The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-07-20
Much Interest 10 Being Manifest In
Announcement Of Upper Miss
Issippl River improvement
Association Meet
70 BE AT SALTWATER
II ia Expected That More Actual Re-
suits VIII be Obtained Than
From Any Other
Meeting.

The convention of the Upper Miss
.ssippi River improvement association
10 be held at Saltwater, Mimi, Sept
16 and II, promises to be fruitful OF
more progress and actual definite re-
suits in the development and use OF
the Mississippi river between st. LOU
Ia and Minneapolis and st. Paul, than
any former convention. and If carried
out as planned, by fostering the devel-
opment and use Of the river, the sup
plying Of docks and terminals with
adequate freight handling facilities,
the most sanguine dreams Of the
founders of the association will be
far sclipsed.
The purpose Of the association Is To
secure a permanent depth OF six feet
at low water in the channel OF the
Mississippi river from Minneapolis to
the mouth Of the Missouri river; also
improvements of landings, and the In
stallation of modern appliances for
loading and Unloading boats and
barges.
The original plan to rescue the NV
er from '.innocuous desuetude" and
place its real value as an artery OF
commerce before congress has been
largely completed, but the improve
ment by the government has placed
new responsibility upon and q larger
field of usefulness before the assocta-
ton to provide the traffic and facil1-
ties.
Have Field Agent.
Under a very comprehensive plan
submitted by the ways and means
committee of the association, after a
thorough canvass of the situation,
President Wilkinson, under authority,
has appointed E L. Rose, OF Alton,
field agent, to be under direction of a
special publicity committee. consist
ing Of Fowler Manning, traffic manag
er of the Streckfus' Steamboat line
and C. n. Degenhardt, OF Alton. MI
Manning has followed the profession
Of organized publicity and selling or
SANITATION for fifteen years In the
United States. Canada and Mexico
and is a nationally recognized leader
among publicity experts. G. IL
Degenhardt, the other member of the
committee, is a well known contrac
tor who has been interested In the rtv
er improvement for a number Of
years, and is particularly interested
in the development of harbors and ter
minals.
Mr. Rose has for many years beer
the secretary and traffic manager Of
the Hapgood Plow company.
Decadenee Of River Freight.
The decadence of river freight
movement is very much misunder
stood, and the misunderstanding il
fostered by such interests as ma,
consider it to their advantage to re
strict 1t.
The general opinion seems to b.
that the decline in traffic is due t.
the archaic types Of boats and obso
lete methods Of handling freight
The general public hears such argu
ments and accepts them as facts be
cause they have not been answered
on the theory that one story is goo'
until another is told. They hav'
served.
Types of boats have absolutel
nothing to do with the subject. Tn
present types meet the needs OF tn
present conditions. Change cond
tions and there Will be plenty OF cap
tai seeking profitable employment +
meet the conditions created.
There seems to be in the publ
mind misconception of the presen
conditions bearing upon Mississippi
river shipping that conception bein
that the main difficulty now
through lack Of modern or economics
carriers Or that the channel of tn
Mississippi is not deep enough
carry material tonnage.
Neither of these is correct for tn
reason that in other parts OF tn
world, rivers carrying only about on
half the depth Of this channel al
made to convey millions o. tons I
merchandise, at a rate cheaper tina
it can be hauled by rail. That freiSl
can be handled at less than rail {
the Mississippi river now, is demo
strated every day of the navigate
season, by the boats themselves,
there can be no question as to II
type of boat.
The original cause for the declil
of the river traffic was not due to u
lack OF economy in transportation, b
was due to rebating and fiuctuation
the rail rate, coupled with EXPENSE
and imperfect shore facilities.