Arizona republican., 1909-08-17
LEGISLATION NEEDED
 FOR INLAND WATERWAYS
TO CHECK RAILROAD DONNA
 TON. p-Asa
Senator Burton Says There Must be a
 Policy of Live and Let Live.

Washington, Aug. 11.-(Special cOrS respondence of Ire Republican.)- The immediate need in the develop ment of the nations waterways" said Senator Burton of Ohio on the eve of setting out for Europe to study trans "is legislation that will enforce a policy of live and let live as be- tween the railroads and the water ways. The fact that this nation car ries no greater part of it's freight by water is not primarily due to a lack of development of the streams. It Is due to a domination on the part of the railroads.
 Take, for instance, the Mississippi between St Louis and the mouth of the Ohio. This government has spent more money on that section of that one river than has Germany upon the Rhine Yet the German stream hauls a hundred times as much freight as goes up and down this sec ton of the Mississippi. Now there is no fundamental reason why Ameri- cans will not use their waterways for transportation purposes. They do not do so. because they have been pre- vented from doing so."
 Senator Burton went on to explain that it was not the part of sound business judgment. under present con- ditiOns. for any individual or corpo- ration to spend the money necessary to enter the transportation business on any of our streams. There are many points where this could be done and good profits received at the rates that are now being paid for transportation from point to point. It would be profitable to spend millions in the building of steam boats to carry that freight if the builders had any assurance that the present rates would maintain or if they knew that any approximate rate would be maintained. They might build these boats if they were assured that rail- roads would not haul freight at a loss. But they have no such assur- ance. It would in all probability de- velop that when their vessels were in operation the railroads would cut the rates on what the boats hauled to such a figure that they would as suredly be starved out. It is good business on the part of the railroads to kill water transportation in its in fancy and this they have systematic ally done up to the present time.
 MT. Burton's position is that the nation suffers because of this sup pression of water traffic. He holds that the suppression of the water traffic could be prevented if con- gress, knowing all the facts, should place rates between given points be- low which the railroads were not al- lowed to cut their rates. Germany has done this and developed the two system side by side. The traffic on the railways has not suffered and the country has greatly benefited.
 'Is there any likelihood of con gress. taking any action in this direc- tion?" Senator Burton was asked.
 There is every assurance of some such action on the part of congress, 70 come next session. It is the vital initiative measure in the whole mat ter and it will come"
 These statements made by Senator Burton, the chairman of the joint wa terways commission of congress, and former chairman of the house com mittee on rivers and harbors. is taken as indicative of the spirit of congress and as promising action that will aid waterways development in the imme- diate future. MT. Burton is listened to above all other men by his asso- ciates in congress with relation to wa ways. It is the report that he and his associates of the joint commis- sion will bring in next fall that will be the basis of the congressional viewpoint in the coming session. His statement upon leaving for the con tinent may be taken as an indication of the tenor that report will take.