The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-01
The Total Cost Of Transportation

One Of the most momentuos deci
sions which the American people hav
ever been called upon to make. an,
one which must be made in the nea
future, has to do with the transporta
ton question. transportation affect
the price Of everything bought or sol,
by any individual citizen. It limits
the territory tributary to the trad,
of every city. 1t determines the devel
opment OF the natural resources o
of states. More than any other on,
thing, 1t fixes the share obtained b,
any nation in the commerce of tn,
world. Its subtle. all-pervasive, far.
reaching, unacceptable influence, equal.
~ potent for veal or woe, extend.
alike to the interests OF the humbles
tofler and the mightiest empire. 1t /.
a fundamental necessity of civilization
standing second only to agriculture
and is as vital to commerce and in
dustry as the blood is to the body
1t necessarily follows that the trans.
portation question merits the mos,
careful consideration OF the citizen.
ship and best thought OF the states
manship of the country.
In recent years an increasing appre-
citation by the general public OF the vi
tai Importance Of this question had led
to the growth of a great movement
looking towards the Improvement OF
our inland waterways, in addition to
the continued development Of lake end
| ocean harbors. Some of the leading
railway men of the country. among
whom may be mentioned James J.
Hill of the Great Northern, James T.
Harahan, late of the illinois Central
and w. w. Finley Of the Southern
railway have repeatedly gone on rec
ord in favor of this movement, which
they recognize as designed not to sup
plant, but to supplement, the railway
as a carrier.
In the main, however, the allied tail-
way interests OF the country have al
was opposed the movement. Until re-
Gently their opposition has been car
ried on by methods which were silent,
secret and sinuous. 1t is a striking tes-
timonial to the Roadway which has
been gained by the waterway move
ment-a testimonial all the stronger
because it is unconscious and unin-
tentional-that all the railway jour
nails, all those periodicals which, while
nominally Independent, Away take the
railway side in any controversy, and
many railway presidents and other
high officials are now fighting in the
open against the proposed develop
ment of waterways.
Many of the arguments advanced by
those who wish the railways to have a
monopoly of all traffic except that
necessarily carried by wagon, are more
ingenious than ingenious. Just how
much stress is being laid upon the
claim that the total cost of transporta-
ton is greater by water than by rail.
The Railway Age Gazette recently said
editorially:
1.-THE fundamental question that
ought to be settled before the govern
ment Of the United States engages
in extensive development of inland
ingenious than ingenious. Just now
waterways is whether the total cost
Of transportation of such water
ways is, or probably can be
made, less than the total cost of
transportation by rail is or can be
made The rate that the shipper pays
to the railways covers the
total cost of transportation by rail.
The rate that the shipper pays to the
owner of a boat covers only a return
CT the investment in, and the operat-
Ing expenses of the boat. To arrive
at the total cost of water transporta-
ton there must be added to this ex-
pense what the public pays in taxes
for the development and maintenance
Of the waterway. Therefore =
comparison between the rates paid
by rail and by water gives no clue to
the relative cost Of transportation by
rail and by water
The writer OF that editorial has mis-
taken spur track for the main line.
The fundamental question to be settled
before the government Of the United
States engages extensively in Develop
ment Of inland waterways is whether
such development would. or would not,
benefit the people. The relative total
cost CT rail and wate~ transportation is
simply one OF a number Of questions
collateral to the main question Just
stated. Nevertheless it is worthy of
those who are unfamiliar with the
those who are unfamiliar with the
stated, and the unfounded claims made
by those who advocate a monopoly Of
traffic by the railways.
One OF their arguments runs about
as follows:
The average rate per ton-mile on in
land waterways is about 8 mills in
France, mills in Germany, and GA
mills in Belgium. Government expendi-
lures for the maintenance Of canals
and improved rivers. and for interest
on the money expended for their de-
velopment, amount to mills per tom
mile on water borne traffic in France
to 4.6 mills in Belgium. and to "a Of
a mill in Germany, or IL the Rhine and
the Elbe be left out, to 2 mills per
ton per mile. This makes the total
cost Of transportation per ton-mile 10
mills in France, IL mills in Belgium,
and mills in Germany. The average
rate on the railways Of the United
States in 1909 was 1853 mills per ton
per mile. That is much less than the
cost by water In France and Belgium
and only a little more than 81 per
cent higher than the average cost in
Germany. Therefore 1--WE are expected
to conclude) the only safe, sane and
sensible thing for the American people
to do is to fill what canals we have
left, abandon our rivers to the musk
rats and turn over the railroads. What
they can't carry can lie and rot.
To begin with, the figures above
- {-E. a