Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-02-16
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-Renefits Distributed Ali
Over the Country.

by Water-Renefits Distributed Ali
Over the Country.
You may not know it--you probably
dOn't-but 1t is a matter of Importance
to you whether the waterways OF the
United States are improved or not
and his 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 a farmer aud 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 navi.able now
or ever will be.
Well. I admit that 1T is not as easy
to see as the grain elevator down at
your railway station, but the benefit
is there just the samoa real. sure
.nough. dollars-and-cents benefit. Wa
tcrways have already been of trcmcn-
aous advantage TO the farmers of the
country and their further improve
lncnt will put more money into Your
pockets and taose of your n%eighbors.
Take grain for an illustration. A
large part of the grain raised in the
country is shipped away from the
place where it is grown. some for use
in the eastern states and some for eX-
pert to Europe. Under these conai.
tiCns the price Of grain is not fixed
AT the nearest railway station. Your
wheat, for instance. is worth just what
1t will bring in I.iverpool-less the
cost of getting 1t there. You can see
at nee that 1t makes a whole lot OF
difference to YOU how much it costs
TO send your grain to New York or
l.iverpool-and there's where the
waterway comes in.
Where Economy Comes In.
In 1908 the average cost of carrying
wheat from Chicago to Buffalo by lake
hsas M cent a bushel. while the cost.
by rail to 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 stuff as cheaply
MS big ships driven by steam, so the
through rate by water vas six cents
a bushel. a little over half as much
us by rail. For the twenty years end
ing with 1908 the water rate. on the
average, was lower than the rail rate
by 60 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. hut
no comparative rates are published.
The beneficial effects Of the water
way. through lowered cost Of transpor-
tGtion, are not confined to the grain
shipped from cities on the lakes. but
extend to practically all the grain
produced. The total production Of
the i've principal cereals-wheat,
corn. oats. barley and rye-during the
past 40 years. was over 10000. 900, 900
bushels. If the average addition to
the value Of this vast volume of grain
was i've cents q bushel, and that
seems a moderate figure in view Of
the facts stated above, the total ia
more than $4,000. O00. 000-nearly all of
which has gone into the pockets Of the
farmers.
But while the beneficial effect Of the
waterways extends to a surprising dis
lance. q waterway close by exerts a
very much more direct and powerful
influence than one q long way on. II
1.-THE Great Lakes and the Erie canal
have Increased the value Of grain all
over the west, what do you suppose
would happen Il the Mississippi. Mis-.
souri,. Arkansas and Red rivers were
40 improved that boats could run ev.
ery day II the year unless hindered
]by Ice!
Money Needed Tor Work.
The National Rivers and Harbors
sfcongress u working for the improve.
nlentS TX the rivers. harbOrs and water.
ways II All parts of the United States.
ChAirtiah Alexander 81 the rivers and
iharbcrs committee, says that $339,000,,
1000 VIII complete every project which
49, been begun or has been recon.
mendedssby the army engineers, Five
ssHI1Rln6nidred million sdollarswouIl prob.
sf1bJy inish ul ~ of these and alIs the
sIanlldlsHiaI hlch wfll8beAaurFeyed
I,ds sldo!ipt6es Thin sthsgg next:fewysars.
- lasl511sI l ass1nGl pr 6uction 81
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