The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-12-20

for modern commerce, and tnaC all
of our harbors have required improve
ment to fit them for the ever-increas-
ing demands of commerce, one can
readily understand that at least ade-
quate physical results have come
from the large aggregate of appropri-
ations made.
Then, too, the benefits accruing to
the commerce of the country, both
foreign and domestic, as evidenced by
its phenomenal growth following the
physical development of those water
ways, have likewise been gratifying.
1t is true that on a few projects, COM
mercial results commensurate with
the outlay have not followed i'm
provement, but in a large majority Of
instances an increased commerce
has been the result.
Mr.. Alexander H. Weber, c. E., as
sistant engineer and secretary to the
board of engineers for rivers and
harbors, in a very interesting and in
structive article written in 1910, esti-
mated this increase at 340,217, 700
tons. In that statement reference is
made to the total tonnage of all riV-
ers, harbors and canals, which in
cludes many Implications; but it is
nevertheless instructive, as it shows
the commercial Importance OF the re-
spective improvements. The actual
existing water-borne commerce is
somewhat difficult of ascertainmens,
but Mr.. Weber fixed the amount Of
the then existing commerce, after due
allowance for Implications, at APP
proximately 256,000000 tons. The in
terstate commerce commission makes
it something more, giving the amount
for the year 1906 as 265, 1904 tons.
Even the smaller figures present q
good showing and one that should
greatly encourage the friends of wa
terway improvement.
But the whole story is not told in a
simple statement of the increase OF
our water-borne commerce. 1t is
worth much to furnish the people
with additional facilities for the dis
tribution of their products among the
consumers of this and foreign coun-
tries. 1t is also gratifying to find
these facilities utilized for the pur-
pose designed, resulting in a largely
increased water-borne commerce. But
when we consider the great reduc-
tons in freight rates that have come
as result of these Improvements,
the full significance of the work done
may be appreciated
1t is difficult to determine just what
this reduction has been, but we know
it is large. The annual reports of the
chief of engineers, who is required to
report upon the effect of such i'm
provements on freight rates, show
that in many instances such reduc-
tons have been as much as fifty per
cent, and even more in some locali-
ties, which would indicate that the
reductions effected have averaged
more than a dollar a ton. Even if
an average saving of half that amour
has been effected each year on our
water-borne commerce alone, the
| aggregate for all these years has been
enormous and amounts to much more
than the large sum expended on our
waterways. When to this saving Is
added the influence these improve
ments have eXerted over railroad
transportation, the freight tonnage OF
one billion tons per annum, it will
be seen that the people have been
we'll repaid for the large outlay by
the federal government, even though
not all the waterways thus improved
have shown satisfactory results SO
far as increased traffic is concerned.
AS before stated, there are not
many such instances as compared
with the whole number of projects
undertaken by the government.
Among those most prominently men
toned by critics of waterway i'm
provement are the Illinois and Mis-
sissippi canal, commonly known rs
the Hennepin canal, and the Missou-
ri and Mississippi rivers. But there
have been in each case peculiar and
local reasons for the failure of the
waterway to respond in commercial
development to the Improvement
made, which will doubtless be remov-
ed in the future.
The Hennepln canal was, perhaps,
constructed too far in advance of any
commercial demand for the same, but
it is a substantial structure, easy of
maintenance, and will doubtless last
for an indefienite period. In the
meantime, the country tributary to
the canal is developing, farm and
other products are increasing, freight