The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1910-09-02
MEAN LOWER RATES.
EFFECT OF WATERWAY coMPETl-
TON ON THE RAILWAYS OF
THE COUNTRY.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SAVING
Conservative Estimate lie That In
Single Year It Would BE More Than
Enough to Discharge the Entire Ma
tional Debt.


tionaI Debt.
It was stated in q previous article
that waterways produce both direct
and indirect savings in the cost OF
transportation and also exert what
may be called a creative enect. AS
an instance of the direct saving II
was shown that the 100,O00,OOO tons OF
freight handled on the great lakes
In 1907 were carried for $65O,0OO,OOO
less than it would have cost by rail-.
II the opinion of the United states
army engineers is correct-and TINS
opinion is based upon results actually
achieved on the rivers OF Europe
we have a number of rivers on which,
when properly improved, freight can
be carried for less than on the lakes
and many rivers ON which 1t can be
carried for much less than by rail-.
II, therefore, the plan advocated Dy
the National Rivers and Harpors
congress should be carried out-whlcn
includes the improvement OF All our
rivers to such extent as shall be found
advisable after expert examination
the direct saving in cost Of transporta-
ton would be vastly increased. IL
would probably be. increased tentold'
but If 1t were only doubled the direct
saving in single year would De more
than enough to pay on the natlonal
debt.
But this is not the end Of the bene-
fits which the general improvement OF
our waterways would bring. It is only
the beginning. Beside the direct saw"
ing there Is an indirect saving whlcn
results from the effect Of waterways
on railway freight rates, for rates
are always lower on railroads Whlcn
meet water competition than on those
which do not. The amount Of this saw
Ing, is not everywhere the same, owing
To difference In conditions, but we
can get a good general idea Of 1t from
a study of some sample instances.
Freight Rates Affected.
Freight rates from New York to
Salt Lake or Spokane are much nigh
or than to San Francisco or Seattle
although the distance is much less. be-
cause goods can be carried to the Pa
cific coast by water, around cape
Horn. while there Is no waterway OF
any kind to the inland cities named
II ia not the ocean alone that AFFECTS
railroad rates. Compare the rates on
first class merchandise to river towns
and inland towns situated about zoo
miles from ST. Louis. Towns on the
upper Mississippi get a rate OF 81
cents a hundred, inland towns pay 90
cents; towns on the Ohio pay Al cents
inland towns in the same region
pay 81.
A still more striking instance, and
one showing the direct result OF wa
terway improvement, is to be founC
J on the Columbia river. Before the
! locks at the cascades were bull
| freight rates on nails, and that clas
: of goods, from Portland to The Dale
we're $40 per ton. AS soon as tn
locks were finished and the steam
, boats could get through, the railroa'
} rate dropped to two dollars per ton
i less than one-third what 1t was before
, That the difference was due to tn
, river Improvement Is shown by tn
: fact that rates were not reduced be
yond the point to which the steam
boats could run. For instance, tn
rate on salt In car load lots was $1.5
per ton to The Dalles, and 5000 pc
ton to Umatilla-$1.50 per ton for tn
: So miles with water competition an
1910 per ton for the next 100 mile
without. These rates have since bee
> reduced as the improvement has pr'
ceeded, and when the work is finishe
and boats can run far up the Colun
bia river and to Lewiston and othe
point in Idaho on Its principal tribI
tary, the Snake river, the people
all that region will benefit not onl
; by the direct saving on goods carrie
" by water, but also by the indirect sa
8 ing through the reduced rate on gooC
> carried by raft. Exactly similar r
suits would follow the radical In
3 proyement of rivers all over the UnitE
: States.
Q Indirect Saving Large.
), There Is, however, no possible ws
= of finding out just how much this l
- uIroCL saving "Oulu US. ESdbCS III OOh
/, freight would be reduced greatly, {
some freight slightly, on some, pc
: haps, not at all. But we can get sol
= idea of the amount Of freight Will
might be Influenced. In the flsC
Il year ending June 80 1907. the tot
! amount of freight handled by Il
:, railroads of the United States W
= ], 796, SS6,65s tons. Some Of this W
hauled q short distance, some 3 lol
: distance, and some was handled
!, more than one road, but 1t was eQu
: to 236, so1, $3.50, 1O3 tons hauled o
u mile. If the comprehensive impro1
- ment of our waterways should ma
= an average reduction of one mill ,
70 ton-mile-the difference in the rat
:. on salt given above Is 70 times
~ much, or seven cents per ton mile
20 would make a saving of over 1926, &C
600 on the value of business handl