The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-04-26
BY WATER
COSTS ONLY ONE-sIxTH TO ONE.
TENTH AS MUCH AS BY
RAIL.
TRANSFORMATIONS BIG TOLL.
American People Annually Pay Out
Three Times as Much for Trans
portation az They Pay for Support
OF the Government.

Do you know
That the people of the United States
pay out each year about three times
as much in transportation taxes, that
u.s. for the carriage Of freight and pas
gengers, as they pay In taxes for the
support of government, national, state
and local?
That transportation affects the price
of everything that everybody buys.
sells, eats, wears or uses in any way
whatever-air, water and sunshine ex-
cepted7
That cheap II -snsportation benefits
both the producer and the consumer,
making wheat and cotton higher and
F., flour and cloth lower at one and the
same time?
That the cheapest known transpor-
tatlon is water transportation, costing,
on the average, from one-sixth to one
tenth as much as transportation by
rail?
That the direct saving On, the goods
actually carried by water in the
United States is over 550,OO0,000 a
year?
That railways always make lower
rates when subject to the competition
of waterways than where such compe-
tition does not exist?
That the indirect saving, thus
caused, is probably as large as the d.
rect saving given above?
That both the direct and indirect
saving would be largely increased by |
the further improvement of our water
ways?
That waterways always increase tho
profits of the railways with which they
come into competition? For the rea-
son that waterways, by giving cheap
transportation for raw materials, actu'
ally create both industry and com.
MERGE? AS is indicated by the fact
That in 1900 there was only one city
In the United States, with population
OF 100000 or over, which was not To-
Gated on a nayigable waterway? And
further
How Frankfort Benefited. (,
That Frankfort, Germany, grew
more In the twenty years after the ]
River Main was canalized than it had ]
grown In the two hundred years be-
fore9 And again
That Germany, which Is nearly co. :
900 square miles smaller than Texas,
but has one Of the finest waterway !
systems In the world, had in 1908 a !
foreign commerce greater than that of
the United States by over $500,000,. L
900? & S
That throughout the civilized world q
the largest cities, the densest popula- L
ton, the busiest and most prosperous |
people are to be found along naviga-
BILE waterways?
That the surest and speediest way !
70 develop the resources of the nation
md every state and section thereof,
% increase the growth of every city I
md community in the country, to pro-
note the prosperity Of every interest,"
the railroads, and of every
;itizen, east, west, north and south, is
o improve all our waterways as fast
md as far as we cam d
That money used for the improve a
nent of waterways, wisely planned a
nd honestly constructed is not an ty
expenditure but an investment which :
yill pay dividend Of at least 100 per =
ent a year7 III
Provision for Funds.
That the benefits winch would re-
ult from the comprehensive improve
lent of our waterways, and the losses
'hich would follow our failure to
lake such Improvement. are SO enor-
lous, that funds should be provided
Y the Issuance of bonds as has been
one by railwaYs-so that the work
Jay be begun at once and finished as
Jon as possible?
That the national government claims
lclusive jurisdiction and exercises
lpreme control over all navigable wa
rways? And therefore -
That 1t depends entirely on the con- -
'ess Of the United States whether =
g work of creating great national