The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-07-19
re1 eri;c HasIxin ! Letter
Putting Detroit On he Sea.

Of cattlo and meats and dairy ~.
ducts and the principal mineral.
To b statistical. 1t produces rs g.
cent Of The wheat. s5 per cent ~
the corn. 100 per cent Of the A.rs
But We cannot remember all n.
numerous things this region DO
produce ~ much As so and u ~
IS per cent OF. MIR. Munger toM
Us, but after . while we began -
get Q trifie bewildered, and csms
up for air only at the mention a.
the railroads..
This region requires adeou,t.
transportation facilities to moye H.
products" Mr.. Munger was sayins
especially grain. The Railroads
are not now and have not been for
years able to carry the load in ses.
son. They could not increase thei,
facilities to carry it without enor.
nous cost and, II they did. n.
equipment and Improvements sum.
Gent to move the crops would be-
idle much Of the year. The vest
must look elsewhere for relief.
1.-THE st. Lawrence route ia tia
answer. It will give western pro.
duction free road to market. II
will do more. 1t will create new
production. Cheap Transportation
will reveal opportunities now BE-
low the horizon Of profit. A thou.
sand miles Of ocean highway in
place of q thousand miles by nail:
q saving Of 500 miles in actual dis.
lance to northern Europe; tho
elimination from certain routes OF
two transfers which often equal in
cost the entire line haul.
THE west is hurt. Its yearly
losses by delay. by embargo, BY
spoilage, by interruption OF indus
try, are enormous. II 10 per cent
OF it's wheat missed its market
as it might--to say nothing Of q
total breakdown-one years loss
would be more than this whole Job
the st. Lawrence route-costs."
Only Sixty Millions Needed.
1t is estimated that the cost Of
drowning out the rapids in the St.
Lawrence river and opening it for
navigation throughout its entire
length will be only $4,000, 900. SO
/ far as his country is concerned. We
say only $60,000,000" because this
is not q large sum compared to all
the money which has already been
spent in improving the Great lakes.
Millions were spent in attaching
Lake Superior to Lake Huron; mil
lions in connecting waters between
Huron and Erie; and Canada 10
now spending more than fifty mil
lions in improving the WellAnd
canal between Lake Erie and Like
Ontario. Canada will also be
asked to contribute $50, 100000 for
the St. Lawrence route, making the
cost of this project altogether $llo.-
900, 900.
Detroit claims that a large part
Of this money will be returned BY
the development of the horsepower
of the St. Lawrence. 1t estimates
that there is available 4,Coo,ooQ
horsepower, equal to three Mag.
aras, which should pay the entire
cost of the improvement. This
power, 1t pints out. is needed to
relieve the fue! shortage on the At
lantic seaboard, often approaching
famine.
After hearing all these facts IN
favor Of the route, it seems incred
ible that it should be opposed b,
anything or anybody, but it is b!
1.-THE eastern railroads. The rail
-, roads do not seem to realize tht
awful seriousness OF their condi
ton; the fact that they are growing
old and feeble under the strain o.
moving middle western products
and that at any moment they ar
liable to cave in. A mild protes
has also been registered by tn
New York harbor interests, but MI
Munger believes it is too weak u
be heard by the rest OF the coun
try. As the matter stands now. tn
International joint commission
which handles boundary question
arising between this country AM
Canada, 81 preparing a plan for tn
route which will be submitted I
the congresses of both nations y
the fall. After that, it will be onl
question of a few months. Detroi
. believes, before the st. Lawrenc
, begins to take on a new shape an
. the road to Detroit's internauona
fame will be assured.