Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1942-03-05
River To Save
Transport Charges

S1,0O0,O0O will accrue to the future
settlers and industrialists of the
Columbia Basin Reclamation Project
through use of the Columbia River
as, commercial route, John c. Page
Commissioner, Bureau of Reclama-
ton, reported today to Secretary of
the Interior Harold L. Ickes.
This was the conclusion of the
final report on Problem No. FL of
the Columbia Basin Joint Investiga-
tipns. The report was prepared un.
der the supervision of Colonel c. r.
Moore, District Engineer, Portland
District, U. S. Army Engineers. with
sulant, Pacific Northwest Regional
Planning Commission.
The potential savings, which are
largely in transportation of petrole-
UNI products, are based primarily on
a comparison of charges for move
ment by rail and truck, with proba-
BILE future charges which will result
mainly from increased use OF the
improved Columbia River channel.
At present, the indicated savings
of water-truck transportation as
compared with railroad-truck move
ment from Portland or Seattle to
central points of the basin area are
So per ton for general merchandise
and $3.50 per ton for petroleum pro
ducts.
Problem No. FL, upon which re-
search was carried on for nearly
two years is stated: what is the
Significance to the. project area of
the Columbia River as commercial
route, if improved for navigation as
proposed?" Existing authorized and
RECOMMENDED river Improvement
project provide for the completion
of channel with minimum depth
of 2 feet to tbs south tip Of the
Columbia Basin Project area.
The study program under which
the Investigation was made seeks
to bring about the successful devel-
opment of the 1 200, 000acre area to
be irrigated with water taken from
the Columbia River at Grand Cou-
lee Dam, worlds largest concrete
structure. More than hundred ex-
perts skilled in all phases OF land
use and land-settlemsnt are partlcl-
pating in this planning enterprise.
The established traffic in petro-
leum products will continue to rank
first in volume, unless pipeline car
riers enter the field to replace the
Joint water-truck movements from
shipside The annual consumption
of petroleum products within the
basin area, when it has population
of 100000 people, is estimated in
the report at $4,000 tons. Only
$4,000 tons are now used.
In addition to petroleum products
commodities such as sugar, salt,
canned goods, building materials,
and heavy hardware would be ship
ped via the water route, from manu-
featuring centers on the lower Col
umbia River.
Consumption of commodities such
as these, which ordinarily move by
water in other agricultural areas,
amounts to approximately a tons
per capita On this basis. the tom
mage of general merchandise enter
ing the area upon complete develop
ment would be some 100000 tons
annually which would be appor-
toned about as follows: salt and
sugar, $4,000 tons; groceries in
Guiding canned goods, 10000 tons;
and heavy hardware, glassware and
building materials, $4,000 tons.
1t is estimated that probably So
600 tons of farm products, consist
Ing principally of processed fruits
and vegetables, and animal products
would be exported from the area
via the water route.
The downstream movement OF
grain, principally wheat, and of
grain products will be much larger
in volume in future years than in
the past, but these shipments will
originate on a non-irrigable lands,
and, except as they will be of mat
erial assistance in stabilizing river
commerce. will be Of little benefit
TO the basin project.
The committee report shows that
commerce during the past three
years since the opening of the Bonne
vile lock on January /, 1888, re-
presents the beginning of new era
of transportation on the upper Col
umbia River waterway. Tonnages
moved in 1888 established now high
records il volume, and during 1899