48 



The total value of its agricultural products in one year approaches 

 nine billion dollars, a sum which Secretary Wilson says nothing short of 

 omniscience can grasp. Tlie net value of manufactured products is well 

 over ten billion dollars. However approximate these figures may l>e, tliey 

 «-lu)W the order of the magnitudes. 



When goods are i)roduced in such (piantities, the circulation of prod- 

 ucts and peoitle nuist be on a corresponding scale. In the way of this, 

 *lie Appalachian highland offers the only barrier. This is broken through 

 by two gateways, the St. liawrence and the Mohawk-Hudson valleys. 



The gaji of tlic Laurentian lakes and river plays the part of the Baltic 

 sea in Euroiie. It lets tide and shipping 900 miles inland to Montreal, and 

 smaller vessels penetrate to the head of Lake Superior, 2,000 miles by water 

 and 1,000 miles in a direct line from the sea. Modern improvements have 

 niade this the greatest commercial waterway of the world, next to the 

 North Atlantic ocean. The total tonnage passing through the "Soo" canals 

 ill one season of less than eight months is about €0,000,000 tons, or more 

 than four times that of the Suez Canal, and etpial to the combined tonnag.' 

 ol' New York, London and Liverpool. The totiil traffic of the ujiper lakes 

 through the Detmit Uiver anidnuts to 70,000,000 t(ms. 



The Mohawk-Hudson gaii is even a more important gateway of tin- 

 continent than the lower St. liawrence. 'I'lie New York barge canal now 

 nnd«>r constru'-tion may lie I'egarded as a half-way measure toward a fu- 

 ture ship canal at k'ast 24 feet det^p. 



Time is lacking to discuss the waterways of the Mississijtpi system. 

 Improvements will he made, hut the coniplete control and utilization of 

 the Mississippi is a larger prfiposition than mankind has yet anywhere 

 attempted, and may prove too costly for even the richest C(^untry in the 

 woi'ld to accomplish, f \'entnre only to mention ;is pi'obabli' future water- 

 ways of consider.'ible magnitude: Lake Krie to Lake Ontario, lUilTalo t) 

 Troy, Georgian P.ay to .Montreal, rieveland to I'ittsl»in-gli and Cairo, Chi- 

 cago to N;'\v Orleans. I\ansas City to St. I>ouis. Winnipeg to Lake Su- 

 perior. The strategic jioints on the seal)oard are .Montreal, New York and 

 New Orlears. .Vmong those inland, T»uffalo, Cleveland. IMttsburgh, Detroit, 

 Cliicago, St. Lonis .-iikI Winnipeg .-ire iilainly conspicuous. I want to call 

 especj.MJ attention to WiiuiijK'g. It stands in tiie wasp-w;iist of Cauiida. 

 through which ;ill currents nmst pass. If 1 were a capitalist I would look 

 for in\cst niriits in Wiuniixvg. 



