Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-25

Through freight rates from inland
cities to foreign seaports. with extensive
improvements Of water highways in the
United States. is expected by Chairman
Edward N. Hurley Of the United States
Shipping Board to be q powerful agent
in the development Of Americas regen-
Grated merchant marine. one Of the by
products Of the great war.
A story is told Of a budding news
paper reporter who once asked Mr.. Hur-
ley for an interview on the seaports Of
Kansas and within a few years this
may not seem as ridiculous as at first
imagined, for the loading Of going
freighters with wheat and meat at
Kansas City or Atchison is by no
means an impossibility. according to
a news bulletin just made public by
the shipping board.
Many Navigable Streams.
There are more than 2so streams in
the United States adapted to a sub.
stantial degree for inland waterway
transportation, their total navigable
distance being 26.400 miles. This is
supplemented by several thousand
miles of canals and by nearly 5000
lakes. With the exception Of the
lakes, these water routes have been
developed very little. If at all.
The first and most important work
in the development OF inland water
ways and the upbuildinR of our over
seas shipping. in the opinion OF Mr.:
Hurley, is the linking Of water ana
rail transportation and the con-
struction Of terminals. The terminal
should be the strongest link In tho
water and rail transportation sys.
TENS. he says. but in the United
| States it is now and has long been
the weakest link.
New Orleans. the greatest seaport
of our southern coast and potentially
one Of the greatest seaports OF the
| world, is situated 100 miles inland
from the Gulf of Mexico" says a
shipping board bulletin.
| "Philadelphia and Washington are
far removed from the coast line. bu!
the former is a commercial port OF
| first Importance. and ocean-going
ships of deep draft and large tonnage
visit the latter at will. The matcn-
less Hudson river furnished New
York a splendid example Of inland
waterway traffic. AZ = resu,, she
has spent millions of her peoples
money in the construction of great
canal, and is now reaping the beneht
| Of her enterprise.
aermany's Ship Policy.
Germany made amazing strides In
building up her merchant marine by
| granting q through freight rate from
| any port in the world to any town In
Germany. The offer of such an in
| ducement to shippers was made pos
sible by the highly developed system
of inland waterways OF Germany
| Wherever 1t was physically possible
the important cities Of Germany were
linked up with the sea by canals
| France and Belgium have highly
developed systems Of inland water
ways. and the strength they were
| able to display against the crushing
power Of the German military ma
| chine was due in part to the trans
| port of guns and ammunitions by the
water routes. England's great cities
are also her great seaports, which
have been highly developed and i'm
proved, some At q tremendous cost in
| overcoming natural distractions"
| Supplementary to the establishm ent
| of a merchant marine Of the first
order, the shipping board has under
| taken the training of q corps OF
supercargoes. each one of whom will
! be Q representative Of American pro-
dueers and manufacturers while he ID
/ in q foreign port.
New Duties for Representative.
| In the heyday Of sailing ships, when
the telegraph and cable were I'M
| known, Il was necessary for shipping
| interests to have q travelling repre-.
sentative aboard ship who directed