Evening star., 1923-01-29
WATER SHIPMENTS
TO BEAT RECORDS
Lakes, Hvers and Canals
Sure to Garry Huge Amounts
of Freight During Year.
BY J. e. RoYLE.
Special Dispatch to Ttr Star.

special Dispatch To 11f Star.
NEW YORK. ganuary 2o.- More
American freight will be transported
by water this yeat than at any time
in history. Already preparations are
under way for Tremendous volume
of business, although some Of the.
northern inland waterways will not
be open to navigatitn for weeks 10
come.
one or the first moScs in this cam
paign for freight butiness was the
announcement from Pacific coast
ports OF a voluntary increase in wages
10 crews and officert of coastwise
vessels which will mem the addition
OF $o0O,000 to the pa rolls Of th.
snip owners for the season. Tho new
scale VIII go into effect Thursday
| ana is the second Ialse granted
within the last six moths. Similar
advances are forecast or crews 0f
al! transpacific vessels.
ship Yards Very Busy.
Shlpyards along the graf lakes At
buHalo, Cleveland and lorraine are
busy conditioning vessels or the sea
son on the lakes, during which il il
expected record volume o. coal, iron
ore and grain will be carried The
michigan and Minnesota MINIS arr ac.
lively engaged. and steel d,mand *
SUCH thdt the furnaces will gIlp every
pound of iron ore that can fe baulni
TO them this season. The metII trade.
are IN the market for copper, and. the
michigan producers of the red METAL ara
preparing to fill that demand yithout
delay.
The royal commission annoi,te5 -
investigate an alleged combina don ~,
vessel owners on the upper lakes for
the purpose of increasing freight rate.
tLoin 10 fort arthur and Fort William u
tne .detrlment OF the western Canadian
Gram grower, is prepared today I. he
gin its work at once according Ia an
thehtlc information from Montre;l i.
VIII Probe Water Rates.
The inquiry will include investiya-
tlon or the rates between Duluth Nj
WauKee and Chicago to eastern Iai,a
ports as compared with preraiIjAg
rates on gram TO such ports by YES
SeIs controlled or dominated hy the a.
leged combination of interests cn,.
trollng lake shipping sailings frosn
Fort Arthur end Fort Williams"
we nave reason TO believe thar
sI1 such a combine exists" said Premier
-hachenzle King today, and we pro
pose to go after it, and any Others.
which operate to enhance tho cost ~
living and in restraint of trade
IL ls charged that tho lake carriers
IN question Disseminated against
Canadian ports in favor OF those on
the American side. In support o~
this II is instanced, that last wear op
the 25o,000.0o0 bushels or grain c1
ported by Canada, 12S 900, ono went h.
way OF the United States. 1t is stated
from Montreal that the scope of the
commission is such as to permit i.
TO make a comprehensive rpport. as
it is realized that rates from Port
Arthur and Fort William to Georgian
bay ports might be higher than to
Buffalo at times without implying
discrimination against the Canadian
route.
Barge Traffic Success.
The success which ATTENDED the
shipm ents of steel by river barge bv
the Jones & Laughlin Steal Com
pany, the Carnegie Steel Company
and others in 1922 has resulted in
orders TO build hundreds Of new.
barges for operation on the MYERS OF
the middle west and south. The in
terplant traffic of the large stel com
panies alone will require Formidable
fleets, and will attain a volum, never
before known.
The New York state barge canal
will be more extensively useI than
last year. and the shipment cf coal
to New England from South Jersey
ports on Barnegat bay will be cor
tipued, with increased tonnage