CHAPTER X

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Taking into consideration all the facts and arguments here presented, I may summarise as follows the conclusions at which I have arrived:--

(1) That, alike from a geographical, physical, and economic point of view, there is no basis for fair comparison between British and Continental conditions; consequently our own position must be judged on its own merits or demerits.

(2) That, owing to the great changes in British trade, manufacture, and commerce, giving rise to widespread and still increasing demands for speedy delivery of comparatively small consignments for a great number of traders of every possible type, canal transport in Great Britain is no longer suited to the general circumstances of the day.

(3) That although a comparatively small number of traders, located in the immediate neighbourhood of the canals, might benefit from a canal-resuscitation scheme, the carrying out of such scheme at the risk, if not at the cost, of the taxpayers, would virtually amount to subsidising one section of the community to the pecuniary disadvantage of other sections.

(4) That the nationalisation or the municipalisation of British canals would introduce a new principle inconsistent with the "private enterprise" hitherto recognised in the case of railways, in which such large sums have been sunk by investors, but with which State-aided canals would compete.

(5) That, in view both of the physical conditions of our land (necessitating an extensive resort to locks, etc., to overcome great differences in level) and of the fact that many of the most important of the canals are now hemmed in by works, houses, or buildings, any general scheme of purchase and improvement, in regard even to main routes (apart from hopeless derelicts), would be extremely costly, and, in most instances, entirely outside the scope of practicability.

(6) That such a scheme, involving an expenditure of many millions, could not fail to affect our national finances.

(7) That there is no ground for expecting so large an outlay could be recouped by increased receipts from the canals, and that the cost would thus inevitably fall upon the community.

(8) That the allegation as to the chief canals of the country, or sections thereof, having been "captured" and "strangled" by the railway companies, in the interests of their own traffic, is entirely unsupported by evidence, the facts being, rather, that in most cases the canals were more or less forced upon the railway companies, who have spent money liberally on such of them as offered reasonable prospect of traffic, and, in that way, have kept alive and in active working condition canals that would inevitably have been added to the number of derelicts had they remained in the hands of canal companies possessed of inadequate capital for the purposes of their efficient maintenance.

(9) That certain of these canals (as, for example, the Birmingham and the Shropshire Union Canals) are still offering to traders all reasonable facilities within the limitations of their surroundings and physical possibilities; and that if such canals were required to bear the expense of extremely costly widenings, of lock reconstruction, of increased water supply, and of general improvements, the tolls and charges would have to be raised to such a point that the use of the canals would become prohibitive even to those local traders who now fully appreciate the convenience they still afford.

(10) That, in effect, whatever may be done in the case of navigable rivers, any scheme which aimed at a general resuscitation of canals in this country, at the risk, if not at the expense, of the community, is altogether impracticable; and that, inasmuch as the only desire of the traders, in this connection, is to secure cheaper transport, it is desirable to see whether the same results could not be more effectively, more generally, and more economically obtained in other directions.

Following up this last conclusion, I beg to recommend:--

(_a_) The desirability of increasing the usefulness of the railway system, which can go anywhere, serve everybody, and carry and deliver consignments, great and small, with that promptness and despatch which are all-important to the welfare of the vast majority of industries and enterprises, as conducted under the trading conditions of to-day. This usefulness, some of the traders allege, is marred by rates and charges which they consider unduly heavy, especially in the case of certain commodities calling for exceptionally low freight, and canal transport is now asked for by them, as against rail transport, just as the traders of 1825 wanted the railways as a relief from the waterways. The rates and charges, say the railway companies, are not unreasonable in themselves, considering all the circumstances of the case and the nature of the various services represented, while the actual amount thereof is due, to a certain extent, not so much to any seeking on the part of the companies to pay dividends of abnormal proportions, akin to those of the canal companies of old (the average railway dividend to-day, on over one thousand millions of actual capital, being only about 3-1/2 per cent.), but to a combination of causes which have increased unduly capital outlay and working expenses, only to be met out of the rates, fares, and charges that are imposed on traders and travellers. Among these causes may be mentioned the heavy price the companies have had to pay for their land; the cost of Parliamentary proceedings; various requirements imposed by Parliament or by Government departments; and the heavy burden of the contribution that railway companies make to local rates. (See p. 10.) These various conditions must necessarily influence the rates and charges to be paid by traders. Some of them--such as cost of land--belong to the past; others--like the payments for local taxation--still continue, and tend to increase rather than decrease. In any case, the power of the railway companies to concede to the traders cheaper transport is obviously handicapped. But if, to obtain such cheaper transport, the country is prepared to risk (at least) from £20,000,000 to £50,000,000 on a scheme of canal reconstruction which, as I have shown, is of doubtful utility and practicability, would it not be much more sensible, and much more economical, if the weight of the obligations now cast upon railways were reduced, thus enabling the companies to make concessions in the interests of traders in general, and especially in the interests of those consigning goods to ports for shipment abroad, for whose benefit the canal revival is more particularly sought?

