway OF the Miss
issippi river. The report OF the special
board OF engineers on the survey OF thu
Mississippi river declares that the con
struction and maintenance OF the four
teen foot channel which enthusiasts de-
sire would be extraordinarily expensiv,
and even impracticable. It asserts tina
were even an eight or nine foot channe
constructed no vast amount Of traffic
would probably come to II, especially
from the region to the south OF thu
Ohio. Notwithstanding this the Chicago
contractor who built much OF the Chica
go drainage canal and gained his electio,
10 the Senate because of liberal promis
cs as to what would be done in the wa!
of providing deep waterway communica
ton to the gulf, has said that a four
teen foot waterway will be built. that III
Is not wasting time studying traffic o.
commerce, but that he intends to hav,
that fourteen FOOT waterway and tina: 4
all there IL TO Il.