The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1910-09-03
MEAN Lower RATES.
EFFECT OF WATERWAY coMPETi-
TON ON THE RAILWAYS OF
TIE COUNTRY.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SAVING
Conservative Estimate Is That In a
Single Year Il Would Be More Than
Enough to Discharge the Entire Ma
tional Debt.

II was stated in a previous article
that waterways produce both direct
and indirect savings in the cost OF
transportation and also exert what
may be called a creative effect. As
an instance Of the direct saving It
was shown that the 100, 900, 900 tons OF
freight handled on the great lakes
in 1907 were carried for s55O.000 600
less than 1t would have cost by rail.
II the opinion Of the United States
army engineers is correct-and this
opinion Is based upon results actually
achieved on the rivers Of Europe
we have a number Of rivers on which,
when properly improved, freight can
be carried for less than on the lakes
and many rivers on which It can be
carried for much less than by rail
If, therefore, the plan advocated by
the National Rivers and Harbors
congress should be carried out-which
includes the Improvement Of all our
rivers to such extent as shall be found
advisable after expert examination
the direct saving in cost of transporta-
ton would be vastly increased. 1t
would probably be increased tenfold,
but II It we're only doubled the direct
saving in a single year would be o
than enough to pay of the national
debt.
But this is not the end Of the bene-
fits which the general improvement Of
our waterways would bring, 1t is only
the beginning. Beside the direct saw
ing there is an indirect saving which
results from the effect of waterways
on railway freight rates, for rates
are always lower on railroads which
meet water competition than on those
which do not. The amount Of this saw
ing is not everywhere the same, owing
to difference in conditions, but we
can get a good general idea of 1t from
a study of some sample Instances.
Freight Rates Affected.
Freight rates from New York to
Salt Lake or Spokane are much high.
er than to San Francisco or Seattle.
although the distance is much less, be.
cause goods can be carried TO the Pa,
cihc coast by water, around Cape
Horn, while there is no waterway OF
any kind to the inland cities named
II is not the ocean alone that affects
railroad rates. Compare the rates or
first class merchandise to river towns
and inland towns situated about 25(
miles from st. Louis. Towns on the
upper Mississippi get a rate of 81
cents a hundred, inland towns pay 6;
cents; towns on the Ohio pay Al cents
inland towns in the same region
pay 81.
A still more striking instance, and
one showing the direct result Of va
terway Improvement, is to be found
on the Columbia river. Before the
locks at the cascades we're bull
freight rates on nails, and that class
of goods, from Portland TO The Dalles
we're $6.40 per ton. As oon as the
locks were finished and the steam.
boats could get through, the railroad
rate dropped to two dollars per ton
less than one-third what 1t was before
That the difference was due to the
river improvement is shown by the
fact that rates were not reduced be
yond the point to which the steam
boats could run. For instance. the
rate on salt In car load lots was S1.5(
per ton to The Dalles, and 5000 pei
ton to Umatilla-S1.50 per ton for the
IS miles with water competition ant
$50 per ton for the next 100 miles
without. These rates have since beer
reduced as the improvement has pro
ceeded. and when the work is finished
and boats can run far up the Colum
bia river and to Lewiston and other
point in Idaho on its principal tribu
tary. the Snake river, the people In
all that region will benefit not only
by the direct saving on goods carried
by water, but also by the indirect say
ing through the reduced rate on goods
carried by rail. Exactly similar re
suits would follow the radical i'm
provement OF rivers all over the United
States.
Indirect Saving Large.
There Is, however, no possible way
Of finding out just how much this in
direct saving would be. Rates on somG
freight would be reduced greatly. OF
some freight slightly, On some, per
haps, not at all. But We can get SOM
idea Of the amount Of freight which
might be Influenced. In the hscR
year ending June 30. 1907, the tota
amount Of freight handled BY the
railroads Of the United States wal
1896, 336.65s tons. Some Of this wa
hauled a short distance, some a Ions
/. distance, and some was handled b,
more than one road. but 1t was eQua.
to 236. SOL. 3s0, 103 tons hauled one
mile. II the comprehensive improve
ment Of our waterways should MAKE
IN average reduction Of one mill pei
|, ton-mile-the difference In the ratsi
O salt given above IL 70 times a,
much, or seven cents per ton mile
would make a saving Of owe 1895, 500,
600 on the value Of business handled
In the fiscal year.
At hrst glance, It looks as II that