(_b_) My second recommendation is addressed to the general trader. His policy of ordering frequent small consignments to meet immediate requirements, and of having, in very many instances, practically no warehouse or store-rooms except the railway goods depôts, is one that suits him admirably. It enables him either to spend less capital or else to distribute his capital over a larger area. He is also spared expense in regard to the provision of warehouse accommodation of his own. But to the railway companies the general adoption of this policy has meant greater difficulty in the making up of "paying loads." To suit the exigencies of present-day trade, they have reduced their _minima_ to as low, for some commodities, as 2-ton lots, and it is assumed by many of the traders that all they need do is to work up to such _minima_. But a 2-ton lot for even an 8-ton waggon is hardly a paying load. Still less is a 10-cwt. consignment a paying load for a similarly sized waggon. Where, however, no other consignments for the same point are available, the waggon goes through all the same. In Continental countries consignments would be kept back, if necessary, for a certain number of days, in order that the "paying load" might be made up. But in Great Britain the average trader relies absolutely on prompt delivery, however small the consignment, or whatever the amount of "working expenses" incurred by the railway in handling it. If, however, the trader would show a little more consideration for the railway companies--whom he expects to display so much consideration for him--he might often arrange to send or to receive his consignments in such quantities (at less frequent intervals, perhaps) as would offer better loading for the railway waggons, with a consequent decrease of working expenses, and a corresponding increase in the ability of the railway company to make better terms with him in other directions. Much has been done of late years by the railway companies to effect various economies in operation, and excellent results have been secured, especially through the organisation of transhipping centres for goods traffic, and through reductions in train mileage; but still more could be done, in the way of keeping down working expenses and improving the position of the companies in regard to concessions to traders, if the traders themselves would co-operate more with the railways to avoid the disadvantages of unremunerative "light-loading."

(_c_) My third and last recommendation is to the agriculturists. I have seen repeated assertions to the effect that improved canals would be of great advantage to the British farmer; and in this connection it may interest the reader if I reproduce the following extract from the pamphlet, issued in 1824, by Mr T. G. Cumming, under the title of "Illustrations of the Origin and Progress of Rail and Tram Roads and Steam Carriages," as already mentioned on p. 21:--

"To the farming interests the advantages of a rail-way will soon become strikingly manifest; for, even where the facilities of a canal can be embraced, it presents but a slow yet expensive mode of conveyance; a whole day will be consumed in accomplishing a distance of 20 miles, whilst by the rail-way conveyance, goods will be carried the same distance in three or four hours, and perhaps to no class of the community is this increased speed of more consideration and value than to the farmer, who has occasion to bring his fruit, garden stuff, and poultry to market, and still more so to such as are in the habit of supplying those great and populous towns with milk and butter, whilst with all these additional advantages afforded by a rail-way, the expense of conveyance will be found considerably cheaper than by canal.

"Notwithstanding the vast importance to the farmer of having the produce of his farm conveyed in a cheap and expeditious manner to market, it is almost equally essential to him to have a cheap conveyance for manure from a large town to a distant farm; and here the advantages to be derived from a rail-way are abundantly apparent, for by a single loco-motive engine, 50 tons of manure may be conveyed, at a comparatively trifling expense, to any farm within the line of the road. In the article of lime, also, which is one of the first importance to the farmer, there can be no question but the facilities afforded by a rail-way will be the means of diminishing the expense in a very material degree."

