The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-02-17


have been so efficient. No other coun-
try in the world has railroads which
can he compared with our. Nor IS
there any civilized, commercial nat on
making SO little use Of waterways as
we do. True. Europe's contour has
given her better access to the ocean
than we have, but she has also gone
much farther than we in developing
streams and canals.
We have wasted hundreds Ct mil.
lions Of dollars on our inland water
ways. No one in particular is te'
blame. The main reason Is that we
have gone on without any definite plan
or where there was Il plan. it was car
ried cut, if at all. only piecemeal.
In the case of the Panama canal.
however. our government had a def .
mite. complete plan. and went in and
finished the job in q business-lil;a
way. The whole country has benefited
and no one questions the wisdom of
the expenditure. The states en- the
| cost. east, south and west. however.
are receiving the greater benefits and
states in the north central group. like
Minnesota. get comparatively little
benefit from the canal.
True we have the Great Lakes. but
they are not open to the sea. When
we start a caro- from Duluth tc' Flu.
rope, we must pay for portage across
| New York state which costs as much
or more than the combined cost Ct
water transportation down the lakes
and across the Atlantic.
To remedy this. 1t Is now proposed
that the United States join with Cam
ada in opening up the st. Lawrence
river. The Z. s. Army engineers have
reported that for about $270,000.00f
locks and dams can be built which
will permit all ocean going vessels ex.
cept the largest leviathans to CONS
up to our lake ports. Canada cffer1
to pay half the cost. making the cos'
to US a little more than one-fourti
Of what We spent on the Panama ca
nal The army engineers believe thai
the horsepower developed at the dams
! to be built will not only take care u
the cost Of operation but will in tim,
lpay for the entire cost of construc
tien. These power benefits Canada of
. fers to share with us.
The states which will benefit mos
are those which receive the lesser beh
; efits from the Panama canal. Tha
would make things fair all around
We believe. however. that the entis
country will benefit. except the priva.
interests which now profit from tn
: transfer Of freight across New Yorl
The 500 Canal has a tonnage of sew
enty to ninety millions a year. whit
}. the Panama canal exceeded 100000
4 for the first time In 1890. With tn
way open to the sea, traffic on tn
: Great Lakes will be doubled CIR trable,
We cannot doubt that this great ayr!
cultural and industrial region. whir
Includes Americas second. fourth an
" d&th largest cities. win send dow
, through the St. Lawrence a tonnaa
. much greater than Panama's. The.
: states are entitled to a route direct
n the ocean. -
There are several other waterwa
e projects which are worthy Of consi,
= GRAFTON. Each should be investiate
J. and costs weighed against benefit
wherever It can be shown that ben
i ftts exceed the cost. the work shou
be expedited. Expenditures fer piec
. meal and haphasard waterway In
=. psovements should be stopped.