The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-09-01
SAVING OF MILLIONS
WHAT COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
OF WATERWAYS IMPROVE
MENT MEANS TO FARMERS
FIGURES TO SUPPORT FACTS
On Shipments Of Grain Alone the d.
rect Return Would Mean S1oo,ooo,-
600, and ProportIonately All Other
Products Would Be Affected.

hchoiFS plhu VI NHtSi why hhpicNN-
ment advocated by the National Riv-
ers and Harbors congress were car
ried out, the direct return TO tho farm
ers OF the country. on the single Item
of grain. would certainly be 100000
900 year-and probably would be
more than twice that sum.
But grain Is not the only Item on
which the farmers would receive n
benefit. The fact is that for the farm
ers-und everybody else. for that mat
ter-the cost OF transportation inilu-
ences practically everything he buys.
sells, eats. wears OF uses in any way
whatever. except water air and sun
shine. The average man is inclined TO
laugh when told that he pays out more
for transportation than he does for
taxes or because OF the taritf-but his
laughter does not alter the fact in the
least
There are three principal methods
NJ transportation. the wagonway, the
railway and the waterway. and there
Is so great difference In the cost OF
transportation by these different meth
ods that 1t is worth while to study the
matter little. The experts OF the
good roads bureau estimate the cost
OF hauling a ton of freight one mile
By horse and wagon on the average
road I'm the United States at % cents
The cost on thoroughly good, smooth
road might be reduced TO 10 cents.
Poor's Manual gives 1872 mills per ton
mile as the average price received by
the railways In 1907. while the official
records kept st the 500 show that the
average rate on the freight carried
into and out OF Lake Superior in the
same year WAS only S OF one mill
facta In Nutshell.
You can better understand what
these figures mean II they are stated
in another way, They mean that II
ton of freight you can send 1t
milcs-on an average road, 10 miles on
n hrstclass road. 1271e miles on a rail-
road. and 1850 miles on a lake vessel
1t is very easy TO see that good
roads are lot ter than poor roads
wagon is too costly at the best TO be
used except for small loads and short
distances So far as interstate traffic
is concerned the wagon road must be
left entirely out OF consideration. II
Is Just as easy TO sec what a great
benefit/would result from the building
OF railway into region where there
was none before. and that still
greater benefit would result from so
improving n river that 1t is made
dependnbly navigable when It was not
SO before.
Waterways increase prosperity In
three principal ways. VIZ direct saw
be called a creative effect The direct
saving is that which occurs OIL goods
actually carried BY water, and some
facts which indicate how great this di
rect saving is. Will also make more
plain the vast difference between the
cost of transportation by rail and by
water.
Through the 500 canal at the out
let of Lake Superior there we're car
ried In 1907. 5S.217.21 tons OF freight.
This was carried an average distance
Of $3.50 miles at an average cost Of
IS Of one mill per ton'mlle II this
had been shipped by rail at the aver
age railway rate for that year (7.S2
Mills. its transportation would have
cost t,3S, ,G33. .564 more than was paid
for Its carriage by water.
The total freight carried on all
lakes that year was. in round num-
bors, 100 1000 900 tons. This vast ton
mage was carried for $3.50 100000 less
than it would have cost TO send II by
rail, and the improvements. which pro-
duce a saving large enough to pay of
the national debt In less than two
years. cost only S5,O00.000,
Proof Of Good Results.
Wouldn't YOU call that pretty fair
dividend on the investment? And don't
You think it would pay to Improve all
our waterways as fast and as far as
we can?
But" says some one what reason
Is there to suppose that improved riv-
ers would give anything like as good
results as have been obtained on the
lakes" That is proper question and
is entitled TO an answer.
The only waterway In this country
which has been improved as whole
Is composed OF the four lakes above
Niagara Falls. but there are many I'M
proved rivers In Europe. From care
ful study of the results obtained on
these rivers the army engineers esti-
mate that when the improvement OF
the Ohio river is finished, freight can
be carried thereon for one-half mill
per ton-mile That means that the
dollar which Will carry ton 1271e
miles by rail and l $50 miles by lake
will carry IT 20oo miles By river
Cost of transportation VIII vary on
different rivers with depth. width.
Swiftness Of current. etc, but the es-
timated cost on a completely improved
Ohio river can be increased by co per
cent. before II VIII equal the average
cost on the lakes In 1907 and there
; stIl a margin Of nearly 400 per
mt before you reach rate onc-half
8 h'-N as that by rail- II Will pay to
.W. orr rivers
POSTOFFICE ROBBERS TO
-.nt BE TRIED TODAY