Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-12-02
RIVER PROBLEMS
BEING DISCUSSED
Speaker nj Second Das Of Conference
Tells Real Meaning Of Better
Waterways.
SHOULD DE- DOMINANT RELIGION
Declares People Should Demand Its
support of All Political Can
didates.

discussed bY Walter Parker, general
manager Of the New Orleans Associa-
ton Of Commerce, before The Upper
Mississippi River Improvement Asso-
citation convention here yesterday. He
said that river regulation, control Of
food fiow. treatment Of excess water
as an asset, commercial use Of the
navigable streams; ali related angles
of one problem-should be the domin-
ant religion Of the people OF the Mis-
sissippi valley and added, in part:
no city, county, state or federal Of
ihcer should ever again be elected by
the people Of the valley until the can
didate shall have positively commit
ted himself to urge the adoption of a
lsane and scientific policy OF treating
the river problem. The democrats, re-
lpubIicans and progressiyes. through
their party platforms, have promised
TO treat the navigable rivers in an in
telligent manner, but none of these
promises has been kept"
Needs Regulation.
Mr.. Parker said the valley needs
and must have" streamfiow regulation
and fixed and dependable channels He
said that it was but a short step from
THESE detectives to economic coordi-
mated river-rail terminals at all river
towns. and fleets of steel barges built
for service and not for show"
with such equipment available,
freight movers in the valley win for
the first time, enjoy the invaluable
privilege Of using either boats or rail-
road trains to and from shipside-a
privilege that cannot fail to open up
competitive channels of transporta-
ton, consequently the channel Of least
resistance and lowest cost will always
be working" said Mr. Parker. He
then reviewed briefly the economic
faults of oldtime river traffic systems
and its consequent demise before the
competition of railroads.
Meanwhile" he continued, ''the val
ley towns, enjoying a shorter haul to
either Atlantic or Pacific coast than
the transeontinental coast-to-coast
haul, thrived and developed on favor
able freight rate differentials
Then the federal government open
ed the Panama canal and the cheapest
eoast-to-coast haul became the ship
haul. and the valley towns found them
selves facing a differential against
them amounting to the cost Of the haul
10 shipside.
This diHerenual will continue un-
til the valley towns begin using the
direct all water haul along the Mis-
sissippi river and the cheap sea haul
to either Atlantic or Pacific coast from
, New Orleans.
Canal l. Robber
THE federal government by opening
E the Panama canal, having robbed the
valley of its favorable strategic posi-
: ton in transportation cost differen-
tails. owes it to the valley to aid in ev-
cry possible way to overcome the diff
ficulties it has caused.
Dependable channels being the first
essential. and the control of the chan
nels resting with the federal govern
ment, it becomes the duty Of the fed
eral government, aside from all other
considerations, to make the channels
dependable. The only sane and sensi-
BILE way to do this is to treat the prob
lem of the rivers as one problem, using
the excess waters in the source stream
country for power and irrigation. so
that less water will run off in foods
and more will run off during the dry
season. and by combining the regulated
flow to the channels of the navigable
streams below"
The working committee" appointed
at a conference of shippers held in
Dubuque June 9. last. submitted its
report to the convention yesterday, The
committee said it had attempted ito
ascertain available tonnage for wa
terways and to what extent terminal
facilities would be supplied.
The report said that conditions along
the Mississippi were changing so rap
idly that it is deemed inadvisable to
attempt to cover these activities in de-
tall but it is most imperative to he
able TO report greatly increased inter
est along the whole river as well as
the Ohio, Missouri and Illinois rivers
and efforts TO rehabilitate rivers for
merly navigated but now disused. such
as the Des Moines"
Tonnage Is Listed.
The report then listed the transnor-
tation lines already in operation on the
rivers and gave also table of an
proximate tonnage available for wa
terways with modern facilities at
towns between Minneapolis and ST
Louis. This tonnage table was based
on rail and water figures for 1913 and
ranged from 9o,4o0 tons for Lake civ
MINI. to 54.6o9.560 tons at ST. Tonis
Other cities were listed as follows
Minneapolis, 1864, 600; ST. pauI
S,245'ooo; Red Wing, $4,000; winona
6SS.454; La Crosse, 66s,Ss2; Dubuoue
714,s4s. Clinton. 626,2S4; Moline
1859. 500: Bettendorf. 100000; Rock Is
land, 741,0o0; Davenport. 1888 s0D.
Muscatine. $4,000; Burlington 7os
75o; Fort Madison, $4,000; Keokuk,
$4,000; Quincy. 77S.50o: Hannibal
S25.3e0; Iilasco. $4,000: Alton. COS !.
600.
Possibilities Good.
IT Is evident" said the report. that
there is enough tonnage in sight and
prospective to encourage capitalists
who are 10 finance river navigation
companies"