The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-07-06
ALL ARE CONCERNED
IMPROVEMENT OF NATIONS Wa
TERWAYS OF INTEREST TO
/ EVERY CITIZEN.
VITAL. FACTS ARE PRESENTED
esst Of Getting Grain to Market Mate-
rally Reduced Through Shipment
by Water-Benef Gifts Distributed Al!
! Over the Country.

by Water-Benefits Distributed Al!
| Over the Country.
You may not know it-you probably
Qon't-but 1t is matter OF Importance
70 you whether the waterways OF the
United States are improved or not
and this is true no matter who you
ere, what your business is, or what
bart of the country you live in. 1t
tAli me that it 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 navigable now
ov ever will be.
Well, admit that it is not as easy
b see as the grain elevator down at
FOUR railway station, but the benefit
y there just the samoa real, sure
enough, dollars-andcents benefit. Wa
terways 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
lions the price of grain Is not fixed
at the nearest railway station Your
wheat, for instance. is worth just what
1t will bring in Liverpool-less the
sost of getting it there. You can see
1T cnce that it makes 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 10 New York was III 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
mules cannot carry stuff as -cheaply
as big ships driven by steam, SO the
through rate by water was six cents
bushel, little over half as much
Is by rail- For the twenty years end.
Ing with 1908 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 imperative 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-durlng the
past 40 years, was over 120,0G0,000,0
bushels. If the average addition to
the value of this vast volume Of grain
was five cents bushel, and that
seems a moderate figure in view OF
the facts stated above, the total is
more than $4,000, 900 0Oo-nearly all OF
which has gone into the pockets pf the
farmers.
But while the beneficial effect OF the
waterways extends to surprising dis
lance, a waterway close by exerts a
very much more direct and powerful
influence than one long way of. II
the Great Lakes and the Erie canal |
have increased the value Of grain all |
over the west. what do you suppose |
would happen II the Mississippi, Mis-
souri, Arkansas and Red rivers were
so improved that boats could run ev-
sry day in the year unless hindered
by ice?
Money Needed for Work.
The National Rivers and Harbors
congress is working for the improve
nent of the rivers. harbors and water
Ways in all parts of the United States
Chairman Alexander of The rivers and