The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-09-02
Freight Ratos Affected.


Freight rates from New York TO
Salt Lake or Spokane are much high
er than 10 San Francisco or Seattle,
although the distance Is much less. be-
cause goods can be carried to the Pa
clfic coast by water. around Cape
Horn. while there is no waterway OF
any kind 10 the inland cities named.
1t Is not the ocean alone that affects
railroad rates. Compare the rates on
FIRST class merchandise 10 river towns
and inland towns situated about 250
miles from St Louis Towns on the
upper Mississippi get a rate Of 80
cents 4 hundred. inland towns pay 63
inland towns In the same region
pay 81
still more striking instance, and
one showing the direct result Of WA
terway improvement ls TO be found
on the Columbia river. Before the
locks at the cascades were built
freight rates on nails, and that claes
of goods. from Portland TO The Dallcs
were Sc 40 per ton AS soon as the
locks were finished and the steam.
boats could get through. the railroad
rate dropped 10 two dollars per ton
less than one-third what it was before.
That S.e difference was due TO the
river Improvement Is shown by the
fact that rates were not reduced be-
yond the point 10 which the steam.
boats could run. For instance. the
rate on salt in car load lots Tas 81 90
per ton 10 The Dalles. and 5000 per
ton to Umatllla-Sl 80 per ton for the
SS miles with water competition and
IS 20 per ton for the next 100 miles
without These rates have since been
reduced as the Improvement has pro.
ceeded. and when the work is finished
and boats can run far up the Column
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 saw
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 Ending out Just how much this IN
direct saving would be. Rates on some
freight would be reduced greatly, on
some freight slightly. on some. per
haps. not At all But we can get some
idea OF the amount OF freight which
might be influenced In the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1907. tho total
amount OF freight handled by the
railroads OF the United States was
l.796. .336.659 tons. Some OF this was
hauled a short distance. some q long
distance, and some was handled by
more than one road. but it was equal
TO 236. 6.60l $50 103 tons hauled one
mile. II the comprehensive improve.
ment of our waterways should mako
an average reduction OF one mill per
-mile-the difference in the rates
on salt given above is 20 times as
much, or seven cents per ton mile-it
would make saving OF over 1886. 500
600 on the value OF business handled
IN the fiscal year
AT FIRST glance, II looks as II that
would mean disaster to the railways,
but that is the exact opposite of the
truth. Strange es 1t may seem,S the
surest and speedlest way TO enlarge
the businesS and Increase the profits
OF the railways OF the United States
Is to Improve the waterways OF the
United States.