CANALS. ^ 99 



a careful review of the causes affecting freight-charges on railways are pecu- 

 liarly complex, and could only be adequately dealt with by a railway expert. 

 I make no pretence of discussing them here further than to make the above 

 somewhat obvious comments on an apparent paradox, so far as it concerns 

 Ireland. What attention I have given to the question, has convinced me of 

 the truth of two propositions in regard to Irish transit problems : the first is 

 that the interest of the proprietors of a railway company, and the interests 

 of the community served by the company are not, if we confine our attention 

 to -periods of comparatively short duration, necessarily co-mcident ; the 

 second is that a considerable increase of goods and passenger traffic is 

 awaiting even a moderate reduction of railway rates and fares. 



It remains to see how keenly foreign countries are interested in the prc- 

 T 1 H N "d f servation and development of water- transit facilities, 

 . ° and how they recognise that canals are the comple- 



m trance and ments rather than the competitors of railroads. There 

 Germany. existed a right of toll on the rivers and canals in 



France up to 1880, but it was abolished by a statute of 19th February, 1880 ; 

 and since that date the State has no longer charged any rates on boats and 

 merchandise passing along the canals and rivers any more than on car 

 riages and goods going along the roads. The passage through the locks 

 is free even at night, without payment, and the State pays the lock-keepers, 

 who work the gates day and night. There remain only a few canals, for- 

 merly handed over to some companies, on which these companies levy tolls. 

 These are very profitable to the shareholders. The State has already re- 

 purchased a good many concessions of canals, and it is intended to re- 

 purchase the rest so as to abolish all tolls. Previous to 1880 the tolls in 

 navigation were low, amounting to from .oi5<3?. to .Qi},d. per ton per mile for 

 the rivers, and .03^. to .076c/. for the canals, according to the classes of goods. 

 Since 1841 France has devoted over ;^8o,ooo,000 sterling to the construction 

 and improvement of the national waterways, and now annually contributes 

 about 30,000,000 francs (roughly ;^i, 200,000) for maintenance and staff.* 



A most suggestive French experiment, illustrating how a suitable water- 

 way charging moderate freights can practically create its own traffic, is 

 found in the case of the canal of Marne-au-Rhin. This navigation runs 

 parallel, for a greater part of its length, with the railway from Paris to 

 Strasburg, and 83 per cent, of its present traffic is contributed by neigh- 

 bouring industries which came into existence subsequent to its foundation. 

 M. Picard, President of the Section of Public Works, at the State Council, 

 speaks of the canal as having given a wonderful impetus to the mineral and 

 other industries of Lorraine — industries which could not have been born, 

 according to him, except for cheap transit facilities such as these provided 

 by the Marne-au-Rhin Canal. " Minerals which," says M. Picard, " lav 

 undisturbed before its construction are now being actively extracted ; fac- 

 tories and furnaces are so numerous upon its banks, and press so closely 

 upon each other, that one might imagine them sprung up from the earth." 

 In fact, " 83 per cent, of the industries upon its banks have been established 

 since the canal was cut." When we turn to Germany.t we find the same 



* Quite recently the French Government laid before Parliament estimates to the amount 

 650,000,000 francs for the improvement and extension of the French Canal System. See, 

 however, a somewhat adverse criticism of this scheme, in the first February (1902) issue of 

 the Revue dcs Deux Mondes. 



t See on German Canals an excellent article entitled " Relative advantages of the Railways 

 and Waterways of Germany," Journal of Royal Statis. Soc, Vol. LI. (1888), pp. 375, et seq. 



