Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-04-22
DELEGATES RETURN
FROM WATERWAY
MEET At ST. LOUIS
LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES, HOME
FROM CONGRESS SEE BRIGHT
FUTURE AHEAD FOR ILLINOIS
VALLEY CITIES.

Al +. Schoch, r. c. Jordan and c. f..
Sayer, the committee appointed by
the Chamber Of Commerce TO attend
the Mississippi Valley waterway con
yention at St Louis, have returned
and report that the convention was at
tended by delegates from all the prin.
cipal cities in the territory compris-
ing the Mississippi Valley
The Mississippi NaIeJ comprises all
the territory between the Allegheny
and the Rocky Mountains and from
the Canadian border south to the gulf.
1t is said by those in attendance at
81. Louis that this was the most inn
p0rtant meeting ever held in the i'll
terest Of inland navigation. There
were present at this meeting United
States senators, congressman, govern.
ment officials from Washington and
the largest number of shippers ever
brought together in one body. Intense
enthusiasm prevailed and the opinions
expressed were that inland navigation
was now being placed upon such Il
footing that it would never again be
possible for the railroads to throttle
river navigation. as they have been
able to do in the past and shat by rea-
son thereof this great valley is now
entering upon a new era in industrial
activities that will result in its becom-
ing the greatest producing territory in
all the world.
1t con! aims an area of l,lT5,c0H
square miles; contains II per cent o.
the population of the United States;
produces 10 per cent OF the wheat, go
per cent of the bituminous coal, 40 per
cent of the lumber. 20 per cent IF the
cotton. 80 per cent of the wool 50 per
cent Of the petro cum, 50 per cent 0.
the corn, s per cent OF the hogs, "a
per cent of the iron ore, % per cent
of the sheep; "A per cent OF the cattle
and so per cent of the silica sand pro
duced in the entire United States,
In order to carry to the seabOard
the vast quantities of exports pro
duced in this valley it has be,n neces
sary to convey them by rail for an
average af more than 1000 miles anl
over the Allegheny Mountains.
The enormous cost of this rail trans
portation has greatly limited the mar
ket by reason Of competition from
other producing centers of the world
that were more accessible to tide.
water
The Mississippi River, the greatest
inland waterway in the world and her
tributaries afford natural transDor,a-
tion facilities that are unequalled in
any country, making it possible TO Ce-
liver all of the surplus production in
this vast territory to tidewater at a
cast fully one-tenth less than is pos
sible to do by the railroads. and yet
in the face of these facts the railroads
have been able to divert all Of this
vast traffic to their own companies
and thus work on economic loss to the
territory to an extent that Is almost
beyond comprehension.
The President of the United States
Is now tne most dCllNt ldttOi III HiiAS
ing about this new era in transp0rta-
tion The government barge line ply
ing between St Louis and New Or
leans is carrying freight to the limit
of it's capacity and is charging ~ per
cent below the all-rail rate and is
earning net profit of more than
81 500 on every trip.
Mr.. Schoch, one of the delegates
from this city, was e.ecte4 member
of the resolutions committee, and he
succeeded in having adopted a resolu-
ton by this convention to the effect
that barge lines should be given the
power to share in the division OF
through freight rates with the rail-
roads on the same basis that railroads
share between themselves. This is OF
vital importance to the City OF OF
tawa. for the reason that the vast
quantities o fsilica sand and manufac-
tured products of this district can then
be carried to market by her barge
line, and can compel the railroads TO
accept the business from them to
points not directly on the rivers and
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