East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-11-17
O.-W. COAL BILL
Continued from page IL

ITOHl page III
ing low rates and where rapidlty o
movement was not of first importance
United States.
In this country we find smila
condition. More tonnage passe
Through the 800" canal by far thar
Through any other improved waterway
on earth, and it is substantially al
heavy, low grade commodities. II
1895 water borne tonnage handled n
Superior and Duluth was 6,32j,3G1
tons: in 1920 46,S6S,613 tons. In
1895 15,062.5S0 tons of freight passed
Through the 800" canal. In 1920 the
Registered tonnage passing through
the American and Canadian canals at
Sault Ste. Marie was 5S.l94,0S3 tons:
the tons of freight 79,2S2,496. The
entire registered tonnage entered and
F! cleared at all seaports in the United
States in foreign commerce. for the
year ending December 81, 1919, Ghe
last year for which l have figures), in
cluding sailing as well as steam vessels,
was 7G131,707 net tons.
In 1920 the Panama canal net tonn-
iage was S,546,O44 tons These com
PARSONS will give some idea of the
enormous traffic passing through the
500.
The average cost per mile per ton in
mills of freight transported through
the 500" in 1920 was 1873 mills. The
average cost per mile per ton on the
railroads for the country in mills is
about 11.25. While the average cost
of all freight is not fairly comparable
with the cost of the traffic through
the 500, the spread between the cost
of railway traffic and that through
the canal will give some idea of the !
saving that results from the use of wa !
ter where it is best adapted for trans !
portation purposes.
These figures give one some idea or |
the use of improved waterway service
when conditions and circumstances |
justify. In this connection it can be !
stated with certainty that the unpar-
alleled growth of the steel and related ,
industries in the United States is ow-
ing to the cheap water transportation
on the Great Lakes.
Channels.
order to have practical, economical
water transportation the channel must
'e deep enough to allow full loading,
rec enough from distractions to re-
luce the menace and damages from
his source to a minimum. and the
'urrent not SO swift as to require too
much power to overcome it. These
acts and that ordinarily low grade
commodities use the water route |
hink need but to be stated to be con-
eded But there are other factors of
which l will now speak which should
lso be considered.
Columbia River.
/ have said l would use the Column
ia river to illustrate my thesis. For
resent purposes l will consider it ,
bove Cello only. Throughout its
angth there are a succession of pools
Glow rapids. The volume of water,
properly controlled, is sufficient for I
II purposes and all uses. Navigation /
} difficult and at present barges cam Va
OF be safely handled on the river The i
urrent is swift substantially through f
ut its length and the rapids require b
ely IolSlutIiDlt power TO ONefcOfne,l
he river flows through what has f
cen sometimes termed q desert ex- d
,nding back, for some miles on either in
ank. 1t is largely desert now. v
Ome of the lands are owned by the "
nited States, some probably by the a
ates, and some owned by individuals. G
ut every acre is a part of the United c
-ates and owned either by citizens as c
idividuals or collectively as a state D
r nation. And there it is-hundreds n
thousands of acres of fertile land, a
nused, untilled-a desert-with the Ii
river flowing through it, a
rOoling away its usefulness as it flows C
lly by on its way to the sea. c
The Problem. n
The problem in such a case is to Sc b
Ire the navigability of the stream p
nd the development of the adjacent d
|