The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1921-04-14
INCREASED BARGE
SERVICE PROMISED
Barge Line Leader Predicts Carrying
Capaeity Of $40. GOO Tons Annually

Theodore Brent Of New orleans
federal manager 81 operation OF the
government river service. writing III
the current issue OF magazine pup
lished bv the 81 Louis Chamber OF
Commerce. gives promise Of twice-a-
week sailinps. which win give the ser
vice an annual carrvin. capacity Of l.
800 200 tom.
Brent's article follows
The revival Of inland water trans
portation ON our interior rivers Is
logical development. much desired ny
the many citizens greatly delayed 10y
the long ulaiutainanre II an iil-inforu-
cd general public For the latter the
railroads. compact organization OF
vast resources with easy access 20 the
sources and means of publicity. have
been chiefly responsible
The general public has been led 70
believe that inland water Transports
tiou could not compete with railroads.
and being constantly assured 10y Ger
tain sources that such was the cas-r.
has been apathetic.
Tile Mississippi River system com
priscs more miles of waterway than
most amy single system of railway IN
the United States. The main system
between New Orleans and Cairo. i.V'n
miles. makes IFS own permanent right
10 WY 81 depth II al least nine feet
af low winter Numerous branches. such
~ Toe ohio. Kanawah. Tennessee,
Green. Cumberland and others are eth
CT partially or entirely improved with
locks aud dams. given a series II pools
I'd fixed depth.
All uf these rivers have 20 DE main
tanned az public expense TO have their
banks reverted or 10 be enclosed within
levees Ga order that the great volumes
of water they carry may d. controlled
ana may not destroy surrounding prop
erty fer the lower Mississippi can hard
~ De- called stream ia the ordinary
sense. II j. a great delta like the
Amazon.
THE public works which control and
direct the flow are the very means
which cause the river % scour and
make a deep channel capable Of navi-
~ ton
The nation and the states have for
years been spending millions 10 preserve
and improve the banks ~ the river. and
by this means have been Keeping avail
able great national highway capable
Of such vast commerce that even those
who study the question closely can
hardly realize the magnitude ~ i-S pos
Sihilities
Congress t. the sole governing au-
thoriry dealing with commerce between
the states As IN al other affairs iu
this country the corporations and indi-
viduals are unrestrained in their bust
ness practices until they show ten
dency % abuse public confidence and
allow selfish considerations 20 elbow
aside the general welfare.
so the railroads made ard kept their
rates and charges 50 low as - diScour
age every other form u transportation.
Where there was competition OF the
possibility 81 competition with a water
way. their rates were below the cost
OF service. and in the interior. where
there was no other form Of transporta-
tion available. they made the rates
sufficiently high to recoup such losses.
Their great body of lobbyists care
fully watched all laws proposed In
Congress. To see that no mea sure might
pass which interfered with their righi
10 dictate rates I'm their own interest
Their vast array of lawyers appeared
before all courts to press for their con
struction of all laws which were enact
ed In the public interest.
by these means they nodded publi
sentiment. the formulation and con
struction and Interpretation Of law
And through these means they main
tanned for over 20 years an actual mon
opOly of common carriage. All thOs
lines Of water transportation whlc
they could not destroy they bought N
and made innocuous.
Most monopolies guard their right
and neglect their duties. II was SO wit
the railroads.
I'm the years between 1900 and 19i
the traffic rendered the railroads II
creased 166 per cent. while the miles {
single track railroad only increased
per cent; locomotives only II per cen
and freight cars only ~ per cent.
Then the war came and the grei
strain of war commerce was throw
upon this structure. which was N
strong enough TO bear the strains
peace-time traffic. and IL broke dow
| Cnu~rass than ~raa s<,nr.orro.l "a, N 10