The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-03-23
CONSIDER THE WATERWAYS

CONSIDER THE WATERWAYS
"Three hundred and seventy-six
million - count them, 376,OOO,00O, =
tons of freight were handled on the
waterways of the United States in
1916. That is enough to fill nine
million, four hundred thousond aver
age 40-ton freight cars, or about four
times as many cars as our railroads
own today. That" says the state
ment issued by the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress, "shows that
the waterways are still of some ser
vice, even after fifty years of cut
throat competition by the rail roads.
''For the past einghteen months the
traffic history of this country has
been one continuous succession of de-
lays, congestion, embargoes and car
shortage. On May 1, and again on
November 1, last year, shippers asked
for more than 10000 cars which
could not be supplied. Then came
winter of extraordinary severity and
a coal shortage which amounted to a
national disaster
'In table prepared for Secretary
McAdoo by Mr.. w. P. Manse, Indus
trial Agent Of the B. & o. railroad,
it is estimated that in eighteen of the
principal manufacturing cities of the
country the losses resulting from DR..
Garfield's celebrated order amounted
in workmen's wages and manufacture
ers' products to four billion. three hun
dren and forty-four million and seven
ty thousand dollars - $4,344 ,070 900.
The total losses since the car shortage
began, in September, 1916, are prob
ably not less than eight billion dol
lars, and may be as much as ten bill
lions.
"Bad as was this huge financial
loss, the sickness, suffering and death
due to the lack of coal-which was due
to lack Of cars. were vastly worse. And
worst of all was the delay in ship
ment of supplies and munitions which
were urgently needed by our own
army and navy at the front and by
those with whom we fight to make
the world sofe for democracy At
one time no less than 2t3 ships, load
/ ed and ready to sail, were held in the
barbor at New York for lack of bunk
er coal.
1--WE have hundreds of harbors and
$4,000 miles of waterways classed as
navigable. of which less than 1000
miies have been sufficiently improved
to have dependable channels. One
tenth Ct the amount lost by the people
of the United States during the last
eighteen months would have been
more than enough to thoroughly i'm
prove every mile of navigable water
'ways-2nd If that had been done, and
we had been wise enough to foster and
develop water transportation, instead
of allowing it to be crushed by rail-
way competition, there would have
been no car shortage, no coal short
age, no staggering financial loss, no
peril to our armies and our cause
through delays 80 ships, and many
homes would still be bright which to-
day are full of sorrow.
"The Rivers and Harbors bill, which
provides for the maintenance and i'm
p1ovenent of our waterways and har-
bors j. of interest to every citizen of
The United States, to those who live
upon the plairies or among the noun
tains no less than to those who live
By ocean, lake or river. Every thous-
and, or million, or hundred million,
tons of freight sent by water leaves
freight cars free to serve those whom
tie waterways cannot reach. Manu-
lecturer and mechanic, merchant and
clerk, farmer and miner, every moth
CT with {. son now, or soon to be, in
F!anr, and every loyal citizen who
wants to win this war, should do ev-
cry thing possible to make it sure that
our waterways and harbors are main
tanned, improved and used to the limit
of their capacity"
Messrs. L. R. Fernald and G. E.
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