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--work of the _ Harbors Equipment of Wharves HE waterways have in all ages borne the bulk of the commerce of the world. Transportation in modern times has been divided between the railway and the steamship, but the ocean continues to be the great equal- izer of expense, water carriage costing on the average from one-tenth to one- sixth as much as transportation by rail. Ihis. fact alone is. sufficient to emphasize the importance of the National Rivers and Congress. The. tact that railways always make lower rates when subject to competition by water than where such competition does not exist, is undeniable and supplies an unanswerable argument in favor of maintaining conditions on rivers and harbors which will prevent combina- tion between rail and water carriers, and the consequent advance of rates. This is set forth in No. 4 of the find- ings of the Inland Waterways Com- mission, as follows: Decline in Navigation "While the decline of navigation in the inland waterways was largely due to the natural growth and legiti- mate competition attending railway extension, it is also clear that rail- way interests have. been successfully directed against the normal mainte- nance and development of water traf- fic by control of waterfronts and ter- minals, by acquisition or control of competing canals and vessels, by dis- criminating tariffs, by rebates, by ad- verse placement of tracks and struc- tures and by other means." It is in pursuance of the policy of giving to the people of the United States who are bearing the entire ex- pense of the construction of the Panama canal, the full benefits of a shorter water route between the At- fanite and the Pacific coasts that' an effort has been made to prevent a combination between rail and water carriers so as to eliminate the effect of competitive water rates. It is because the canal is an Ameri- can water way, through American territory, paid for by the American people, that the United States gov- ernment is clearly within its rights and is pursuing a sound policy in the encouragement of American shipping ion for the Importance of Keeping Open Land- ward Approaches to Waterfronts By Dr. George C. Pardee by exempting our own vessels en- gaged in coastwise commerce from charge for tolls through the canal. That the benefits of the completion of the Panama canal may be extend- ed to all parts of the country, itis im- portant that this great project shall be supplemented by adequate provis- improvement of rivers and harbors, particularly the rivers and channels which convey commerce inland. The Pacific coast, which will re- ceive perhaps the greatest benefit of any portion of the globe by the com- pletion of the Panama canal, has comparatively few great harbors. San Diego, Los Angeles, the Bay of San Francisco, 'Eureka, . Portland. and Puget Sound are the points at which commerce will converge. While most of these are natural harbors, there is scarcely one of them which does not require the supplemental agency of the government in supplying facili- ties for the safe entrance of shipping and the economical handling of com- modities. 'The extension of the work of the coast and geodetic surveys, the con- struction of lighthouses, the placing of buoys, the adequate maintenance of life-saving stations are all-impor- tant, but the government should pur- sue a liberal policy in appropriations for the improvement of rivers and harbors. Two Great Inland Waterways California has but two great inland waterways, those of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers which, in ad- dition to its harbors, require govern- ment aid. At the present time the Sacramento affords a great commer- cial waterway to the city of Sacra- mento and the San Joaquin to the city of Stockton. It is possible, with federal co-operation, to extend the navigable mileage of these rivers fur- ther into the interior, and every mile to which river navigation is extended serves as an equalizing factor in the Cost Of rail transportation. After all that can be reasonably asked for is done by the federal gov- ernment, there remains a great deal of important work to be done by the cities on California's harbors and waterways. ° The: United States' government cares for the streams and channels from the pier heads outward. But if there are deep water channels and ample fairways there may still be no water-carried commerce. There is absolute need for properly equipped wharves, for adequate and open ap- proaches to these, from the landward side. There must be up-to-date equip- ment of wharves with warehouses, tailway tracks, cranes and derricks for handling freight before there can be that freedom of passage between land carriers and water carriers, nec- essary to the fair competition of the waterways routes. Unimpeded Road for Traffic Splendid deep waterways, with a barrier of a few feet in width repre- sented by improperly designed and built wharves, of by landward ap- proaches controlled by or in the in- terest of railroads will nullify all the good that the waterways might be expected to bring to the commerce of the country. In other words, there must be an unimpeded road for traffic from the land to the hold of the vessels to make the waterways effective. The economic value of water routes for commerce lies in the cheapness with which freight can be handled. If the cost of one-sixth to one-tenth per ton per mile as compared with railroad carriage is to be nullified by unnecessary cost of handling at the wharves, then the waterways cease to become, or they never get to be, competitors with the railroads. The difference between adequate handling facilities in loading and un- loading ships as compared with old- fashioned ways and machinery has been shown to amount to as much es 20°10 29 cents per' ton. ~ This amount of waste in handling repre- sents the cost of transportation of a ton of freight 40 miles by railroad. That is, it operates as a handicap of just 40 miles in favor of the railroads in the competitive race for handling the commerce of that. particular sec- tion. The total amount of freight handled between the Pacific coast and the Atlantic coast of the United States