94 



CANALS. 



into competition with the Great Lakes and other waterways, were i.o6 and 

 1.03 cents respectively. The following table, showing the wheat rates per 

 bushel from Chicago to New York for the years 1870, 1880, and 1889, by 

 water, by water and rail combined, and by rail, indicates very plainly how 

 freight charges have fallen, and how this movement has been led by the 

 waterways : — 



" The important influence of the Erie Canal on freight rates has often been 

 emphasized ; only a few facts need be given here. They are for the year 

 1 89 1. The Erie Canal was opened in May, at which time the pool rates on 

 grain from Buffalo to New York were seven and four-fifths per cent, per 

 bushel. The grain rates on the canal for the various months of the season 

 were— May, 2.51 cents; June, 2.53 cents; July, 2.68 cents; August, 3.94 

 cents; September, 4.19 cents; October, 4.44 cents; and November, 4.13 

 cents. The railroad pool rates, though nominally unchanged, were not 

 maintained. Mr. Edward Hannan, Superintendent of Public Works of 

 New York, says : ' My information on that subject, which has been received 

 from private sources, is that contracts were made by the various railroads to 

 carry grain in the months of June, July, and August, for four cents a bushel ; 

 September, four and one-half ; and October, five cents. On petition of the 

 Merchants Exchange, of Buffalo, the Superintendent of Public Works kept 

 the canals of New York State open five days longer than the allotted time. 

 This shows very plainly that shippers regard the canal as a freight regu- 

 lator. When the canals closed for the winter the railroad charges again rose 

 to the pool rates.' " 



To return now to the interesting question of the division of labour 

 between canals and railways which the characteristic quahty of each means 

 of communication would dictate, and which is actually in operation in 

 countries where this problem of transit is considered from a broad national 

 standpoint, and where consequently a unified system of inter-communica- 

 tion exists. 



Bulky raw materials * naturally constitute the larger share of the actual 

 traffic on canals in every country ; the kind of the raw material depending, 

 of course, on the industrial character of the district served by the particular 

 canal. The commodities carried by the Irish canals in 1899 consist 



*This must not, however, be interpreted too strictly. Mr. F. de Vismes Kane, a former 

 Chairman of the Grand Canal, writes me on this point: — " Undoubtedly heavy traffic is well 

 suited for canals. But if it were not that we carried large quantities of lighter goods — mer- 

 chandise of all kinds— even furniture, drapery, crockery, tobacco, and groceries of all sorts, 

 paying ^ood freight, we could scarcely have maintained the service on the Grand Canal. Given 

 good, staunch boats, we can well compete with railways in these things where haste is not 

 required ; and as for whiskey and tea, and valuable goods of that kind, we can lock up the 

 holds and prevent pillage entirely. We did a large business sending whiskey sealed down all 

 the way to Limerick ; and furniture is most safely carried. To Naas we had a boat which 

 delivered goods earlier than the railway. Our service was a continuous one — night and day — 

 so that the difference in speed was not great for short distances." 



