Milford chronicle., 1920-04-02
UTILIZE THE WATERWAYS
(From Harvey's Weekly

Among the costly unsatisfactory and largely discred
liable results of Government management of the ranspor
atiOn systems of the country gratefully
one by-product, which is indicated the report Mr.
Tomlinson the Director of the Division Inland Water
ways This report which has hearty approval of the
DirectorGenera that in the record of Government
operations there is to be complete justification fol
these methods of transportation wit
ais To those who have given thoughtful attention the
subject, that may sound like very hackneyed truism
Yet such has been the amazing reluctance this
to act it, that authoritative repetition of it is
to be welcomed in the hope that time the lesson
may be learned and practically applied
To the student of American history, whether political,
commercial industrial the lesson should obvious.
Considerably than century the young nation
appropriated money and started to enlist army and
build in order to to with France to
free navigation of river The foremost economic
half century of its existence the development of the
system of canal which, than any other artificial cir
cumstance, made the Empire the Union
The influence of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
in realizing the Initial vision of Spotswood simply
mmeasurable That these things should so largely be
ignored and forgotten in the enthusiasm the mme
diaely following development of the railroad is of
the anomalies of history.
Other lands have exhibited edfcation similar
examples The Low Countries with their marvellous in
dustria and commercial development and long have
been prominently countries of canals and canazed
French canal enterprise has put efforts to shame AS
the late German Empire, 1t would be dlthcu to eSt
mate how largely its industrial and commercial develop
ment due its system of inland navgaon rivers
and canals It presented the spectacle of vast shipping
centers hundred miles inland, and of great terminal
port for steamers going all parts of the world
hundred and fifty miles up the Rhine
The irony of all is in the fact that the United States
which has above all others egregously neglected such in
ternal is of all countries in the world
signed by for its development There other of
nearly well provided with natural
ways and with opportunities the advantageous
structon artificial waterways. It has such system of
coastal sounds and channels other country approx
imates has unrivalled river system, with sngu-
lary eligible for connecting the interior
sin of the continent with the Atlantic All
needs that shall supplement the work of the Gre
deepening and canalizing Connecting
links of canals need construction And there is impera
lively needed sandardzng of capacity that barges
other pass from river and canal system
another pass from railroad to another
1t was, have ntimated because of the develop
railroads that canals and river navigation and
neglected. because of the notion that railroads
superior canals the carrying of
country better and that in the rivalry between them
the and rivers must give way to the and
swifter method How great mistake such notions
with all their growth railroads have any
thing adequate the demands of transportation The
other example OF other lands where the relation
railroads and canals is recognized to be that of
cooperation rather than rivalry