The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-09-09

} Carrying Rates.
The claim has been made In previ
GUS articles-and facts and figures
, Z given to support the claim-that wa
terwnys carry freight more cheaply
than the railways do or can, and that
/, they compel the railways TO carry
freight more cheaply than they other
wise would, making n saving OF hun
dreds Of millions OF dollars year, even
!, under present conditions. and indicat-
ing vast Increase in that saving II all
waterways should be improved. And
then the surprising assertion was
made that the surest way TO enlarge
the business and increase the profits
OF the railroads Of the United States
is to improve the waterways OF the
United States. The best guide to the
future is the experience OF the past
so let us see what has actually hap
pened TO railways when waterways
have been improved.
That the improvements in the chan
nels and barbors OF the lakes have
been OF great benefit, both to the rail
ways which parallel their shores and
10 those which run from lake cities TO
the interior. is fact 30 plain that
It needs no argument to support It.
There are no more prosperous and
profitable roads In the country than
those that serve the region tributary
20 the lakes. But no one questions
the wisdom OF continuing the improve
ment OF the lakes. or OF our ocean
harbors The real question Is as to
the improvement OF our rivers, and II
we wish to study the effect OF river
improvement. either on railway reve-
nues or national development We
must go to Europe.
Results In Bohemia.
During the fifteen years that I'm.
provements were under way on the
Elbe river in Bohemia, the river traf-
fic, as a natural result Of the better
channel, increased fivefold. But traf-
fc on the competing railways In
creased still more largely and the div
idends on the main line. from Teplits
to Aussig, rose to 16 per cent. per
annum
Similar results followed the canal.
Lation OF the River Main. from May.
ence, on the Rhine, to Frankfort.
which was finished in the latter part
OF 1886 The river trafflc, which
amounted TO only $4,000 tons In that
year, began to grow and has kept on
growing, being l.273,000 tons in 1902.
There are two railroads between
Frankfort and Mayence, one on each
side OF the river. What happened to
them? Did their business show a Sc
rious falling on? Or were they forced
into the hands OF receiver? On the
contrary their traffic, which was 911,.
600 tons in 1885 also began to grow.
and by 1902 had reached 1,9O9. $50
tons or more than double what II was
when tho railroads had practical
monopoly OF the business OF Frank
fort.
The mere statement OF the IN
creased tonnage does not tell the
whole truth of the matter, for the
Nch'Nbp M nv Ohll
doubled In quantity. but greatly
raised IN grade, so that It could pay,
and did pay, a much higher rate per
ton per mile.
Fine German Watorwsys.
Practically all the railways OF Ger
many are state owned and state oper>
ated. Out OF total OF $4,000 miles,
in round numbers. only about $500
miles are operated by private CON-
panies. Germany also has one OF the
finest systems OF waterways In the
world, and study OF the balance
sheet OF the German railway system
shows that the results which followed /,
the improvement OF the River Main |
are not an exception. mere coinct. |
6ence. but are the natural outworking
OF n principle OF general application.
In the calendar year 1907, after paying
for operation. maintenance. repairs.
renewals, new equipment. interest on
bonds, contribution TO the sinking
fund. and every other item which tho
most careful bookkeeping required 10
uc ihdi S'u UP lUt ArtIlldu railways
turned $l64.O00,0o0 OF absolutely net
revenues into the treasures OF the
various states. This was s5,050 per
mile OF line operated. while the corre-
spending figure on United States rail.
ways for the fiscal year 1906-7 was
only $780, little over one-third as
much.
Much the greater part OF the total
revenue OF the German states Is de-
rived from their railways, II cents out
Of every dollar received BY Prussia In
1907 being so obtained. Yet German
keep on. year after year.
spending money earned by their rail.
ways in building and improving water ,
ways TO compete with those same rail.
Ways, on which they depend as the
principal source OF national income. :
n the light OF the facts given above
{ will not do 20 say that these Ger /
nan statesmen do not know what they
ire about On the contrary. they are \
Asl ~. -