If railways were desirable in 1824 in the interests of agriculture, they must be still more so in 1906, and the reversion now to the canal transport of former days would be a curious commentary on the views entertained at the earlier date. As regards perishables, consigned for sale on markets, growers obviously now want the quickest transport they can secure, and special fruit and vegetable trains are run daily in the summer season for their accommodation. The trader in the North who ordered some strawberries from Kent, and got word that they were being sent on by canal, would probably use language not fit for even a fruit and vegetable market to hear. As for non-perishable commodities, consigned to or by agriculturists, the railway is a much better distributer than the canal, and, unless a particular farm were alongside a canal, the extra cost of cartage therefrom might more than outweigh any saving in freight. If greater facilities than the ordinary railway are needed by agriculturists, they will be met far better by light railways, or by railway road-motors of the kind adopted first by the North-Eastern Railway Company at Brandsby, than by any possible extension of canals. These road-motors, operated between lines of railway and recognised depôts at centres some distance therefrom, are calculated to confer on agriculturists a degree of practical advantage, in the matter of cheaper transport, limited only by the present unfortunate inability of many country roads to bear so heavy a traffic, and the equally unfortunate inability of the local residents to bear the expense of adapting the roads thereto. If, instead of spending a large sum of money on reconstructing canals, the Government devoted some of it to grants to County Councils for the reconstruction of rural highways, they would do far more good for agriculture, at least. As for cheaper rail transport for agricultural commodities in general, I have said so much elsewhere as to how these results can be obtained by means of combination that I need not enlarge on that branch of the subject now, further than to commend it to the attention of the British farmer, to whom combination in its various phases will afford a much more substantial advantage than any possible resort to inland navigation.

These are the alternatives I offer to proposals which I feel bound to regard as more or less quixotic, and I leave the reader to decide whether, in view of the actualities of the situation, as set forth in the present volume, they are not much more practical than the schemes of canal reconstruction for which public favour is now being sought.

APPENDIX

THE DECLINE IN FREIGHT TRAFFIC ON THE MISSISSIPPI

Whilst this book is passing through the Press, I have received from Mr Stuyvesant Fish, President of the Illinois Central Railroad Company--whom I asked to favour me with some additional details respecting the decline in freight traffic on the Mississippi River--the following interesting notes, drawn up by Mr T. J. Hudson, General Traffic Manager of the Illinois Central:--

The traffic on the Mississippi River was established and built up under totally different conditions from those now obtaining, and when the only other means of travel and transportation was on horseback and by waggon, methods not suitable in view of the great distances and the general impassibility of the country. In those days the principal source of supply was St Louis--and points reached through St Louis--for grain, grain products, etc., excepting that vehicles, machinery, and iron were brought down the Ohio River from Pittsburg and Cincinnati by boat to Cairo, and trans-shipped there, or to Memphis, and trans-shipped or re-distributed from that place. The distributing points on the Lower Mississippi River were Memphis, Vicksburg, Natchez, Bayou Sara, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Goods were shipped to these points and re-shipped from there over small railroads to short distances, and also hauled by waggon and re-shipped on boats plying in local trade on the Mississippi River and tributary streams. For example, there were Boat Lines making small landing points above and below Memphis, and above and below Vicksburg; also Boat Lines plying the Yazoo and Tallahatchie Rivers on the east, and the White, Arkansas and Red Rivers on the west, etc.

All the goods shipped by steamboat were hauled by waggon or dray to the steamboat landing, and, when discharged by the boats at destination, were again hauled by waggon from the landing to the stores and warehouses, even in those cases in which re-shipment was made from points like Memphis, Vicksburg, etc. When re-shipped by river, the goods were again hauled to the steamboat landing, and, when reaching the local landing or point of final consumption, after being discharged on the bank, were again hauled by waggon or dray, perhaps for considerable distances into the interior.

While the cost of water transportation is primarily low, the frequent handling and re-handling made this mode of transportation more or less expensive, and in some instances quite costly. River transportation again is slow, taking longer time in transit. The frequent handlings, further, were damaging and destructive to the packages in the case of many kinds of goods. Transportation on the rivers was also at times interrupted or delayed from one cause or another, such as high water or low water, and the service was, in consequence, more or less irregular, thus requiring dealers to carry large stocks on which the insurance and interest was a considerable item of expense.

