Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1910-11-10
MEAN LOWER RATES
s,lz1ss.sAs--s2s+sA
EFFECT OF WATERWAY cOMPETt.
TloN ON THE RAILWAYS OF
THE COUNTRY.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SAVING
Conservative Estimate Is That In a
Single Year II Would Be More Than
,'oush to Discharge tho Entire Ma
onat Debt
was stated in previous article
Watcrwaya produce both direct

Z ln0Ir6Cl savings In the cost OF
IT, sportation and also exert what
n.y. be called creative effect AS
an instance Of the direct saving 1t
was shown that the 100000, 900 tons of
freight handled on the great lakes
in 1907 were carried for $3.50 ,00O,O 900
less than it would have cost by rail.
II the opinion Of the United States
army engineers Is correct-and thia
opinion Is based upon results actually
achieved on the rivers OF Europe
we have number OF rivers on which,
when properly improved. freight can
be carried for less than on the lakes
and many rivers on which 1t can be
carried for much less than by rail
If. therefore, the plan advocated by
the National Rivers and Harbors
congress shou d be carried out-which
includes the provement of all our
rivers to ST tent as shall be found
advisable ~: expert examination
the direct ing In cost of transporta-
ton wol re vastly Increased. 1t
would pioLahly be increased tenfold.
but If it we're only doubled the direct
saving III IL single year would be more
than enough to pay OF the national
debt
But this is not the end of the bone
Ats 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
| q 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
4 ciilc coast by water. around Cape
Horn, while there is no waterway OF
| any kind to the inland cities named
| 1t is not the ocean alone that affects
railroad rates. Compare tho rates on
first class merchandise to river towns
\ and inland towns situated about 25C
4 miles from St. Louis Towns on the
upper Mississippi get rate of 8;
cents hundred, inland towns pay Ct
cents; towns on the Ohio pay Al cents
inland towns In the same regior
pay 81.
/ A still moro striking instance, anc
terway improvement, is to be found
on the Columbia river. Before tho
locks at the cascades were BULL
freight rates on nails, and that class
OF goods, from Portland to The Dallcs
We're $6.40 per ton. AS soon as the
locks were finished and the steam
boats could get through, the railroad
less than one-third what it 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, thu
rate on salt in car load lots was 81 81
per ton to The Dalles, and 5000 pc
ton to Umatilla $3.50 per ton for TIN
So miles with water competition ant
$3.50 per ton for the next 100 mile
y without. These rates have since bcel
reduced as the Improvement has pro
cecded, and when the work Is finished
and boats can run far up the Colum
bia river and to Lewiston and othe
point in Idaho on its principal tribu
tary, the Snake river. the people II
all that region will benefit not onl
by the direct saving on goods carrie'
by water, but also by the indirect say
ing through the reduced rate on good
carried by rail Exactly similar re
suits would follow the radical I'm
provement of rivers all over the Unite
States.
Indirect Saving Large.
There is, however, no possible wa
of finding out just how much this In
direct saving would be. Rates on som
freight would be reduced greatly, O.
haps, not at all But we can get som
idea of the amount of freight whic
might be Influenced In the fisca
year ending June 80 1907, the tota
amount OF freight handled by tn
; railroads Of the United States wa
1,796,336,659 tons. Some Of this wa
hauled a short distance, some Ion
distance, and some wax handled b
more than one road, but it was cqua
to 236,601 390.103 tons hauled on
mile. IL the comprehensive improve
mcnt of our waterways should max
an average reduction of one mill pc
ton-mile difference In the rate
on salt given above Is 10 times a
much. or seven cents per ton mile
, would make saving of over $236, 800
900 on the value of business handle
in the fiscal year.
At first glance, 1t looks as II tina
: would mean disaster to the railway.
but that is the exact opposite of tn
truth. Strange as Ii may seem, tn
surest and speediest way to enlarg
, the business and increase the profit
, of the railways OF the United STAT.
is to improve the waterways of tt
United States.
j. The Best is the Cheapest.
A we'll constructed and tigh
fitted joints, costs a little NOR
-, - Loot;or~ oto-2 L,,A ,,x;lI 500,