The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-09-30
SAVING OF MILLIONS
WHAT COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
OF WATERWAYS IMPROVE
MENT MEANS TO FARMERS.
FIGURES TO SUPPORT FACTS
On Shipments of Grain Alone the ri.
rect Return Would Mean 100000
600, and Proportionateiy All Other
Products Would Be Affected.

rect Return Would Mean 100000,
600, and ProportionateIy All Other
Products Would Be Affected.
In former article we gave facts and
figures to prove that, If the compre
hensive plan Of waterway improve
ment advocated by the National Riv
ers and Harbors congress were car
ried out, the direct return to the 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 a
benefit. The fact Is that for the farm
ers-and everybody else, for that mat.
ter-the cost Of transportation iniiu-
ences practically everything he buys,
sells. eats, wears or 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 tariff-but his
laughter does not alter the fact in the
least.
There are three principal methods
Of transportation. the wagonway, the
railway and the waterway, and there
is 80 great difference In the cost of
transportation by these different meth
DDS that 1t is worth while to study the
matter a little. The experts of the
good roads bureau estimate the cost
of hauling ton of freight one mile
by horse and wagon on the average
road in the United States at 2b 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 at the 500 show that the
average rate on the freight carried
into and out of Lake Superior In the
same year was only 8 Of one mill.
Facts In a Nutshell.
You can better understand what
these figures mean If they are stated
In another way. They mean that If
you have dollar to spend in shipping
a ton Of freight you can send it
miles on an average road. 10 miles on
a first-class road, 127h miles on rail-
road, and 1850 miles on lake vessel.
1t is very easy to see that good
roads are a lot better than poor roads
but that transportation by horse and
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. 1t
is just as easy to see what 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 river that 1t Is made
dependably navigable when 1t was not
30 before.
Waterways increase prosperity In !
three principal ways, viz: direct say
Ing, indirect saving, and by what may
be. called a creative effect. The direct |
saving is that which occurs on 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
ct of Lake Superior there were car
led in 1907, 5s,217,214 tons Of freight.
This was carried an average distance
IT, $3.50 miles at an average cost Of
8 OF one mill per ton-mile. II this
lad been shipped by rail at the aver
lge railway rate for that year (7.S2
nills). Its transportation would have
ost $33S,633,364 more than was paid.
or Its carriage by water. 4esa,
The total freight carried on all
axes that year was, in round mum.
'ers, 100000. 900 tons. This vast ton
age was carried for $3.50, 100000 less
han 1t would have cost to send 1t by
nil, and the improvements, which pro-
uce a saving large enough to pay OF
he national debt in less than two
ears. cost only 3s5.00o,O0o. -
Proof Of Good Results. N n,
Wouldn't you call that pretty fair
ividend on the investment? And don't
GU think It would pay to improve all
Ut waterways as fast and as far ais
e can?
But" says some one, what reason {
/ there to suppose that improved riv- I
rs would give anything like as good Z
ssults as have been obtained on the ,
kes?' That is proper question and
entitled to an answer.
The only waterway In this country
hich has been improved as whole {
composed of the four lakes above
iagara Falls, but there are many i'm. 9
'oved rivers in Europe. From a care
il study of the results obtained on
ese rivers the army engineers esti.
ate that when the improvement Of