The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-02-16

With reference to European ports, it
is found that Liverpool will be over
fifteen hundred miles nearer Yelling
ton, New Zealand. through the Pana-
ma canal than through Suez. AS it
costs approximately ten cents per reg
lister ton to keep a freight ship on the
nigh seas, a five-thousand ton
freighter would cost five hundred dol
lars a day. A Thousand miles would
thus cost, If the ship sails ten knots
per hour, something over two thou
sand dollars. From his it will be
seen that a ship of this description
could sail about three thousand miles
as cheapiy as it can go through the
canal at the present rate Of toll. All
shipping-except where other condi-
lions are unequal-would find 1t
profitable to go through the canal
where more than three thousand miles
at sea can be overcome.
Professor Johnson presents an in
teresting study IN the traffic in sight
for the canal, and on the indications
of increased traffic, but as this will
form the basis of another article they
are merely referred to here. One of
the interesting things he brings out is
that the opening of the canal will
necessarily hasten the passing of the
sailing vessel, since there will be no
facilities for handling them through
the big waterway. In a third Of a
century the worlds, tonnage of sail
ing vessels has declined from fourteen
million to less than seven million
tons. while steam tonnage has in
creased ~tenfold-from a little more
than forty-one million tons. 49,
With reference to the relation of the
Panama canal to the traffic and rates
on the transcontinental railroads, Pro-
fessor Johnson concluded that the
railroads will be able to, hold only a
very small share of the transconti-
mental traffic, and that they will be
under the necessity of giving very low
rates on Pacific coast-bound goods
originating as far west as the Mis-
sissippi. He estimates that about
$500, 900 tons of transcontinental
freight are handled a year, of which
the railroads have been getting IS per
cent, The railroads nave been in the
habit of charging low rates to the Pa
cific from the middle west. SO as to
encourage industries there. When
the Nevada railway commission exam
ined the bills of lading on shipping
looming into Rene it was found that rs
per cent OF the incoming freight origi-
mated no farther east than Chicago,
Professor johnson thinks that the
railroads will practically surrender
! without a fight that tran%scontinental
traffic which originates in and east
of the Buffalo Pittsburgh district, a
traffic which embraces about one
third of the total transcontinental
traffic. Roads within five hundred
miles of the Atlantic seaboard would
rather get what they a by hau'ing
freight to its ports for water ship
ment than to take a lower rate to
deliver that freight to the transcon-
tinental railroads.
His conclusion with reference to the
effect that he canal will have on the
railroads is that it will hammer down
their rates for freight on commodities
originating within a thousand miles of
either seaboard and destined to points
within the same range on the other
seaboard. He thinks that the Atlantic
seaboard rates to the Pacific coast
will be u that it's shippers a
quote better rates to Pacific "a
points than can the shippers in the
middle west, INC that thus the eastern
| part of the United States will get a
larger share of the trade west of h
| Rockies than it now enjoys. He be-
lieves tina the railroads east Of Cleve-
land and Indianapolis will bid for
business I'd be handled via the Atlantic
~seaboard, and that those as far north
as st. Louis and Kansas CITY will bid
for it to. be handed via New Orleans
and Galveston.