River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-09-22
ALL ARE CONCERNED
IMPROVEMENT OF NATIONS WA
TERWAYs or INTEREST TO
EVERY CITIZEN.
VITAL FACTS ARE PRESENTED
Cost of Getting Grain to Market Mate
rally Reduced Through Shipment
by Water-5eneflts Distributed All
Over the Country,


don't-but it 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 a farmer and you
tell me that it Is nonsense to say
that it 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 navigable now
or ever will be.
Well, l 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.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 it is grown, some for use
in the eastern states and some for ex-
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
1t will bring in Liverpool-less the
cost of getting it there. You can see
at once that it makes a whole lot of
difference to you how much it costs
to send your grain to New York or
Liverpool-and there's where tho
waterway comes in.
Where Economy Comes In.
In 1908 the average cost of carrying
wheat from Chicago to Buffalo by lake
was one cent a bushel, while the cost
by rail to New York was Ill 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, so the
through rate by water was six cents
a bushel, a 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 rate
by 6.2 cents a bushel. On the ship
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
foo +I, h sofI lint
no comparative rates are published.
The beneficial effects of the water
way, through lowered cost of transpof-
tation, are not confined to the grain
shipped from cities on the lakes, but
extend to practically all the grain
produced. The total production of
the five principal cereals-wheat,
corn, oats, barley and rye-during the
past 40 years, was over 100000, 100000
bushels. If the average addition to
the value of this vast volume Of grain
was five cents a bushel, and that
seems a moderate figure in view of
the facts stated above, the total Is
more than 100000, 00O-nearly all of
which has gone into the pockets Of the
farmers.
But while the beneficial effect Of the
waterways extends to surprising dis
lance q waterway close by exerts
very much more direct and powerful
influence than one long way off, II
the Great Lakes and the Erie canal
have increased the value Of grain all
over the west, what do you suppose
would happen if the Mississippi, Mis-
souri,, Arkansas and Red rivers were
80 improved that boats could run ev-
cry day in the year unless hindered
by ice?
Money Needed for Work.