The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-11-11
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-Benefits Distributed All
Over the Country.

You may not know it-you probab;j
don't-but 1t Is matter of Importance
to you whether the waterways of tbs
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. II
may be that you are farmer and you
tell me that it is nonsense to say
that 1t can make any difference tc
you whether the waterways OF the
country are improved or not. because
you live away out west, miles away
frpm any river which is navigable now
o. ever will be. 81
Well, / admit that 1t is not as easy
t. see as the grain elevator down at
POUR railway station. but the benent
NJ there just the same--a 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
nent will put more money into your
pockets and those of your neighbors.
Take grain for an illustration. A
large part Of tina grain raised in the
country Is shipped away from the
place whore 1t is grown. some for use
in the eastern states and some for OK.
port to Europe. Under these condi.
items 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 1t there. You can see
at cnce that 1t makes a whole lot of
diffeyence to you how much 1t costs
to send your grain to New York or
Liverpool-and there's where the
waterway comes in.
Where Economy Comes In.
In 1898 the average cost of carrying
wheat from Chicago to Buffalo by lake
was one cent a bushel, while the cost
by rail 70 New York was 1T cents
almost twelve times as much, although
the distance is THE same. But grain
which is to 60 all the way by water
must be transferred to canal boats at
Buffalo. Little canal boats drawn by
hnles cannot carry stuff as cheaply
as big ships driven by steam, so the
through rate by water was six cents
u bushel. little over half as much
vs. by rail. For the twenty years end
lag with 1908 the water rate, on the
q rerage, was lower than the rail rate
by 81 cents bushel. On the ship
meRts 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
10 COM arative rates are published.
The beneficial effects of the water
way, through lowered cost Of transpor
alton, are not confined to the grain
'hipped from cities Oh the lakes, but |
extend to practically all the grain |
Produced. The total production OF
he Ave principal cereals-wheat,
'orn. oats, barley and rye-during the
,ast 40 years, was over 120. 0OO, 900, 900
bushels. II the average addition to
he value OF. this vast volume OF grain
vas FIVE cents a bushel, and that
GEMS moderate figure In view Of
he facts stated ABOVE, the total is
more than $4,000 900 ,00O---nearly all Of
Which has gone into the pockets Of the
armers.
But while the ben efcial effect Of the
Iaterways extends to surprising dis
ance. q waterway close by exerts q
cry much more direct and powerful
afiuencs than one Z long way OF. II
he Great LIKES and the Eriescanal
ave increased the value Of grain oil
YER tho west, what do you suppose
'ould happen II the Mississippi. Mis-.
ouri, Arkansas and Red rivers were
B improved that boats could run ev.
ry day in the year unless hindered
y ice?
d Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and Harbors
Dngress 10 working for the improve.
lent Of the rivers, harbors and water
avs in all parts of the United States.
hartman Alexander Of the rivers and
arbors committee, says that $685., oo0..
10 will complete every project which
rs been begun or has been recon-
ended by the army engineers. Five
lndred million dollars would prob
bly, finish up all Of these and all the
ew projects which will be surveyed
Id adopted within the next few years.
The average annual production Of
le FIVE principal cereals. which dur.
g the last ten years has been 4,151,.
10000 bushels, has been steadily in
easing and will probably continue
increase for some time to come.
The complete Improvement Of all
IT waterways would increase the
llue Of every bushel OF grain pro.
iced by at least five cents-my own
Union is that 1t would be more than
at.
But let US be on the safe side. Sup
,se we spend billion dollars on
aterways instead Of a half-billion;
I'M 90 that the Droducti0D Of grain |