The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-06-11
GREAT LAKES TO THE
OCEAN WATERWAY
Is the Only High Cost Of Living SOlu-
tlOn-CrOps Tied Up BY the
Railroad Car Shortage.


Minneapolis, Miss, June T. Poor
railroad service is prime cause of de-
creased agricultural production in the
middle west, a score of farm experts
have told the international joint COM
mission at hearings held in Omaha,
Des Moines and Sioux Falls, repre-
senting three greatstate of the corn
belt. The high commission is investi-
eating the st. Lawrence deep water
way and power project, which the mid
die west farmers almost as a unit ia
vor as an outlet to Europe for their
surplus products, an outlet which is
Independent of the congested eastern
railways.
The commission passed through
Minneapolis on its way to Duluth,
where it will begin series of hear
ings at the five lake ports. The lake
ports arte expected to give the COM
mission evidence that they can accom-
modate ocean vessels if the commits
sion recommends an Improvement of
the st. Lawrence, which will permit
such vessels to enter the great lakes
In Iowa, Nebraska, and South Da-
kota the commission heard this argu-
ment:
The railroads cannot move farm
crops and stock when farmers want
them moved to market
Farmers with stocks of last years
grains on hand are having trouble to
finance their spring planting, and con-
sepuently are not planting as large an
acreage as If they had heady cash from
last years crop.
"A dollar hundredweight is knock
ed off the farm price of hogs simply
because of the uncertainty of getting
cars to get hogs to market Hogs on
the farm bring an amount lower than
the packing center price by the freight
plus 81 hundredweight risk or even
more.
I'm a similar manner. grain guaran-
teed in ship for export brings ten
cents more a bushel than grain simply
| consigned to the seaboard with freight
paid
Grain and stock deteriorate by de-
lays in shipments.
THE farmers profits are curtailed
by the exact amount represented in the
various transportation risks between
the farm and the consumer, except
possibly in the case of corn, where
car shortage this year has boosted the
price of that portion of the crop which
conld have been marketed, in the opin-
ion of some farmers.
Uncertainty of being able to market
farm products is taking away from the
farmers the incentive to produce their
possible maximum.
IAN open channel for ocean ships TO
enter the great lakes would make pos
sible the moving of all export grain
before December, thus relieving those
| farmers who depend on selling their
grain direct from the harvest fields"
Charles Eyler, secretary of the
Farmers Elevators association of South
Dakota, said thirty to thirty-five per
cent. of the 1919 grain crop is still in
the farmers hands, with little prospect
o fgeetting it forwarded before the
| 1920 harvest begins
Statistics from Nebraska elevators
introduced at Omaha, showed that al
least thirty per cent. of the Nebraska
grain is still on hand. Iowa Jared
somewhat better.
II. G. Taylor. chairman of the Ne
braska state railway commission, said
scores of elevators in Nebraska are
blocked and unable to take grain be-
cause of the car shortage.
The open way to the sea from Chi
cago will shorten the turn-around of
the box car and double or treble its
efficiency as a mover of grain" Mr.
| TAYLOR said. THE western grain cars
will stay on western lines and make
several trips from the country eleva-
tors to the boats at Chicago In the
| same time that IL would make q single