Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-14
WATER ROUTES MUST
HELP CARRY TRAFFIC
Congress Working on Plan to Coordinate
transportation Systems Of Nation.
for Greater Efficiency.

, sippi river between St Louis and st
Paul.
| As it left the House this bill provides
for operation of these fleets under the
| authority Of tha War Department
through the chief of engineers. but the
| rates. fares and charges to be under
the Jurisdiction Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
Effort is being made to place the
operation of the government fleets on
inland waterways in charge of the
Secretary of Commerce. The Missis-
sippi Valley Association, now meeting in
Washington. offered an amendment
which would accomplish this. The
| House. however. on account of the
close relationship of the Corps of En-
gIneers with inland waterway develop
ment and Improvement, and on account
of its familiarity with the operation OF
the government fleet on the WATERWAYS.
gave jurisdiction over these new fleets
to the corps and thus avoided the
necessity Of creating some new federal
[ body.
In addition to the continued opera
ton of these new government floats
the House bill provides for a closer
coordination of rail and water traffic
| by giving the Interstate Commerce
Commission increased powers over
joint rail and water routes.
Amends Panama Canal Act.
The bill also amends the Panama
canal act and permits the restoration
of rail-owned water lines on the
Atlantic coast and great lakes. I'm
der the canal act the railroads had
! to dispose of their vessels 1t result
| ed in serious loss to traffic along the
Atlantic coast. especially Long Island
sound. and as to the packet freight
| on the great lakes.
An indication of what may be ac-
com plished with the use of inland
| waterways is pointed out by Chair
man Esch. This is especially with
regard to the Mississippi and it's
| tributaries. He calls attention to the
fact that in a recent trip made by
a government dredge boat and two
new-type steel barges coal was car
/ ried from st. Louis to st. Paul and
a return cargo of iron ore was brought
from the Minnesota iron ranges. Each
barge was loaded with $50 tons of
iron ore. which was brought to ST.
Louis without any unusual delay.
notwithstanding the fact that the
| river was at the low stage of two
| feet above low-water mark. With
| five or six foot stage of water these
| barges could each have carried $500
tons. equivalent to 100 cars of fifty
tons each. 1t is planned to carry
i three or even four barges for each
| tow boat, which would corresponding
| ly increase the carrying power of
each fleet.
AS the coal fields of Illinois are
close to the banks of the Illinois
/ river, which is a navigable tributary
of the Mississippi, and as the coal
| fields are also close to the banks of
the Mississippi, it will be an easy
matter after the construction of suit
able docks and equipping them with
modern machinery. speedily to load
the barges for up-river points.
The return cargoes of iron ore will
, make it possible to construct and sue
cessfully operate blast furnaces at St.
Louis and other Mississippi river
points and thus enable the manufac-
ture of steel in the midwest closer to
the points of consumption.
Fast Freight for Perishables.
The big idea is to conserve the fast
train service for manufactures and
perishable and higher-priced freight.
The non-perishable, bulky and heavy
freight which by its very nature must
pay low freight rate would be barge
hauled. This would relieve conges-
ton and facilitate the transportation
of perishables.
Heretofore the river points have had
an advantage over inland points be-
cause the railroads put down the
rates at these points to compete with
the cheaper water rates. So the COM
mon carriers had lower rates on WA
ter points and higher rates on inland
points. BY having joint water and
rail routes as proposed by those faith
ering the waterway development leg
islation it is expected that just diff
ferential can be maintained. In this
way will be projected inland the bene-
fits of efficient and economic con-
gestion - minimzed transportation
through the employment of the water
ways as auxiliary to the railroads