The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-09-08

preserve Inc puUlAC CuoA 1SSC1 VI sAAo
channel. Its value will rapidly In
crease.
There are many factors in river
terminal on which the commercial
prosperity OF the channel Is depend
ent. In general, there are four fun
! damental physical requirements:
(a) Good wharves built on the
shore parallel with the waterway ex-
tending out into the stream far enough
to give sufficient depth Of water at
low stage so vessels may lie alongside
to receive and discharge cargo, pas
sengers, etc, and high enough to be
well above high water and on level
with adjacent streets and railroad
tracks.
(b) Warehouses and safe storage
facilities built on the wharf.
(c) Modern freight handling ma
chinery for quickly and economically
loading and unloading and transshfp-
ment of all kinds of cargoes whether
bulky or package freight, to eliminate
as far as possible expensive manual
/ labor.
(d) A belt railway physically CON
nected with all railroads and switch
I, tracks within the municipality, to Co
fordinate water with rail transporta-
/ ton to and from points in the interior
and with local production and distri-
button.
The cost OF installation Of terminals
could easily be taken care Of out OF
operating revenue, by being spread
, out over term OF years, without being
tax or burden upon the people.
! Recent laws passed by the states OF
Minnesota. Wisconsin, Illinois, and
Iowa provide authority for their con-
struction and proper system OF adj
ministration All of the factors and
| functions of the terminal must be pub
licly owned and absolutely controlled
operated, and administered by the
! municipality, that 1t may be the ser
want of the whole port. Private own
| ership OF any water terminal Is inde-
| feasible.
But these things, important as they
are, would not insure full utilization
/ of the river and proper expansion OF
its commerce, unless practical co-ordi
! nation between the rail and water
lines with through bills OF lading and
-prorating between the two systems Is
I secured as advantag eously as between
T the railroad themselves, SO as to unite
! in one effective machine the entire
! transportation facilities of the coun-
try. This would make every port hav-
ing railroad running into the inter-
Tor. distributing point of shipment
via the water route for the products
of its hinterland, as we'll as for i'm
ports from other ports via the water
route destined to points in the interior
upon the land. This would enable in.
terror sections of the country to share
in the benefits obtainable by shipping
= -. - 1,n Gil h Ia
cost of transportation. 1t would be
this. class OF business, not merely port
to port traffic, that would expand river
commerce and make shipping ports
great and prosperous.
II To secure full efficiency Of river
transportation 1t will be necessary to
require railroad companies engaged In
interstate commerce.:
1. To make physical connection with
the waterways
2. To exchange traffic with the wat
erways.
3. To issue through bills Of lading
and prorate through rates over COM
bined rail and water routes, and;
A. To secure to shippers the option
Of dispatching freight over all rail, or
by rail-and-water line when choice
of routes 10 possibles.
Congressional legislation referred to
above, has made this now possible to
be done. Tho act of congress approved
August "a, 1912, under section II,
says:
when property may be or is trans
ported from point to point in the
United States by rail and water
through the Panama canal or other (,
wise, the transportation being by
common carrier or carriers, and not !
entirely within the limits OF single
state. the Interstate commerce COM
mission shall have Jurisdiction of such !,
transportation and Of the carriers, |
both by rail and by water, which may
or do engage in the same. in the fol-
lowing particulars. in addition to the
jurisdiction given by the act to regu.
late commerce, as amended June
eighteenth, nineteen hundred and ten:
(a) To establish physical connec-
ton between the lines of the rail car.