Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1910-11-10
GOOD FOR COUNTRY
IMPROVEMENT OF UaTsaWAya
WILL DEVELOP RssouacEo
OF EVERY sEcT,oM.
FREIGHT CARRIED cHEAPly
Make a circct Saving in csse1e rrans
portation by the Water Routes, end
Indirectly Serve to Lower Railway
Carrying Rates.

The claim has been made In preN-
Gus articles-and facts and figures
given to support the claim-that wa,
terways carry freight more cheaply
than the railways do OF can. aud that
they compel the railways to carry
freight moro cheaply than they other
wise would. making a saving Of hun
dreds of millions Of dnIlAxe q year. even
under present conditions, and indicat-
ing vast increasein tn. saving if all
waterways should 70 improved md
then the sp-rrisins assertion was
made thr- the suresf way to enlarge
thu Na'ness and iucr ,aae the profits
of the railroads OF the United States
is to improve the waterways of the
United States. The best guide to the
fltura is tie exncri aace of tho past.
so let Us see what has ast,,allv hap
pened to railways M.4~n Waterways
havo been improved
That the improvements in the ch9..
nc!s and harbors of the lakes have
been of great benefit. both to the rail
ways which parallel their shores and
to those which run from lake cities to
the interior, is a fcct so plain that
IL needs no argument to support It,
There are no more prosperous and
profitable roads in the country than
these that serve the region tributary
to the lakes. But no one questions
the wisdom of continuing the improve.
ment of the lakes, or of our ocean
harbors. The real question is as to
the Improvement OF our rivers, and II
we wish to study the effect of river
Improvement either on railway reve-
nucs or national development, We
must go TO Europe.
Results in Bohemia.
During the fifteen years that i'm.
proTements We're under way on the
Elbe river. In Bohemia, the river traf-
fc as natural result Of the better
channel, increased fivefold. But traf.
tic on the competing railways In.
creased still more largely and the div.
ldcnds on the main line, from Teoiitz
to Ausslg, rose to 1G per cent. per
annun.
Similar results followed the canal
cation OF the River Main. from May,
cnce, on tho Rhine, to Frankfort
which was finished in the latter part
of 1886. The river traffic, which
amounted to only 10000 tons in that
year, began to grow and has kept on
growing, being l.2730O0 tons in 1902
There are two railroads between
Frankfort and Mayence, one on each
side of the river. What happened to
them? Did their business show a SO
rious falling off? Or We're they forced
into the hands of receiver? On the
contrary their traffic. which was OIL.
600 tons In 1886, also began to grow,
and by 1902 had reached 1908, 600
tons, or more than double what It was
when tho railroads had practical
monopoly of the business of Frank.
fort
The mere statement of tho in
creased tonnage does not tell the
whole truth of the matter. for the
tonnage was not only more than
doubled In quantity, but greatly
raised In grade, so that it could pay
and did pay, a much higher rate per
ton per mile
Fine German Waterways.
Practically all the railways Of Ger.
many are state owned and state oper.
atcd Out OF total of $4,000 miles
In round numbers only about $500
miles are operated by private com
panics. Germany also has enc of the
finest systems of waterways in the
world. and Il study of the balance
sheet of the German railway system
shows that the results which followed
TIE Improvement OF the River Main
arc not an exception. a mere coinci.
Gcnc. bnt are tho natural outworkina
of principle of general application.
In thc calendar year 1907, after paying
for operation maintenance, repairs
renewals, new equipment, interest or
bonds. contribution to the SINKING
fund, and every other item which the
most careful bookkeeping required tc
be charged up, the Germsa railways
turned SlC4 100000 of absolutely net
revenues Into the treasures of the
various states. This was 5000 pel
mile OF line operated, while the CORE
spending figure on United States rail
ways for the fiscal year 1907 was
only $1,9C7-a little over one-third az
much.
Much the greater part of the tota,
revenue of the German states Is de
rived from their railways, II cents out
of every dollar received by Prussia In
1907 being so obtained Yet German
statesmen keep on. year after year
spending money earned by their rail.
ways in building and improving water
ways to compete with those same rail
ways. on which they depend as the
principal source of national income
In the light of the facts given above
Ii Will not do to say that these Ger
man statesmen do not know what they
are about On he.contrary they are
acting. as has been well said lin FUR
therance Of policy the wisdom OF
which time and experience have fully
confirmed"
Always and everywhere tie result
Is the sane-the Improvement IL d
waterway is a benefit to competing
always. For this result. as for any
her. there is good and sufficient
aason, but 1t must be left for another
ne to tell what that reason is.