The sun., 1916-10-17

49, ~
commercial events In their history.
what the original Erie Canal did for
the State and the city Of old New York
the barge canal will do for modern New
York. yet the city of New York is as
totally unprepared to handle the bulk OF
the eastbound tonnage which will flow
there from the barge canal when It Is
opened as the country was to repel =
foreign invasion before any move was
made for defence.
This country will be a large exporter
Of grain for many years to ONE except
In occasional years Of crop failure.
The idea that our population Is in
creasing 70 fast that We shall consume
all our own crops Ia a fallacy.
The educational campaign to develop
good farming has already added mill
ions Of bushels Of grain to our crops.
1t is only In It's infancy, and fully
developed Will revolutionize our produce
ton.
Tit export OF agricultural products
is the life of the country and of the
port through which they are shipped.
Export grain will seek the cheapest
route to the seaboard.
Far and away the cheapest route will
be over the Great Lakes and through the
Erie and Oswego canals to New York.
No one but a professional grain man
can appreciate the vast volume Of grain
that will move to New York through
the barge canal.
During open navigation no other
American route car begin to compete
with II. and We can also successfully
compete with the Canadian waterways
for the export grain Of the great Cana
dian Northwest.
Now grain in New York territory is
diverted from New York to Baltimore.
Philadelphia m Newport News by an
unjust discrimination in freight in favor
Of those ports.
The opening of the canal will change
all that. for no railroad can make an
eastbound rate that can compete with
the canal.
The main movement OF grain will not
be by rail to favored tlantic ports as
II is now. but to the Lake ports and
over the Lakes and through the barge
canal to New York. making New York
supreme in the export trade of the At
lantic seaboard.
The cheap canal rate will also increase
the distributive area OF New York for
domestic grain which is now moved all
rail notably so to the seaport cities of
New England and to the South.
1t will not be a question OF how to
draw grain to New York 1t will come
anyway.
The serious problem is how to handle
It after It gets there.
There are no private elevators suit
able for the purpose.
The railroad elevators will not handle
canal grain to any extent. and II they
would they have not sufficient surplus
room.
There Is but one public grain store.
Dow's. Its capacity is only 1900 900
bushels. which a few days canal receipts
would exhaust. and its facilities are en-
tirely inadequate for handling any large
volume Of grain.
An erroneous impression prevails
among canal officials that the Erie
Basin terminal as It now is provides for
the grain tonnage OF the canal that
the barges will land there and await
transfer to oceansoing ships. which Is
all that is needed,
Nothing could lie further wrong.
The few barges whose time Of arrival
conceded with the berth ships for
which they were destined would be
handled in that way.
There is sufficient floating elevator
capacity to MAKE the transfer.
The bulk Of the arrivals would not Mt
the ships for which they were intended,
and would have to be unloaded In store.
Warehouses cannot be made OF the
barges.
When their lay days expire they will
demand discharge. and can enforce il
under their bills OF lad!ng.
Previous to the European wal there
were practically no full cargoes loaded
in New York.
The outbound tonnage was carried by
berth ships in parcels loaded at their
regular berths by floating elevators.
The only thing that keeps the New
York grain business going in normal
times is the large amount Of berth room
available on the regular liners which
take the freight in parcels on berth at
rates below full cargo rates.
Under present conditions New York
adelphia and Newport News for full
cargo business. which is OF large volume,
owing to the cheaper inland freights to
those ports.
Without such facilities the advantage
Of the cheap canal freight will be lost,
for the difference between the rail rate
and the canal rate will he more than
absorbed by extra handling expenses.
Grain could be taken at Buffalo and
put aboard ship In New York cheaper by
rail with the use Of the rail terminals
than II could by the canal without a ter
minal. except on the rare occasions when
the ship and the grain were ready at the
same time.
The chances are SO great that the re-
cciver would either have To pay demur-
rage on the ship or incur heavy handling
charges or the grain that he would
forego the cheap canal freight and would
ship from Buffalo by rail.
Full cargoes can only he economically
handled through an elevator. where they