The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-01-31

the only reason, and no even the most
important reason for the construction
OF great system OF improved water
ways and the passage and enforce
ment Of laws which win prevent them
from being destroyed by unfair rail-
way competition.
Transportation Needles.
The head Of one Of the greatest In.
duEtrial corporations in the United
States was right when he said, not
long ago, that we need all the trans
portation we can get. It has been
proven many times. notably In 1896 o.,
that the productive capacity OF the
United States il far in excess of the
carrying capacity OF the railways. Is
the country ought not to be allowed
tc develop any faster than the rail.
ways are willing or able to provide
fncilities7 Is II the further idea OF
the Times Union that the people OF
the United States should be denied
the benefits IF cheap transportation
for raw materials wherever sucn
transportation san be provided? There
, IL q vast boE1J Of raw materials which
can be pro1ft4DIy moved only at rates
which are below the cost or railway
upera ton. Why should the. Times
Lrcdnct which is not of sufIlcient
value per ton TO afford to pay railway
rafes2
win Not Destroy Railroads.
~Ycu say further: Having spent
several billion dollars to build the rail :
roads. should we now spend another
billion or 50 to put them out Of busi-
pess?" Putting the railroads out OF
business Is the very last result which
would follow the construct OF a sys-
tenn OF waterways. The writer has
studied the question for over twenty
| five years, and in all that time has
been unable to find q single instance
In which the construction Of q new
waterway, or the Improvement OF an
existing one, has ever done anything
except to increase the business and
the profits Of the railways which run
alongside.
Deeper Water Made Frankfors.
Take the instance OF Frankfort, in
Germany. In the twenty years follow
ing 1886 Frankfort increased more in
population and business than in the
seventeen hundred years before. 1t
was an old established city, ia q Dense
ly populated country which had been
the seat OF civilization for almost two
hundred years. The only thing that
was changed was that the River Main
was cana1ized so that 1t was given q
dependable channel and boats could
run regularly to and from the city.
| There Is no question therefore, that
| the canalization OF the river was re-
! sponsible for the sudden and marvel
Gus increase In the rate of gowth.
Frankfort is abundantly supplied
with railroads, including two lines
which run, one on each bank Of the
| river, from the city down to the
Rhine. What happened to the rail-
roads? Did they go into bankruptcy
or did their business fall off? On the
contrary, the railway business began
1 =
years after the river was improved the
| tonnage handled by rail was practical
| ~ double what It was when the rail-
ways had almost an absolute monopoly
Of the traffic
Nor was this all, or the better part,
/ OF the change from the railway stand
point. Formerly Frankfort had much
| to buy and little to sell, and the cars
/ and such boats as came at all came
/ loaded and went back empty. The
great DEVELOPMENT OF manufacturing,
consequent upon the abundant supply
/ CT cheap raw material carried by the
river. not only Increased tha volume
OF trafic of the railways hut eQualissd
| its direction, so that tie cars were
loaded In both directions. And. still
/ further, the grade of the traffic was
raised so that II could pay and did
/ pay q much higher rate Per ton per
mile and so was much more profitable
to handle. In addition to all else there
| was the increase in passenger tramc
and in the traffic at special rates. cor
responding to the express service In
tll1s country.
This is simply an illustration Of
result OF which many other instances
could be given II Il were desirable. II
| the editor Of the Times Union, or any
body else. can give me an autnenti-
Gated instance where railway mas
been injured by the Improvement or &
uaterway. he viii confer great favor
IL he will do so.
Indersed BY Railroad Men.
When 1 had the honor to address
the Jacksonville Board OF Trade, q
year or two ago, there sat close by me
as L spoke that courteous gentleman
and able railway of1cial, Mr.. w. ".
Finley. president of the Southern rail-
way. When I had finished Mr. Finley
was caleb upon to speak. ana nao
| the qualification of hearing him In