The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-29
ALL ARE CONCERNED
IMPROVEMENT 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 Water-Benefts Distributed All
Over the Country.

You may not know it-you probably
don't--but 1t 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 1t can make any difference to
you whether the waterways of the
country are improved or not, because
You live away out west, miles away
from any river which Is nayigable now
or ever will be.
Well, I admit that 1t is not as easy
to see as the grain elevator down at
your 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 come 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 Liyerpool-less the
/ cost OF getting It there. You can see
at once that it makes q whole lot of
difference TO you how much 1t costs
4 to send your grain to New York or
( Liverpool-and there's where the
waterway comes In.
Where Economy Comes In.
In 1903 the average cost Of carrying
wheat from Chicago TO Buffalo by lake
was one cent bugfel, while the cost
by rail TO New York was III cents
almost twelve times as much, although
the distance is the same. But grain
which is 10 go ali the way by water
must be transferred 10 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
busheI, little over half as much
az by rail. For the twenty years end
Ing with 1908 the water rate, on ths
!, average, was lower than the rail rats
by 6.2 cents bushel. On the ship
ments from Lake Superior the differ
ence was greater still, since Duluth Il
less than 100 miles farther from New
: York than Chicago is by water an,
nearly 500 miles farther by rail-, bu
no comparative rates are published.
? The beneficial effects OF the water
way, through lowered cost Of transpoI
:, tation, are not confined TO the graf
: shipped from cities on the lakes, bu
!, extend to practically all the graf
= produced. The total production {
the five, principal cereals whea
corn, cats, barley and rye during th
past 40 years, was over 10000 ,000, 90
le bushels II the average addition I
u the value Of this vast volume Of graz
was five cents a bushel, and tn;
W seems moderate figure in view {
IS the facts stated above, the total
~ more than $4,000 300, 900 nearly all |
n which has gone into the pockets Of III
le farmers
But WI ae the beneficial effect Of u