The Montgomery tribune., 1910-09-02
ALL ARE CONCERNED
OF NATIONS WA
TERWAYS OF INTEREST TO
EVERY CITIZEN.
VITAL FACTS ARE PRESENTED
Cost Of Getting Grain to Market Mate
rally Reduced Through Shipment
by Wster-BenefA Distributed All
Over the Country.

over the Country.
! You may not know it--you probably
don't-but it is matter of Importance
/ to you whether the waterways of the
! United States are improved or not
and this is true no matter who you
are, what your business is, or what
part of the country you live in. 1t
may be that you are farmer and you
tell me that it is nonsense to say
that it can make any difference to
lyou whether the waterways of the
country are improved or not, because
you live away out west, miles away
from any river which is navigable now
or ever will be.
| Well, admit that it is not as easy
ito see as the grain elevator down at
lyour railway station, but the benefit
is there just the samoa real, sure
enough, dollars-and-cent benefit. Wa
terways have already been of tremen-
dous advantage to the farmers of the
country and their further improve
ment will put more money into your
pockets and those of your neighbors.
Take grain for an illustration. A
large part of the grain raised in the
country is shipped away from the
place where 1t is grown, some for use
in the eastern states and some for ex-
port to Europe. Under these condi-
tons the price of grain is not fixed
at the nearest railway station. Your
wheat for instance, is worth just what
1t will bring in Liverpool-less the
cost of getting it there. You can see
at once that it makes whole lot of
difference to you how much it costs
to send your grain to New York or
Liverpool-and there's where the
waterway comes in.
Where Economy Comes In.
In 1908 the average cost Of carrying
wheat from Chicago to Buffalo by lake
was one cent bushel, while the cost
by rail to New York was III cents
alnlost twelve times as much, although
the distance is the same. But grain
which is to go all the way by water
must be transferred to canal boats at
Buffalo. Little canal boats drawn by
mules cannot carry stuff as cheaply
as big ships driven by steam, so the
through rate by water was six cents
/ d bushel little over half as much
as by rail. For the twenty years end
Ing with 1908 the water rate, on the
average, was lower than the rail rate
by 62 cents busheL On the ship
ments from Lake Superior the differ
.ence was greater still, since Duluth is
less than 100 miles farther from New
York than Chicago is by water and
liearly 500 miles farther by rail. but
no comparative rates are published.
The beneficial effects of the water
way, through lowered cost Of transpor
tation, are not confined to the grain
shipped from cities on the lakes, bu,
extend to practically all the grain
PRODUCED The total production Of
the five principal cereals-wheat
dprn, oats. barley and Yye-during the
past 40 years, was over 10000, 100000
bushels. II the average addition te
the value of this vast volume of grair
Vas five cents a bushel, and tha
iseems a moderate figure In view O
the facts stated above, the total 1!
more than $4,000, 900 ,O0O-nearly all o
which has gone into the pockets of thu
farmers
: But while the beneficial effect of th'
waterways extends to surprising dis
lance, a waterway close by exerts
very much more direct and powerful
Influence than one long way off.
the Great Lakes and the Erie cana
have increased the value Of grain al
oTer the west, what do you suppos
would happen II the Mississippi, Mis-
lsouri, Arkansas aHl Red rivers wer
SO improved that boats could run e'
Cry day In the year unless hindere
by ioo?
Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and Harbor
congress is working for the improve
ment of the rivers, harbors and watel
ways in all parts of the United States
Chairman Alexander Of the rivers an
harbors committee, says that $339,O0O
600 will complete every project whic
thas been begun or has been recon
mended by the army engineers. Fiv
hundred million dollars would prol
iably finish up all Of these and all tn
new projects which will be surveye
and adopted within the next few year
The average annual production {
the five principal cereals. which du
ing the last ten years has been 4,151
OO0, 900 bushels, has been steadily II
creasing and will probably continu
Ito Increase for some time to osme.
The complete improvement of a
our waterways would increase th
value OF every bushel of grain pr
duced by at least FIVE cents--my ow
rupinion is that 1t would be more ths
that.