The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-11-25
IMPROVEMENT OF WATERWAYS
WILL DEVELOP RESOURCES
OF EVERY SECTION.
FREIGHT CARRIED CHEAPLY
Make Direct Saving In Cost Of Trans
portation by the Water Routes, and
Indirectly Serve to Lower Railway
Carrying Rates.

given TO support the claim-that wa
terways carry freight more cheaply
than the railways 30 or can, and that
they compel the railways to carry
freight more chearly than they other
wise would, making 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 harbors of the lakes have
been OF great benefit, both to the rail-
ways which parallel their shores and
to those which run from lake cities to
the interior, is fact so plain that
IT needs no argument to support it. i
There are no more prosperous and
profitable roads in the country than
those that serve the region tributary
TO 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
either on railway reve.
nues or national development, we
must go to Europe
Results in Bohemia.
During the fifteen years that i'm.
were under way on the
Glbe river, In Bohemia, the river traf-
1c. as a natural result of the better
increased fivefold. But traf
lc on the competing railways In
reased still more largely and the div
dends on the main line, from Teplitz |
Aussig, rose to Is per cent. per
mum.
Similar results followed the canali-
alton Of the River Main, from May.
nee. on the Rhine, to Frankfort.
HIGH was finished in the latter part
T. 1886. The river trafic, which e
mounted to only $4,000 tons in that k
ear, began to grow and has kept on e
lowing. being 1.273,000 tons in 1902. o
here are two railroads between
and Mayence, one on each
de OF the river. What happened to
EN-? Did their business show Sc
ous falling off? Or were they forced
to the hands of a receiver? On the
ntrary their trafiic, which was GIL. o.
9 tons in 1886. also began. to grow. 70
d by 1902 had reached 1908. 600 fty
ms, or more than double what 1t was D.
len the railroads had a practical
'nopoly Of the business of Frank.
t. ia 1ed
The mere statement of the In
.ased tonnage does not tell the w
ole truth Of the matter, for the trl
mage was not only more than
lbled lin quantity. but greatly -
sed In grade. SO that 1t could paw. "
did pay, much higher rate per
per mile thu
Fine German Waterways. ma
all the railways OF Ger.
ny are state owned and state oper-
d. Out of total of $4,000 miles,
round numbers. only about $500 -;
es are operated by private com.
les. Germany also has one of the =
st systems of waterways in the
Id, and study of the balance Jor
ct OF the German railway system !
VS. that the results which followed Nc
Improvement of the River Main \
not an exception. a mere coinci loo
&c, but are the natural outworkine ,
principle Of general application
he calendar year 1907, after paying MAJ
operation, maintenance, repairs. n
walls, new equipment, interest on Coo
Is, contribution to the sinking
!. and every other item which the =
careful bookkeeping required to so ,
'harged up. the German railways get
ed $1G4,000,0 900 of absolutely net
nues into the treasures of the -
Jus states. This was $5,O5O per ~
OF line operated, while the CORE -
ding figure on United States rail -
for the fiscal year 1867 was ~
$l,9G7-a little over one-third as ~
/. *
ch the greater part of the tota ~
Tue of the German states is de ~
from their railways, II cents ou' -
cry dollar received by Prussia ir -
being so obtained Yet German ~
smen keep on, year after year ~
ling money earned by their rat ~
In building and improving water ~
to compete with those same raj -
on which they depend az tn, ~
pal source Of national income ~
light Of the facts given above ~
net do to say that these Ger ~
tatesmea do not know what the, Is
bout. On the contrary, they are ~
, as has been well said, I'm fur -
lce Of a policy the wisdom O. ~
time and experience have full, ~
sied." ~