The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1911-10-14
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 probabl.
dont-but it is a matter of Importance
to you whether the waterways Of the
United States are improved or not
and this Is true no matter who yoy
are, what your business is, or wha
part of the country you live in. L
may be that you are farmer and yor
tell me that it is nonsense to say
that 1t can make any difference te
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
Of ever will be.
Well, l admit that it is not as easy
IT, see as the grain elevator down at
POUR railway station, but the benefit
Us there just the samoa real, sure
enough, dollars-and-c benefit. Wa
serways have already been of tremen.
dous advantage to the farmers Of the
country 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 it 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
VIII eat, for instance, is worth just what
1t will bring in Liverpool-less the
cos, of getting it there. You can see
at cuce 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 1898 the average cost Of carrying
wheat from Chicago to Buffalo by lake
was one cent a bushel, while the cost
by rail ID New York was Ill cents
almost twelve times as much, although
the distance is the same. But grain
which is tc go all the way by water
must be transferred to canal boats at
Buffalo. Little canal boats drawn by
mnles cannot carry stuff as cheaply
as big ships driven by steam, so the
through rate by water was six cents
bushel, a little over half as much
US by rail. For the twenty years end
Ing with 1903 the water rate, on the
acreage, was lower than the rail rate
by 6.2 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 800 miles farther by rail, but
no com curative 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, but
extend to practically all the grain
produced. The total production Of
the five principal cereals-wheat, |
corn, oats, barley and rye-during the /
past 40 years, was over 100000, 100000 |
bushels. If the average addition to
the value of this vast volume of grain
was five cents bushel, and that
seems moderate figure in view OF
the facts stated above, the total is
more than 100000, 000-nearly all of
which has gone into the pockets of the
farmers.
But while the beneficial effect of the
extends to surprising dis
,ance, waterway close by exerts
very much more direct and powerful
influence than one a long way Off If
he Great Lakes and the Erie canal
lave increased the value Of grain all
,ver the west what do you suppose
would happen II the Mississippi, Mis-
ouri, Arkansas and Red rivers were
10 improved that boats could run ev-
ry day in the year unless hindered
" ice?
Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and Harbors
ongress is working for the improve
lent of the rivers, harbors and water
rays in all parts of the United States
chairman Alexander of the rivers and
arbors committee, says ehSt 1899, OOO,.
90 will complete every praject which
as been begun or has been recon-
tended by the army engineers. Five
undred million dollars would prob
bly, finish up all of these and all the
ew projects which will be surveyed
nd adopted within the next few years. |
The average annual production OF s
lie five principal cereals, which dur
g the last ten years has been 4,151,-
10000 bushels, has been steadily in {
easing and will probably continue
increase for some time to come.
The complete improvement of all
If waterways would increase the
llue of every bushel of grain pro-
iced by at least five cents-my own
Union is that it would be more than
at. {
But let us be on the safe side. Sup
use we spend a billion dollars on ?
aterways instead of half-billion; =
ii Sc that the production of grain '
mains as it is instead Of increasing; :
ID suppose that the price of grain Is =
~ IT,, |