HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



C. A. GOODMAN. DikECTOI!, 

 WIS. 



MARINETTE, 



of the restricted time ; however, we have had 

 those of the most importance printed to be dis- 

 tributed among the members and we trust that 

 they may prove to be of some assistance and help 

 in the future. 



In conclusion the committee desires to call the 

 attention of the members to the fact that there 

 has been Introduced into Congress since May 4, 

 1909. exclusive of pensions. 11.682 hills, and of 

 this number there are 109 affecting the railways 

 exclusively. 



Therefore, it is the opinion of the committee 

 that no bills affecting railwavs should be enacted 

 uatil they have had serious consideration and 

 study, and that conditions show that their enact- 

 ment be a necessity demonstrated liy expressions 

 of w.ael.v entertained opinion and belief. 



The Interstate Commerce Commission is now 

 considerably overburdened interpreting and mak- 

 ing a digest of the numerous laws recently 

 passed, and to add to this burden the responsi- 

 bility of defining and considering ill-advised and 

 unnecessary legislation, will result in and pro- 

 duce confusion which will take years of legisla- 

 tion to remedy. 



An association known as the Railway Business 

 Association, with headquarters in New York, has 

 already l>een formed, advocating conservatism. 

 and the committee believes that our association 

 should still continue as it has in the past its 

 policy favoring and indorsing conservatism in all 

 matters pertaining to the railroads. Respect- 

 fully. Emil Guexther. Chairman. 

 Fkederick L. Buown, 

 Otis A. Felger. 



Accompanying this report was a statement 

 of the Interstate Commerce Commission 's con- 

 ference rulings pertaining to various trans- 

 portation questions and bringing the rulings 

 down to date. There was also presented a 

 Want form for filing claims for overcharges . 

 The report of the Waterways Committee 

 was then read by W. H. Russe, as follows: 

 Keport of Waterways Committee 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association — The subject on 

 which I am called to address you is one of vital 

 importance to you all. The securing of water 

 transportation, especiall.v for the lower grades 

 of our product, is no doubt apparent to 

 every member present. We hear complaint from 

 all producing centers that the stocks of lower 

 grades are accumulating in the yards, and in 

 some instances, on account of the stagnation 

 of the markets, the lowest grades are being sent 

 to the burners. Some manufacturers claim that. 

 on account of being unable to market the lower 

 grades of gum. there is no profit in sawing the 

 timber. The paper bos is with us to stay, and 

 the only way to compete is to get lower freight 

 rates. The railroads claim that in order to keep 

 up their equipment to meet the increasing de- 

 mands they will he obliged to increase their 

 freight rates, and we will no doubt see this done. 



On the Great Lakes it has been possible to 

 move low-grade luml>er to market that could 

 not be moved by rail on account of the low 

 price. 



The question of the improvement of onr 

 waterways is of vital importance to all classes in 



O. O. AGLER. DIRECTOR. CHICAGO, ILL. 



the United States. The manufacturer and 

 handler of all commodities will be able to 

 lessen the cost of his production, the agriculturist 

 will l>e able to market the products of the farm to 

 the seaboard at several cents per hundred pounds 

 less than is now" possible, which means the en- 

 larging of the market, not only of the farm, but 

 the mills and mines of this great country. 



The waterways question is not a local, 

 but a national one, and should interest every 

 citizen, whether he be a producer or a con- 

 sumer. Every penny saved in transportation is 

 just that much saved by the consumer. The 

 opening of a deep waterway Iwtween Chicago 

 and New Orleans is the most important link in 

 our inland transportation system that the coun- 

 try has faced since it began the deepening of 

 the chanels on the lakes, and it is destined to 

 develop in the same manner an enormous trade. 

 If the people of the country realized the impor- 

 tance of a deep waterway, from a commercial 

 standpoint, there is not a question of doubt but 

 that the Mississippi and other navigaljle streams 

 would be deepened at once and the idle water- 

 ways put into use. 



The question of whether or not the deepening 

 of the Mississippi river is feasible has long since 

 passed the stage of uncertainty, and those who 

 have even fought the project now admit that it 

 is possible. The making of a channel of suffi- 

 cient depth for large steamers is the most im- 

 portant link in our inland transportation sys- 

 tem, and is destined to devlop not only a tre- 

 mendous amount of business, but to aid the big 

 trunk railway lines in handling the enormous 

 amount of heavy freight and raw material. Even 

 the army engineers now admit that there is 

 nothing in the way of obtaining easily and per- 

 manently twenty-tour feet between Cairo and 

 New Orleans, and fourteen feet above Cairo. 



