The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-06-24

ms the tracks. free Of cost or upkeep, |
on which to nove this commerce. ana
with the extension OF the lniano
waterway to Wilmington and GEORGE
town the traffic Of all these cities ana
towns tributary to our sounds n
rivers can be organized TO feed trific
to our ocean liners.
This is not a mere idle thought OF
Yesterday. Some such thought as this
must have been in the minds OF our
statesmen who have planned he de-
velopment Of these for us,
and in its relation to our problems at
this time it has all the lurings of in
State-building.
We Have the Wherewith.
Whatever it takes to do it. we've
got it. This Association and the Just
Freight Rate Association can start the
ball to rolling and get the necessary
subscriptions in sixty days. l believe
that you will find a ready response In
every town in the State, and not only
in the State, but you will n that
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York,
and Boston are ready to lend a help
their interests, and only a few days
ago I found in a trade journal that
the Chamber of Commerce Of Boston
was seriously considering a PROPOSE
ton for State aid in financing new
boat lines to reach trade centers which
they do not o. reach. l verify be-
lieve that no better investment car be
made. Capital need no longer fear
that investment in water Transporter
ton facilities will be destroyed by tenn
porary cuts to the quick in rail rates.
to be restored after they are driven
out, for while the Interstate Com
merce Commission permits lower
rates, within reasonable limits, to
water competitive points, the day has
gone forever when they will be per-
mitted to drive out water competition.
The railroads have been permitted to
sti1e it in the past until the public
thought and conscience has cried out
against it, and laws have been enacted
that will prevent it in future.
We are just on the eve Of a great
revival Of interest in water tr%ansporta-
ton, apd it's coming back to stay.
There is a natural economy in water
transportation as great as the econ
omy Of rail transportation compared
with the wagon road. An authority
has figured that a dollar will move a
ton of freight on a good hard wagon
road ten miles,; on a railroad 127
miles; on the Great Lakes, 1880 miles,
and on n~avigable rivers, 1000 miles.
Another authority says that freight
moves h world yer on an average
by rail twenty-five miles q day and by
barge 100 miles a day. I venture the
, prediction thai it is the experience Of
every merchant that he gets goods
quicker from New York If ordered
dered all all. We need to avail our
, selves OF the economy and the efn-
cheney OF this neal of transportation.
Course Of Empire Southwark.
l And this revival Of interest in water
transportation Is SUR to come to our
North Carolina coast. Our location
just south OF Hatteras has heretofore
been a handicap, but with the dsvel.
opment Of shipping through the Pan
: anna canal the course Of empire In
shipping will take. It's way southwark
= and will make the location OF our
D ports the most northern south OF Hat.
teras an advantage as we'll as a hand.
. leap. Our ports are nearest to the
h coal fields and the granaries Of thu
: West OF any ports south of Hatteras
q And they are nearer to the Panama
: canal than any Atlantic or Gulf ports
= except few ports on Florida peninsula
4 This does not seem possible wher
- looking at the wall map, but clear OF
= the globe
Shall we move at this opportun.
time, or shall we wait until the fiele
is occupied by the foreign investors
= who already have their eyes upon It
q who will have no interest in giving u,
low rates. and h will doubtless forrr
= an alliance with the rail lines at tn,
n first favorable opportunity and leay,
us just a little better of in tanspor
y Itatfon cost h we now are7
C The brilliant Colonel Frank Os
had entered the mind OF man. use,
borne, before the modern aeroplan,
T. to say that we could all fly If we JUS
had the nerve. The proposition I hav
d suggested is not a difficult one. ~
II just need q million dollars Of capital
zation to dominate this rate sdtuatio,
p AN amour that could be raised !,
- q short time to finance a cotton mil
t. in any Of a half-dozen OF our cities
Is not more than it would take to bull,
\ and equip fifty miles Of 6rst-clas rail
W road. We wot1d ave the amount q
Pr the investment in reduced freiph
"a rates in six months.
Of And if the refusal OF the railroad