With the development of the railroads through the country, not only was competition brought into play to the distributing points along the river, such as Memphis, Vicksburg, etc., from St Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburg, but also from other initial sources of supply which were not located on rivers, but were enabled by reason of the establishment of rail transportation to consign direct; whereas under the old conditions it was necessary for them to consign to some river point and trans-ship. What was still more important and effective in accomplishing the results since brought about was the material benefit conferred by the railroads on most of the communities situated back from the river. These communities had previously been obliged to send their consignments perhaps many miles by road to some point on the river, whence the commodities were carried to some other point, there to be taken by waggon or dray to the place of consumption--another journey of many miles, perhaps, by road. Progress was slow, and in some instances almost impossible, while only small boats could be hauled.

Then the construction of railroads led to the development of important distributing points in the interior, such as Jackson, (Tennessee), and Jackson, (Mississippi), not to mention many others. Goods loaded into railroad cars on tracks alongside the mills, factories and warehouses could be unloaded at destination into warehouses and stores which also had their tracks alongside. By this means drayage was eliminated, and the packages could be delivered in clean condition. Neither of these conditions was possible where steamboat transportation was employed. Interior points are now enabled to buy direct, either in large or small quantities, from initial sources of supply, and without the delay and expense incident to shipment to river-distributing points, and trans-shipment by rail or steamboat or hauling by waggon. Rail transportation is also more frequent, regular, rapid and reliable; not to mention again the convenience which is referred to above.

The transportation by river of package-freight, such as flour, meal, meat, canned goods, dry goods, and other commodities, has been almost entirely superseded by rail transportation, except in regard to short-haul local landings, where the river is more convenient, and the railroad may not be available. There is some south-bound shipment of wire, nails, and other iron goods from the Pittsburg district to distributing points like Memphis and New Orleans, but in these cases the consignments are exclusively in barge-load lots. The only other commodity to which these conditions apply is coal. This is taken direct from the mines in the Pittsburg district, and dropped into barges on the Monongahela River; and these are floated down the river, during periods of high water, in fleets of from fifty to several hundred barges at a time.

There is no movement of grain in barges from St Louis to New Orleans, as was the case a great many years ago. The grain for export _viâ_ New Orleans is now largely moved direct in cars from the country elevators to the elevators at New Orleans, from which latter the grain is loaded direct into ships. There is, also, some movement north-bound in barges of lumber and logs from mills and forests not accessible to railroads, but very little movement of these or other commodities from points that are served by railroad rails. Lumber to be shipped on the river must be moved in barge-load quantities, and taken to places like St Louis, where it has to be hauled from the barge to lumber yards, and then loaded on railroad cars, if it is going to the interior, where a considerable proportion of the quantity handled will be wanted. Mills reached by railroad tracks can, and do, load in car-load quantities, and ship to the final point of use, without the delay incident to river transportation, and the expense involved by transfer or re-shipment.

It is not to be inferred from the foregoing that all the distributing points along the river have dried up since the development of rail transportation. In fact, the contrary is the case, because the railroads have opened up larger territories to these distributing points, and in regard to many kinds of goods these river points have become, in a way, initial sources of supply as well as of manufacture. Memphis, for example, has grain brought to its elevators direct from the farms, the same as St Louis, and can and does ship on short notice to the many towns and communities in the territory surrounding. There are, also, flour and meal mills, iron foundries, waggon and furniture factories, etc., at Memphis, and at other places. Many of the points, however, which were once simply landings for interior towns and communities have now become comparatively insignificant.

To sum up in a few words, I should say that the railroads have overcome the steamboat competition on the Mississippi River, not only by affording fair and reasonable rates, but also because rail transportation is more frequent, rapid, reliable, and convenient, and is, on the whole, much cheaper.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] That canals also played their part in the transport of passengers a hundred years ago is shown by the following items of news, which I take from _The Times_ of 1806:--

Friday, _December_ 19, 1806.

"The first division of the troops that are to proceed by the Paddington Canal for Liverpool, and thence by transports for Dublin, will leave Paddington to-day, and will be followed by others to-morrow and Sunday. By this mode of conveyance the men will be only seven days in reaching Liverpool, and with comparatively little fatigue, as it would take them above fourteen days to march that distance. Relays of fresh horses for the canal boats have been ordered to be in readiness at all the stages."

