The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-03-22
FROM NATIONAL RIVERS AND
HARBoRs CONGRESS, WASH
INGTON. D. C.

(For release Saturday, March 23)
Three hundred and seventy-six
million-count them, $4,000, 900
tons Of freight were handled on the
waterways of the United States in
1916. That is enough to fill 100000
average Acton freight cars, or about
four times as many cars as our rail-
roads own today. That" says a
statement issued by the Rivers and
Harbors Congress, Shows that the
waterways are still of some service
even after fifty years of cut-throat
competition by the railroads.
For the past eighteen months the
traffic history of this country has
been one continuous succession of
delays, congestion, embargoes and
car shortage. On May the 1 and
again on November l last year ship
pers asked for more than 10000
cars which could not be supplied.
Then came winter of extraordinary
severity and a coal shortage which
amounted to national disaster.
I'm a table prepared for Secretary
McAdoo by Mr.. w. P. Manse, Indus
trial Agent of the B. and o. Railroad,
it is estimated that in eighteen of
the principal manufacturing cities of
the country the losses resulting from
DR.. Garfleld's celebrated order
amounted in ,workmen's wages and
manufacturers products to $4,344, 070,-
600. The total losses since the car
shortage begas in September, 1916,
are probably not less than $4,000, 900,
and may be as much as $1O,000,000.
Bad as was this huge financial
loss, the sickness, suffering and death
due to lack of coal-which was due
to lack of cars-were vastly worse.
Worst of all was the delay in Ship
ment of supplies and munitions which
were urgently needed by our Army
and Navy at the front and by those
with whom we fight to make the
world safe for democracy At one
time no less than 213 ships, loaded
and ready to sail, were held in New
York for lack of bunker coal.
We have hundreds of harbors and
$4,000 miles of waterways classed
as navigable, of which less than
1000 miles have been sufficiently i'm
proved to have dependable chan
nels. One-tenth of the amount lost
by the people Of the United States
during the last eighteen months
would have been more than enough
to thoroughly improve every mile OF
our navigable waterways-and if
that had been done, and we had been
wise enough to foster and develop,
water transportation, instead of al
lowing it to be crushed by railway
competition, there would have been
no car shortage, no coal shortage, no
staggering financial loss, no peril to
our armies and our cause through de-
lays to ships, and many homes would
still be bright which today are full
Of sorrow.
"The Rivers and Harbors bill which
provides for the maintenance and i'm
provement of our waterways and har-
Dors is of interest to every citizen
If the United tates, to those who live
ipon the prairies or among the noun
aims no less than to those who live
~ ocean, lake or river. Every thou
sand or million, or million, or hun
lred million tons of freight sent by
water leaves freight cars free to
serve those whom the waterways
cannot reach. Manufacturer and mer-
'hant, emrchant and clerk, farmer and
miner, every mother with son now,
'r soon to be, in France, and every
oval citizen who wants to win this