The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1910-09-02
SAVING OF MILLIONS
WHAT COMPREHENSIVE, SYSTEM
oE WATERWAYS IMPROVE
MENr MEANS TO FARMERS
FIGURES TO SUPPORT FACTS

4
nact Return Would Mean 100000
600, and ProportIonately All Otne'
Products Would Be Affected
In a former article we gave facts ana
as,,res to prove that, II. the compre-
hensiye plan of waterway Improve
mont advocated by the National NV
ers and Harbors congress were car
rted out, the direct return to the iarh
ers of the country on the single item
of grain, would certainly be SIOO.OOO'
600 a year-and probably would De
, more than twice that sum.
But grain is not the only item on
which the farmers would receive q
benefit The fact il that for the farm
ers-and everybody else, for that mat
! ter--the cost of transportation inhu-
ences practically everything he buys
sells. eats, wears or uses In any way
whatever, except water, air and sun
shine. The average man Is inclined 70
laugh when told that he pays out more
for Transportation than he does Tor
taxes or because Of the tarin-but his
laughter does not alter the fact In tne
least.
There are three principal methods
of transportation. the wasonWay. the
railway and the waterway. and there
is so great q difference IN the cost Of
TRANSFORMATION by these different meth
DDS that It is worth while to study the
matter a little. The experts OF the
good roads bureau estimate the cost
OF hauling q ton Of freight one mile
by horse and wagon on the average
road In the United States at rs cents.
The cost on thoroughly good. smooth
road might be reduced to 10 cents.
poor's Manual gives 7S2 mills per ton
mile as the average price received by
the railways In 1907, while the ofacial
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 8 of one mill.
Facts in a Nutshell.
You can better understand what
these figures mean II they are stated
IN another way. They mean that II
you have a dollar to spend in shipping
a ton of freight you can send 1t
miles on an average road, 10 miles on
: a tirst-class road, 1271a miles on a rail-
, road, and 1880 miles on lake vessel
It is very easy to see that good
roads are a lot better than poor roads
hut that transportation by horse and
/ wagon Is too costly at the best to be
) used except for small loads and short
distances So far as interstate trafnc
. is concerned the wagon road must be
left entirely out of consideration. II
Is lust as easy to see what great
], benefit would result from the building
4 OF railway into region where there
was none before, and that a stu
! greater benefit would result from sc
: improving a river that 1t is made
d dependably navigable when 1t was no
g 80 before.
It Waterways increase prosperity II
s three principal ways, viz: direct say
s ing, indirect saving, and by what ma,
@ be called a creative effect. The direc
l. saving Is that which occurs on good
d actually carried by water, and som
- facts which indicate how great this d
3. rect saving is, will also make NOR
% plain the vast difference between tn
% cost of transportation by rail and b
g. water.
a. Through the 500 canal at the on
e let of Lake Superior there were ca
10 ried in 1907, 5S,217,2 tons OF freigh
,r This was carried an average distanc
10 of $3.50 miles at an average cost
ID 8 Of one mill per tOn-mile. II thi
% had been shipped by rail at the ave
N age railway rate for that year ia
o. mills), its transportation would haN
ID cost 1898 ,638, S64 more than was pa
n for its carriage by water.
or The total freight carried on q
u lakes that year was, in round nur
In bers, 100. OOO, 600 tons. This vast to
ly mage was carried for $3.50, 900 900 lei
ID than 1t would have cost to send 1t
" rail, and the improvements. which pr
ds duce a saving large enough to pay
e. the national debt in less than tV
n years, cost only $S5 100000.
ed Proof Of Coed Results.
Wouldn't you call that a pretty "a
dividend on the investment? And dol
ay YOU think It would pay to improve
IN our waterways as fast and as far
ne we can?
on But" says some one. what reas
er- is there to suppose that improved r
ne ers would give anything like as 90
CHI results as have been obtained on I
,al lakes?" That is proper question a
tai is entitled to an answer.
he The only waterway in this count
as which has been improved as a whit
as Is composed Of the four lakes abe
ng Niagara Falls. but there are many
by proved rivers in Europe. From ca
lal full study Of the results obtained
me these rivers the army engineers Ell
We mate that when the improvement
Ike the Ohio river Is finished, freight {
per be carried thereon for One-half n