Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1910-09-21
ARE GOOD FOR
THE COUNTRY
IMPROVEMENT OF WATERWAYS
DEVELOPS EVERY SECTION.
FREIGHT CARRIED CHEAPLY
Makes Direct Saving in Cost of Trans
portaiiOn and Serves 10 Lower
Hallway Rates.

The claim has been made-snd
facts and figures given 10 support
the claim-that watTways carry
freight more cheaply than the rail
ways do or can, and that they compel
the railways to carry freight more
cheaply than they otherwise would,
making q saving OF hundreds q mil.
lions Of dollars year, even under
present conditions, and indicating
vast increase In that saving II all
waterways should bee improved. And
then the surprising assertion was
made mat the surest way 10 enlarge
the business ana Increase the profits
Of the railroads of the United States
ls 10 improve The waterways of the
United States The best guide to the
future Is the experience OF the past.
so let ny see what has actually hap
pened 10 railways when waterways
have been improved
That the improvements In the
channels and harbors of the lakes
have been of great benefit, both to the
railways which parallel their shores
and To- those which run from lake
cities to the Interior, is a fact 80
plain that 1t needs no argument 10
support IL. There are no more pros-
porous and profitable roads IN the
county than those that serve the re-
zion tributary To the lakes But nd,
one questions the wisdom of contIu.
ulng the Improvement Of The lakes
or of our ocean harbors. The real
question is as To the improvement of
our rivers. and If we wish to sudy
the effect of river Improvement. eth
or ON railway revenues or national
DEVELOPMENT, we must 20 10 Euroue
DUNG the fifteen years that i'm
nrnyan,onte yare undor u,,v on the
Elbe River. In Bohemia. the river
traffic. as a natural result of the bet
ter channel Increased tvefold. But
traffic on the competing RAILWAYS in
creased stil more largely and the div
Idends ON The main line from Tepllt2
to Ausslg. rose TO lG per cent per an
num
similar results followed the canal.
,aiinn or inc Uiver Main from NAV
ence. ON the Rhine. To Frankfort
,hirb was finished in tbe latter nart
isSc The rivsr trofrIr which
nnountod ia nnlv t5G OO0 tons ln that
,,rnwine being I273 0OO tons In 1902.
,rhnra aro two railroads hetwoon
rrnnk rnrt ana Nayence. one 10 each
s,da nr ma rivar What bnunened ia
,hn,,o ma thair hunsines show n
s"ri'ns rolling AFRO or we're they
forced INTO tbe hands of n receiver,
I'm the contrary. their traffic. which
y,as an ooo IONS I'm 1856. also began
~ grow ana Inv 1902 had reached /, .
ooa o00 tons ar more than double
MAJ I, was when the railroads had a
nroc,icaI mononolv of the business Of
rranLfnrt
Tha marc statement of The increasd
,onnngo docs NOT tell the whole truth
az ,he matter for the tonnage was
nat nnlv more than doubled i'm quan-
tutv hmt greatly raised I'm grade, so
thot II oolld uav and did pay, "A much
hIghar rato ner ton per mile.
practically an of ihe railways of
Germany arc state owned and state
onaratoG ONT of total of $4,000
,rilas In rnund numbers. only about
E0O miles are operated 10y private
cnmnanins GERMANY also has one
-, ~ 0nes, systems of waterways In
,na WORLD and n study of the balance
sheet of the German railway system
shows that the results which follow
ad tho Improvement of the River Main
aro NOT nm execution, mere coinci-
dancn INF ore The natural outwork
,ng oe n nrInciple of general appllca-
,tn In iho calendar year 1907. after
no'irg for nnerotion. maintenance,
tonnirs renewals. new equipment in
.,, n, honds combination TO the
ttV ED ana averv other item
',hInh ,ho nost careful bookkeeping
sa',irod mi,N A. "a he charged mn. the Ger
p" roi,woys turned Sl6i 900 600 OF
hsn,,taiv an net revenue into the treas
io' az tho various states This was
,",Ua the corresponding figure on
Wnllc lnr V"Ii'Sp'""'h