Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-12-16

France today han il did three years ago.
War, Of course, j. the first explanation.
but economic experts declare that diff
culties OF transportation and high freights
form the chief factors and that these diff
f~iculties are due largely to the failnre Of
the government to have ever carried out
the projects Tor interior navigation which
were urged by Freycinet, Baudin and Au-
difrod. years ago. In the opinion 81 these
same economic authorities the failure of
France to realize these canal projects has
been responsible for her anomalous posi-
lion in the world carrying trade.
Although some 200 TO 500 miles nearer
America and from two hundred TO two
thousand miles nearer the extreme Orient
NJ markets than Antwerp or Hamburg. the
French port Of harseilles before the war
was surpassed by those Belgian and Ger
man ports in Central European trade +,
the Orient. while Bordeaux. Havre and 9th
er French Atlantic ports were far behIn'
them IN trade with the two Americas. ThC
marvellous internal organization OF navI
CATION and transportation III Belgium am
Germany enabled them 10 drain towar
their ports nearly all the foreign boun'
traffic Of Central Europe though length
ening the route and increasing the time Of
delivery.
Geneva. for instance. j. further from
Antwerp than ii Is from Bordeaux. yet j
1912 Bordeaux received almost nothin,
fr.,, &v~ts,.~la,I NIL. A.. vv..D ,a.,ftr..
81 600 tons 10 be shipped by lis longc
route ID European ports. In the same yea
Bordeaux received and forwarded 10 Gle
ncya only $500 tons while Antwerp wa.
a way station for 1900 tons going int,
switzerland.
The new necessities created by the
war. however, made Bordeaux the port fol
$4,000 tons of cotton and grain and Other
comoditles en- route for Switzerland II
1915. Economic authorities argue thai
with proper facilities four years ago Bor
deaux would have received a lions shar,
Of the 10000 tons of ingoing and outgoing
Swiss traffic in 1912.
The question II one Of the Rhine against
the khonc SO far a concerns Central Flu
ropcan traffic for which Switzerland act,
a- 4 sort of ''turntable' and with II ar,
connected intimately the long discussed
projects Of the Rhone canal, the cana.
from Marseilles to the Rhone, and the
canal from the Rhone TO the Gironde with
MurScilles and Bordeaux rs the termin
ais.
DE Freycinet and other far-see;ne
statemen who elaborated these canal pro-
iects fell from power before they were
realized. hut economic authorities believe
that the era OF reconstruction after the
war will see France turning first of all, IL
the matter of public Improvement, 10 the
question ~ transportation.
Two of the most important projected
waterways remain 10 be beuilt one Of them
lateral 10 the Rhone will continue the
system from Havre and Paris to Marseiles
~ way Of Lyons and will enable the
Rhone to compete with the Rhine for
Swiss trade TO the Mediterranean; an
other connecting the Rhone with the Dor
dognc-that i 20 say connecting Lyons
and Marscilles with Bordcaux-will give
Switzerland a shorter route TO American
ports thar that by the Rhine.
W-conceived rivarly of the stronger
railroad interests i accused If retarhing
these projects as well a. a shorter line,
hut Of comparatively greater Importance,
canals of the EScaut. the Mouse. and the
CHEERS, and serving a. connecting Ink be-
tween the IRON and coal. districts.
Had the canals built and projected
been in efficient operation at the begin
ing of the war. il j probable that they
would have eased transportation Difficult
ties - n to have kept the cost of living
much nearer normal: they would AT least
have kept coal from gong from 40 francs
- 1Sl Irnnrs q ton