Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-10-20
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.

''aiiy nSouceo through Shipment
by Water-Benefits Distributed All
Over the Country.
You may not know it-you probably
dont-but it is a matter of Importance
10 you whether the waterways of the
united States are improved or not
and this is true no matter who Won
are, what your business is, or what
part OF the country you live in. 1t
may De that you are a farmer and YOU
tel me that it is nonsense to say
thaG 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 navigabIe now
or ever will be.
Well, I admit that it is not as easv
TO see as the grain elevator down at
your railway station, but the benefit
IS there just the samoa real. sure
enough, dollars and benefit. Wa
terways have already been of tremen-
douS advantage to the farmers OF the
country and their further improve
ment viii put more money into your
pockets and those of your neighbors.
Take grain foe an illustration. A
large part o. 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,
tons the price of grain is not fixed
at the nearest railway station. Your
wheat, for instance, is worth just what
it win 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 the
waterway comes in.
Where Economy Comes &n
In 1908 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 III 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 chaaply
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 busheI On the ship
ments from Lake Superior thu 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
produced. The total production of
the five principal cereals-wheat,
corn, oats, barley and rye-during the
past 20 years, was over 10000, O00,00
bushels. If the average addition to
the value of this vast volume OF grain
was five cents a hushel, and that
seems a moderate figure in view Of
the facts stated above, the total is
more than $6,00O,O ,0O0-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
$Gnce, q waterway close by exerts a
very much more direct and powerful
influence than one long way off. If
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
so improved that boats could run ev-
cry day in the year unless bindered
by ice?
Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and Harbors
congress is working for the improve
ment Of the rivers, harbors and water
ways in all parts of the United States.
Chairman Alexander Of the rivers and
harbors committee says that 1899 ,000,-
0e0 viii complete every project which
las been begun or has been recon-
mended by the army engineers. Save
hundred million dollars would prob
ably finish up all of these and all the
new projects which will be surveyed
and adopted within the next few years,
The average annual production Of
the five principal cereals, which dug
ing the last ten years has been 4,151,-
100000 bushels, has been steadily in
creasing and will probably continue
to increase for some time to come.
The complete Improvement of all
our waterways would increase tae
value Of every bushel Of grain pro-
duced by at least five eents-ny own
opinion is that it would be more than
tbat,
But let US be on the safe side. Sup
pose we spend a billion dollars on
waterways instead OF a half-billion;
suppose that the production of grain
remains as it Is instead Of increasing;
and suppose that the price OF grain Is
increased only 21a cents g brusheI ts-
stead of five,
Even SO, with production stationary,
She expense doubled and the benefit
cut IN half, the whole $1,000, 900, 900
would be returned in less than ten
years in the increased price of grain
alone.