Monday, _December_ 22, 1806.

"Saturday the 8th Regiment embarked at the Paddington Canal for Liverpool, in a number of barges, each containing 60 men. This regiment consists of 950 men. The 7th Regiment embarked at the same time in eighteen barges: they are all to proceed to Liverpool. The Dukes of York and Sussex witnessed the embarkation. The remainder of the brigade was to follow yesterday, and Friday next another and very considerable embarkation will follow."

[2] Illustrations of the Origin and Progress of Rail and Tram Roads, and Steam Carriages, or Locomotive Engines. By T. G. Cumming, Surveyor, Denbigh, 1824.

[3] A Letter on the subject of the projected Rail-road between Liverpool and Manchester, pointing out the necessity for its adoption, and the manifest advantages it offers to the public; with an exposure of the exorbitant and unjust charges of the Water-Carriers. By Joseph Sandars, Esq., Liverpool, 1825.

[4] Mersey and Irwell Navigation.

[5] Another of the speakers, Mr Gordon C. Thomas, engineer to the Grand Junction Canal Company, said that "notwithstanding the generous expenditure on maintenance, and the large sums recently spent upon improvements, the through traffic on the Grand Junction was only one-half of what it was fifty years ago, and now the through traffic was in many cases unable to pay as high a rate as the local traffic."

[6] In the evidence he gave before the Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways on 21st March 1906, Sir Herbert Jekyll, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trade, said (as reported in _The Times_ of 22nd March):--"One remarkable feature was noticeable--that, although the tonnage carried rather increased than diminished between 1838 and 1848, the receipts fell off enormously, pointing to the conclusion that the railway competition had brought about a large reduction in canal companies charges. It was also noteworthy that on many canals the decrease in receipts had continued out of all proportion to the decrease, if any, in the tonnage carried."

[7] In Mr Saner's paper the Birmingham Canal navigations are classed among the "Independently-Owned Canals," and Mr Saner says:--"There are 1,138 miles owned by railway companies, which convey only 6,009,820 tons per annum, and produce a net profit of only £40 per mile of navigation. This," he adds, "appears to afford clear proof that the railways do not attempt to make the most of the canals under their control." But when the Birmingham Canal, with its 8,000,000 tons of traffic a year, is transferred (as it ought to be) from the independently-owned to the railway-controlled canals, entirely different figures are shown.

[8] The fact that coal tipped into a canal boat would have a longer drop than coal falling from the colliery screen into railway waggons is important because of the greater damage done to the coal, and the consequent decrease in value.

[9] Fuller information respecting traffic conditions in Continental countries will be found in my book on "Railways and Their Rates."

[10] The figures for the years 1860 to 1890 are taken from the "Report of the Committee on Canals of New York State," 1900, General Francis V. Greene, chairman; and those for 1900 and 1903 from the "Annual Report of Superintendent of Public Works, New York State," 1903.

[11] "The St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes whose waters flow through it into the Atlantic form a continuous waterway extending from the Fond du Lac, at the head of Lake Superior, to the Straits of Belle Isle, a distance of 2,384 miles.... Emptying into the St Lawrence ... are the Ottawa and Richlieu Rivers, the former bringing it into communication with the immense timber forests of Ontario, and the latter connecting it with Lake Champion in the United States. These rivers were the thoroughfares in peace and the base lines in war for the Indian tribes long before the white man appeared in the Western Hemisphere.... The early colonists found them the convenient and almost the only channels of intercourse among themselves and with the home country.... The St Lawrence was navigable for sea-going vessels as far as Montreal, but between Montreal and the foot of Lake Ontario there was a succession of rapids separated by navigable reaches.... The head of navigation on the Ottawa River is the city of Ottawa.... Between this city and the mouth of the river there are several impassable rapids. The Richlieu was also so much obstructed at various points as to be unavailable for navigation.... The canal system of Canada ... has been established to overcome these obstructions by artificial channels at various points to render freely navigable the national routes of transportation."--_"Highways of Commerce," issued by the Bureau of Statistics, Department of State, Washington._

[12] The use of a larger type of canal boat is generally regarded as an essential part of the resuscitation scheme. But of the narrow boats now in active service in the canals of the United Kingdom there are from 10,000 to 11,000. What is to be done with these? If they are scrap-heaped, and fresh boats substituted, we increase still further the sum total of the outlay the scheme will involve.

