The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1911-03-02
ALL ARE CONCERNED
IMPROVEMENT OF NATIONS WA.
TERWAYs OF INTEREST TO
EVERY CITIZEN.
VITAL FACTS ARE PRESENTED
Cost OF Getting Grain to Market Mate
rally Reduced Through Shipment
by Water-Benefits Distributed All
Over the Country.

You may not know it-you probably |
dont-but it is matter of Importance
to you whether the waterways of the |
United States are improved or not
and this is true no matter who you
are, what your business Is, or what
part OF the country you live in. 1t
may be that you are farmer and you
tell me that 1t is nonsense to say
that 1t can make any difference to
you whether the waterways of the
country are improved or not. because
you live away out west, miles away
from any river which is navigable now
o. sver will be.
Well, admit that 1t Is not as easy
Be- see as the grain elevator down at
POUR railway station, but the benefit
m there just the samoa real, sure
enough, dollars and-cents benefit. Wa
terways have already been of tremen-
.dous advantage to the farmers Of the
Nsountry and their further improve
ment will put more money into your
pockets and those of your neighbors
Take grain for an illustration. A
large part of the grain raised In the
country is shipped away from the
place where II is grown, some for use
In the eastern states and some for ex-
port to Europe. Under these condi-
items the price OF grain is not fixed
at the nearest railway station. Your
wheat, for instance is worth just what
1t will bring in Liverpool-less the
cos, of getting 1t there. You can see
at cnce that it makes a whole lot of
difference to you how much 1t costs
to send your grain to New York or
Liverpool-and there's where the
waterway comes in.
Where Economy Comes In.
In 1903 the average cost of carrying
wheat from Chicago to Buffalo by lake
was one cent a bushel, while the cost
by rail 10 New York was III cents
almost twelve times as much. although
the distance is the same. But grain
which Is to go all the way by water
must be transferred to canal boats at
Buffalo. Little canal boats drawn by
mules cannot carry stun as cheaply
as big ships driven by steam. so the
through rate by water was six cents
bushel, little over half as much
ss by rail. For the twenty years end
lag with 1908 the water rate, on the
average, was lower than the rail rate
BY 6.z cents a bushel. On the ship
ments from Lake Superior the differ
ence was greater still, since Duluth is
less than 100 miles farther from New
York than Chicago is by water and
nearly 500 miles farther by rail, but
NO comparative rates are published.
The beneficial effects Of the water
way, through lowered cost of transpor
tation, are not confined to the grain
shipped from cities on the lakes, bu
extend to practically all the grair
produced The total production o
the FIVE principal cereals-wheat
corn, oats, barley and rye-during thu
past 40 years, was over 100000, 100000
bushels. II the average addition Il
the value of this vast volume of grail
was FIVE cents bushel, and tina
seems a moderate figure in view
the facts stated above, the total 4
more than sc, 900, 900 ,000-nearly all o
which has gone into the pockets of tn
farmers.
But while the beneficial effect of tn
waterways extends to surprising dis
lance, q waterway close by exerts
very much more direct and POVERTY
influence than one a long way off.
the Great Lakes and the Erie cana
have increased the value of grain a
over the west, what do you suppos
would happen IL the Mississippi, Mi
souri. Arkansas and Red rivers wer
10 improved that boats could run e.
cry day In the year unless hindere
by ice?
Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and HarboI
congress is working for the improv
ment of the rivers, harbors and waite
ways in all parts of the United State
Chairman Alexander of the rivers an
harbors committee, says that $685. 900
900 will complete every project whic
has been begun or has been recor
mended by the army engineers. Fly
hundred million dollars would pro
new projects which will be surveyt
and adopted within the next few year
The average annual production
the five principal cereals, which du
ing the last ten years has been 4,15
100000. bushels, has been steadily
creasing and will probably contin'
20 increase for some time to come.
The complete Improvement of
our waterways would increase Il
value of every bushel of grain pr
duced by at least five cents-my ov
opinion is that 1t would be more thu
that.
But let us be on the safe side. Su
pose we spend a billion dollars
waterways instead of half-billio
sup, Sc that the production of gra
remains as II is instead of increasin
and suppose that the price of grain
only Oh NputC a buSlPl