Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1910-09-16
ALL ARE CONCERNED
IMPROVEMENT OF NATIONS WA
TERWAYs OF INTEREST TO
EVERY CITIZEN.
VITAL FACTS ARE PRESENTED
Cost Of Getting Grain 10 Market Mate
Pialsy Reduced Through Shipment
BY Wate~8encf7to pasessbutea All
Over eAo Country.


~ Wate~8enof7te pAsessbueed Al
Over eAe Country.
~ou may moe know ft-yuu probably
dou't-but 4 10 q matter q Importance
20 you vhekhay tho waterman Of the
United States are improved o. not
and this 10 true no matter who Vol
are, what your business is, or waet
part Of the country you I've in. Ii
may be that you are farmer and you
tell me that IL 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 navisable now
or ever will be-
Well, admit that It 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-cents 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 OK.
port to Europe. Under these condi
lions the price Of grain is not fixed
at the nearest railway station. Your
wheat, for instance, is worth just what
It will bring In Liverpool-less the
cost Of getting 1t there. You can see
at once that it makes o 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.
Who're 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 Fail 10 New York was ~ CENTS
almost 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, 90 the
J. through rate by water was six cents
q 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 rats
by Ga cents busheL On the ship.
I 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
nearly 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, but
extend to practically all the grain
the five principal oereals-wheat,
corn, oats, barley and rye-during the
past 40 years, was over 1000, 000, 00e
bushels. II the average addition to
the value of this vast volume Of grain
was Ave cents o bushel, and that
seems a moderate figure in view Of
the facts stated above, the total Ia
more than $4,000, 000, 000-nearly all OF
which has gone into the pockets Of the
farmers.
But while the beneficial effect Of the
waterways extends to q surprising dis.
tance, q waterway close by exerts q
very much more direct and powerful
influence than one long way OH. II
the Great Lakes and the Erie canal
have increased the value of grain all
over the west, what do you suppose
would happen IL the Mississippi. Mis-.
Gour4, Arkansas and Red rivers were
90 improved that boats could run ev-
egy day in the year unless hindered
bgces
Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and Harbors
congress is working for the improve.
nent Of the rivers, harbors and water
ways In all parts Of the United States.
Chairman Alexander Of the rivers and
haxbors committee, says that $685., 00o,.
600 viii complete every project which
has been begun or has been recon.
mended by the army engineers. Five
hundred million dollars would prob
ably anish up all Of these and all tina
new pFo1ects which will be surveyed
and adopted within the NEXT few years.
The average annual production OF
the 1--WE principal cereals, which dur.
Ing the last ten years has bean 4,1S1.-
100000 bushels, has been steadily In
crossing and win probably continue
20 increase for some time to come.
The complete improvement Of all
cur waterways would increase the
value OF every. bushel OF grain pro-
6ucsA By a$ least Eve esntn-ny own
opiH1sh % Cant ID s#aa.ld Be naSe than
that '.~.ss7 .sZ - s r. = .ss' " T.
Boz 11zSsss be- onsthe esge sfde- Sup
pnse wo spend hilMA dollars On
wasagwaVB instead OF o hillion;
! :