The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1910-09-03
SAVING OF MILLIONS
WHAT COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
OF WATERWAYS IMPROVE
MENT MEANS 10 FARMERS.
FIGURES TO SUPPORT FACTS
On Shipments Of Grain Alone the Oh
rect Return Would Mean 100000
900, and Proportlonately All other
Products Would Be Affected.


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In a former article we gave facts and
figures to prove that II the compre-
henslve plan Of waterway improve
ment advocated by the National Riv-
ers and Harbors congress were car
ried out, the direct return to the farm
ers Of the country, on the single item
Of grain. would certainly be 100000
900 a year-and probably would be
more than twice that sum.
But grain is not the only item on
which the farmers would receive a
benefit. The fact ls that for the farm.
ers-and everybody else, for that mat
ter-the cost Of transportation infiu-
enees practically everything he buys,
sells, eats, wears or uses in any way
whatever, except water, air and sun
shine. The average man is inclined to
laugh when told that he pays out more
for transportation than he does for
taxes or because Of the tarih-but his
laughter does not alter the fact in the
least.
There are three principal methods
Of transportation, the wagonway, the
railway and the waterway, and there
is so great a difference in the cost of
transportation by these different meth
DDS that 1t is worth while to study the
matter a little. The experts of the
good roads bureau estimate the cost
Of hauling a ton OF freight one mile
by horse and wagon on the average
road in the United States at 25 cents.
The cost on a thoroughly good, smooth
road might be reduced to 10 cents.
Poor's Manual gives 7.S2 mills per ton.
mile as the average price received by
the railways in 1907, while the official
records kept at the 500 show that the
average rate on the freight carried
into and out Of Lake Superior in the
same year was only 8 Of one mill.
Facts In a Nutshell.
You can better understand what
these figures mean il they are stated
in another way. They mean that II
you have a dollar to spend in shipping
a ton Of freight you can send 1t 4
miles on an average road, 10 miles on
a frst-class road, 1874 miles on a rail
road, and 1850 miles on a lake vessel.
It is very easy to see that good
roads are a lot better than poor roads
but that transportation by horse and
wagon is too costly at the best to be
used except for small loads and short
distances. So far as interstate traffic
is concerned the wagon road must be
! left entirely out of consideration. 1t
is just as easy to see what a great
benefit would result from the building
OF a railway into a region where there
was none before, and that a still
greater benefit would result from so
improving a river that It is made
dependably navigable when It was not
so before.
Waterways Increase prosperity in
three principal ways, viz: direct saw
ing, indirect saving, and by what may
be called a creative effect. The direct
saving is that which occurs or goods
actually carried by water, and some
facts which indicate how great this d.
rect saving Is, will also make more
plain the vast difference between the
cost Of transportation by rail and by
water.
Through the 500 canal at the out
let of Lake Superior there were car
ried in 1907, 58,217,2 l tons Of freight.
This was carried an average distance
Of $3.50 miles at an average cost OF
8 Of n mill per ton-mile. II this
had been shipped by rail at the aver
age railway rate for that year (7.S2
Mills, its transportation would have
cost 1898. 633, 1864 more than was paid
for its carriage by water.
The total freight carried on all
lakes that year was. In round mum
bers. 100, 900, 900 tons. This vast ton.
mage was carried for S55O,OO0,OO less
than 1t would have cost to send 1t by
rail. and the Improvements. which pro
duce a saving large enough to pay of
the national debt in less than two
years COhL Onlg 9oofVVvtvVVs
Proof Of Good Results.
Wouldn't you call that a pretty fair
dividend on the investment And don't
you think It would pay 10 improve all
our waterways as fast and As far a.
we can?
But" says some one what reason
is there to suppose that improved nv,
err would give anything like A. good
results a. have been obtained on the
lakear' mat IL . proper question aAd
is entitled 70 an asWeT
The only waterway In this eountry
which has bSea Improved ~ = whole
is composed Il the four lakes above
Niagara Falls, but there are many i'm
proved AvsEs IN BurOpO. Prem . care
fui study Il the results obtained on
these hVSFs the army engineers est
nate that when tho improvement Of
TIE Ohio river h finished. freight can
b carried thereon for onehan mill
peg tnnzn1e. That means that the
dollar which win carry q ton l2fX
rlss by rail and 1880 miles By lake
VIII carry It $1,000 miles by river.
Cusi Of transportation win vary on
alEere1t rivers With depth, Width,
sEirnezs q esTrent. etc. but the 60