574 



COXSERYATK >X 



lake lines carried 14,080,146 passengers in 

 1006; the figures for 1889 were 2,235,993, the 

 increase during the seventeen years being 

 529.7 per cent. There was also an increase 

 of thirty per cent, in the passenger traffic 

 handled on the Mississippi River and its 

 triliutaries, the figures for 1889 10,858.894 

 having risen hy 1906 to 14.1 22, 241. It 

 should be noted, however, that this increase 

 was due more largely to the growth in short- 

 distance travel and in ferry traffic than to 

 an increased patronage of the river steam- 

 boats OIK rated over the longer routes. The 

 pa-senger traffic on the other inland \\ater- 

 \\ays of the United States in 18X0, is not 

 Known, but it amounted to something less 

 than two milieu- <i.S77.XS<)i in 1506. 



A comparison of the United States with 

 -"iiu- of the leading countries of Europe as 

 to the extent to which the navigation re- 

 sources of each country have been devel- 

 oped, and as to the traffic uses made of in- 

 land waterways will contribute to a clearer 

 appreciation of the facts concerning the 

 United States. 



urea! Britain. Although Great Britain is 

 of small territorial area and has not fol- 

 lowed the policy adhered to by the conti- 

 nental countries of retaining the inland 

 \\aterways .as public highways to be devel- 

 oped by the government, the mileage and 

 traffic of her streams and canals are by no 

 means insignificant. The total coast line of 

 (ireat Britain, 3.900 miles in length, is sup- 

 plemented by about 4,000 mile- of canal-, 

 and improved rivers. The traffic on these 

 inland waterways, exclusive of the coast- 

 wise maritime commerce, amounted to 37,- 

 426,886 tons in 1898, the latest year for 

 which official Board of Trade statistics are 

 i ibtainable. 



The five principal estuaries of England 

 the Mersey, Humber, Wash, Thames, and 

 Severn are connected by nineteen through 

 canal routes. Nine of these through routes 

 reach Severn ports, nine have London ter- 

 mini, ten reach Liverpool, and five terminate 

 at Hull. The traffic is most active on the 

 canals in central and northern England. 

 The 642 miles of waterways in this highly- 

 developed industrial district moved 23,500,- 

 ooo tons of freight in 1898. The canals 

 leaching Birmingham had 7,750,000 tons of 

 traffic. 



The water resources of Great Britain have 

 come to be such a valuable asset to the 

 country that the supply and the uses of water 

 must be carefully guarded. If the streams 

 are to be maintained as navigable water- 

 ways, if the municipalities are to have an 

 abundant supply of pure water, the mining 

 companies must not be permitted to continue 

 their reckless waste of water; the disposal 

 of sewage must be carefully planned so 

 as to prevent the pollution of the streams; 

 and if the valuable fisheries in the tidal and 

 fresh-waier portions of the rivers are to be 

 preserved, careful regulation will be neces- 



sary. In a word, the necessity for a per- 

 manent waterways commission is becoming 

 apparent. 



France. Erance has developed her inland 

 waterways more systematically and com- 

 pletely than has any other of the larger 

 European countries. Three thousand sixty 

 two miles of canals are now in operation, 

 and 4,500 miles of her rivers largely as the 

 resul: of canalization are used for naviga- 

 tion. Prior to iXXo, the greater portion of 

 the English freight business of the country 

 was handled on the waterways. Since then 

 tlie development of the railroads has natu- 

 rally uialied tlu m to i xceed the water- 

 ways in tonnage: but the waterways have, 

 none the less, transported a steadily increas- 

 ing tonnage. During the twenty years from 

 i XX 5 to 1905 the freight tonnage rose from 

 14.573.000 to 34.030,000 metric tons. The 

 ton mileage nf the water-borne traffic 

 .'inoniiud to 3, 1 7S.ooo.ooo in 1905, and was 

 more than double the total for 1885. All 

 the waterway^ of the country, with the ex 

 ception of i(>o miles ( se\ eiity -five of which 

 are owned by the city of Paris) are public 

 ways improved and maintained by the state 

 Their u-e is free, tolls having been abol- 

 ish- d in iXXo 



(.icrniiiny. The polk-y of Germany in the 

 development of her inland waterways is pe 

 cnliarly instructive. The canals and navi- 

 gable rivers of that empire, not including 

 the tidal p"ni"ii- of the rivers navigated 

 by sea going vessels, ha\e a total length of 

 aboul 7/KX) miles, of which about 6,250 miles 

 may be considered to be commercially im- 

 portant. Three tenths of the 6,250 miles con- 

 sist of canals and >lack- water river navi- 

 gation, and se\en tenths of river courses 

 improvd \\itliout the construction of dams 

 and locks. The railway mileage of the 

 country is 34.000, somewhat over six times 

 the length of the waterways actively used 

 for comiiHT- 



The tonnage of the shipments and re- 

 ceipts of freight transported on the GIT 

 man wateruays in 1X75 was 2O,8oo,OOO metric 

 tons. The figures for 1905 were 103,400,000 

 metric tons, there having been an increase 

 of nearly 400 p< r cent The (on mileage of 

 this water-borne commerce in 1875 was 

 i, S 1 2,500,000, and in 1905, 9,375,000,000 a 

 gain of over 400 per cent. The ton mileage 

 of the railroad freight traffic in 1875 was 

 0X12,500.000, and in 1005 the total was 27,- 

 X75.ooo.ooo. The gain in the railroad traffic 

 was far greater absolutely; but the per- 

 centage of increase in water traffic \\as 

 larger, although the length of the water- 

 ways in 1905 was not much greater than in 

 1875. whereas the railway mileage had more 

 than doubled during that period. 



The density of traffic on the German 

 waterways much exceeds that on the rail- 

 roads. The number of tons carried one 

 mile per mile of waterway rose from 200,- 

 ooo in 1875 to 1.500,000 in 1905; the corre- 



