The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1910-12-15
SAVING OF MILLIONS
WHAT COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
or WATERWAYS IMPROVE
MENT MEANS TO FARMERa
FIGURES TO SUPPORT FACTS
On Shipments Of Grain Alone the d.
rect Return Would Mean 100000
900, and Proportionatsiy Al other
Products Would BE Affected.

z 600, and Proportlonateiy All o<hrl
, Products Would Be Affected.
4 In a former article we gave facts snt
figures 70 prove that. II the comprs
hensiye plan Of waterway improve
ment advocated BY the National Riv
ers and Harbors congress were car
ried out. the direct return 70 the farm
ers Of the country. on the single Rem
Of grain, would certainly be e100. 600.
/; 600 a year-and probably would be
more than twice that sum
But grain Is not the only item on
which the farmers would receive
benefit The fact Is that for the farm
ers-and everybody else. for that mat
ter-the cost Of transportation snfiu-
ences practically everything ne buys.
sells. eats. wears or uses IN any way
whatever. except water. air and sun
shine The average man Is inclined 10
laugh when told that he pays out more
for transportation than he does for
taxes or because OF the tarfd-but his
laughter does not alter the fact 10 the
least
$3.50 80 ~NAN % principal Nu|LUUuH
Of transportation. the wagonway. the
railway and the waterway. and there
Is 50 great a difference IN the cost Of
transportation by these different meth
DDS thar II is worth while to study the
matter a little The experts OF the
good roads bureau estimate the cost
lof hauling a ton Of freight one mile
BY horse and wagon on the average
road in the United States at IS cents.
The cost on thoroughly good. smooth
road might be reduced to 10 cents.
Poor's Manual gives 7.s2 mills per ton
mile as the average price received By
the railways IN 1907. while the onicial
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 s OF one min.
Facts in a Nutshell.
You can better understand what
these figures mean if they are stated
IN another way. They mean that Il
you have dollar TO spend in shipping
a ton Of freight you can send Il
miles on an average road, 10 miles on
a iirst-class road. 1275k miles on a rail-
road. and l.25o miles on a lake vessel.
II is very easy to see that good
roads are a lot better than poor roads
but thar transportation By horse and
wagon is too costly at the best to be
used except for small loads and short
distances Sc far as interstate traffic
IS concerned the wagon road must be
eft entirely out Of consideration Il
Is just as easy TO see what q great
benefit would result from the building
If railway into a region where there
vas none before. and that a still
greater benefit would result from SO
a river that Il Is made
navigable whan Il was net
% before.
Waterways increase prosperity in
hree principal ways. viz. direct saw
ne. indirect saving. and By what may
le called q creative effect The direct
aying is that which occurs on goods
.ctuaily carried BY water. and some
acts which indicate how great this d.
ect saving Is. viii also make more
lain the vast difference between the
ost OF transportation BY rail and By
rater.
Through the 500 canal at the out
e Of Lake Superior there were car.
led IN 1907. 5s.117 PA tons Of freight.
his was carried an average distance
$3.50 miles At an average cost OF
of one mill per ton-mlle. II this
ad been shipped BY ran At the aver.
&c railway rate for that year (7.S2
Iills). It's transportation would have
1st ss3s. 81. s6l more than was paid
" It's carriage By water.
The total freight carried on ~
kes that year was. IN round mum
srs. 1oo. 1000. 900 tons. This vast to.l-
,ge was carried for $3.50. ooo. 600 les
ian It would have cost to send II By
n. and the improvements. which PR
Ice a saving large enough 10 pay 81
e national debt In less than two
ars. cost only es5.o0o.ooo.
Proof Of Good Results.
Wouldn't you call that a pretty fair
Vidend on the Investment And don't
a think Il would pay 70 improve all
r waterways as fast and ns far as
can?
But" says some che. what reason
there 70 suppose that improved rif-
} would give anything like As good
'ults IS have been obtained on the
iesg~ That Is q proper question and
entitled 10 an answer
The only waterway IN this country
ich has been improved a. q whole
composed Of the four lakes abo4q
lgare Falls. but there are many i'm.
wed rivers In Europe From q care
study Of the results obtained on
Sc rivers the army engineers estI
te that when the improvement OF
Ohio river Is finished. freight can
carried thereon fer ono-balf mIll
ton-mlle. That means that the
lar which win CARR ton 1874
es BY rail and ! ESQ miller By lake.
carry Il 1900 miles BY river.
ost Of transportation win vary on
erent rivers with depth. width.
fitness OF current ETC.. but the Is.
ated cost on a c5mpieleiy Improved
o river can be increased By 60 per
before Il Win equal the average