Figures compiled by experts show that there 

 are 20.0il0.0i)0 acres in round numbers that have 

 been subject to overflow and will be reclaimed 

 and cultivated on a profitable basis when the 

 deep channel is made and banks revetted. The 

 area of 20.00n,0(JO acres amounts to 31.221 

 square miles, of which about 1.431 square miles 

 appertain to the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. 

 This 20.000,000 acres is an area four times a.s 

 great as was ever cultivated in Egypt in the 

 best davs of the Pharaohs. Engineer Cooley says 

 that ttiis territory is capable of carrying 40.- 

 000.000 as an ultimate population, and on our 

 census-rating of wealth per capita this repre- 

 sents $.jO.OOO.OOO.OOO. If the land reclaimed 

 is enhanced .*100 an acre in a lifetime, this rep- 

 resents .$2,000,000,000 as a little matter of con- 

 servation. 



Last .year the Mississippi Valley Transporta- 

 tion Company was organized. The present officers 

 are W. K. Kavanaugh, president ; Richard Bar- 

 thold, vice-president, and John L. Mathews, sec- 

 retary. The office of this company is located in 

 the New Bank of Commerce building. St. Louis. 

 This company has designed new styles of steel 

 barges, new towhoats of steel and very fine 

 package freight boats. They will endeavor to 

 give ample service on all rivers and give it as 

 soon as possible. The steel barges for the main 

 river will carry, when drawing feet, 4,000 

 tons, and on 6 feet 2,200 tons, the ordinary 

 draft. They expect to use these from New Or- 

 leans northward as far as La Salle. III., where 

 thev will transfer to small barges, in the old 

 canal for Chicago, and deliver lumber along the 

 Chicago river. While the matter of freight rates 



E. E. GOODLANDER. DIRECTOR. MEMPHIS, 

 TENN. 



are not finally agreed upon, they will be about as 

 follows: 12 M: cents from lower river points to 

 East St. Louis, where the railroads charge 18 

 cents ; 10 cents where the railways charge 12% 

 cents : 7 cents where the railroads charge 10 

 cents, and about that proportion everywhere, 

 handling the cargo in unburnable and unsink- 

 able vessels. They expect to handle the lumber 

 by various kinds of cranes and electric telphers, 

 so as to facilitate the quick transfer. 



I mention these facts to show you that, with 

 the improvement of our waterways, so that there 

 is a certainty of a specified minimum channel 

 depth that can be depended upon, capital will 

 not hesitate to invest in river transportation 

 companies. 



The Rivers and Harbors Bill, which has passed 

 the Senate and House and is now in the hands 

 of the conference committee, is expected to he 

 reported to the House in the next few days 

 without change, and approved there, and imme- 

 diately signed by the President when it reaches 

 him. 



The bill calls for an appropriation of $52,- 

 600,000, .$10,000,000 of which was added by the 

 Senate. The conference committee, being fa- 

 vorable to the project, is expected to approve this 

 $10,000,000 increase. Of this total amount the 

 Mississippi river proper gets $6,750,000 and 

 the lower Missi=;sippi. from Cairo to New Or- 

 leans, gets .$4.'"ni,iiiMi. the middle Mississippi, 

 from St. Louis In Cairo. $750,000, and the upper 

 Mississippi $2,000,000. Besides this the Ohio 

 river gets $3,500,000, the Illinois $1,000,000, the 

 Missouri $1,300,000. 



The money available the first of July through 

 this bill will be spent principally in revetment 

 work, getting the bank.s in shape for the dredg- 

 ing of the deep channel. The bill also pro- 

 vides for a committee of engineers, whose duty 

 it is to work out the greatest feasible depth (or 

 this deep waterw'ay plan, and to prepare plans 

 for carrying it out : also for the construction of 

 locks and dams at Commerce, Mo., and Jefferson 

 Barracks, Mo., for waterpower service. This 

 board is to be composed of four army engineers 

 and one civilian. 



The state of Illinois has appropriated $20,000.- 

 000, which is to be expended in connection with 

 the government in arranging for a deep channel 

 and for waterpower service along the Illinois 

 river from Chicago to St. Louis. 



This board of engineers will also agree on a 

 plan of cociperation for this work. 



A fair estimate of the tonnage that may be 

 expected to pass through this canal within a 

 year or two after its construction and opening 

 would give the following annual burdens. Many 

 of these will be far exceeded, few of them 

 will fall short of the estimates given here, and 

 there will be many other items which are not 

 here listed : 



Tons. 



Lumber 3,000,000 



Coal 2,000,000 



Iron ore 1,000,000 



Steel and wire products 200,000 



Hardware and machinery 100,000 



Grain 150,000 



Sugar 200,000 



Coffee ■ • • 100,000 



Cotton 100,000 



Sisal 100,000 



Cement 300,000 



Sand, etc 100,000 



Cotton goods 50,000 