[13] At the Society of Arts' Conference on Canals, in 1888, Mr L. F. Vernon-Harcourt said:--"The statistics show that great caution must be exercised in the selection of canal routes for improvement, if they are to prove a commercial success, and that the scope for such schemes is strictly limited. Any attempt at a general revival and improvement of the canal system throughout England cannot prove financially successful, as local canals, through thinly populated agricultural districts, could not compete with railways. These routes alone should be selected for enlargement of waterway which lead direct from the sea to large and increasing towns like the proposed canal from the Bristol Channel to Birmingham, or which, like the Aire and Calder Navigation and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, are suitably set for the conveyance of coal and general bulky goods to populous districts. One or two through routes to London from manufacturing centres, or from coal-mining districts, might have a prospect of success, provided the existing canals along the route could be acquired at a small cost, and the necessary improvement works were not heavy."

[14] There are even those who argue that the resuscitated canals should be toll free.

INDEX

Agriculture and canals, 16, 147-150

Aire and Calder Navigation, 86, 132, 135

Allport, Sir James, 37, 81

Aqueducts, 124

Association of Chambers of Commerce, 4, 5

Barnsley Canal, 26

Belgium, waterways in, 93-96, 97

Birmingham Canal, 26, 37, 57-73, 120, 125

Boats, size of, 32, 69, 130

Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal, 26

Brecon Canal, 45

Bridgewater Canal, 13-15, 21, 23-24, 124

Bridgewater, Duke of, 13-15, 23

Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, 45

Brindley, James, 14-15, 16, 124

Brunner, Sir John T., 4

Buckley, Mr R. B., 141

Caledonian Railway Company, 50-54

Canada, waterways in, 128-129

Canals, earliest, in England, 13-22; canal mania, 16; passenger traffic, 18-19; shares and dividends, 21, 26, 27; tolls and charges, 23-25, 27-30; handicapped, 33; attitude towards railways, 34-38; Kennet and Avon, 38-45; Shropshire Union, 47-50; Forth and Clyde, 50-54; "strangulation" theory, 54-55; Birmingham Canal, 57-73; coal traffic, 84-89; canals and waterways on the Continent, 93-103; in the United States, 104-118; in England, 119-141; in Canada, 128-129; conclusions and recommendations, 142-150

Capitalists, attitude of, 3

Carnegie, Mr, 110

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, 109

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 109

Chesterfield Canal, 46, 123

Child, Messrs, 15

Coal, 13, 21, 29-30, 40, 51-53, 81-89

Consignments, sizes of, 78

Continental conditions, 11, 93-103, 139, 140, 141

Cost of reconstruction, 132-136

Cotton, raw, 89-91

Coventry Canal, 26

Cox, M.P., Mr Harold, 140

Cromford Canal, 123

Cumming, Mr T. G., 21, 147-148

Dixon, Professor F. H., 110, 117

Dredging, 43

Electrical installations, 130

Ellesmere Canal, 26, 47, 124

Engineers and canal question, 2

Erie Canal, the, 105-111, 116

Fish, Mr Stuyvesant, 114-115

Forth and Clyde Navigation, 50-54

France, waterways in, 100, 102

Frost on canals, 24, 30, 77

_Gentleman's Magazine_, 26

Geographical conditions, 11, 94-96, 98-100

Germany, waterways in, 94, 97, 100-102

Glass, Mr John, 129

Government guarantee, 4

Grand Junction Canal, 26, 39, 120, 123

Grand Western Canal, 45

Great Northern Railway, 31, 83

Great Western Railway Company, 38-45, 67, 68, 70

Grinling, Mr C. H., 30

Hertslet, Sir E. Cecil, 94

Holland, waterways in, 77, 94, 96

Huddersfield Narrow Canal, 120, 123

Hudson, George, 30

Inglis, Mr J. C., 38-39, 45

Jackson, Mr Luis, 115-117

Jebb, Mr G. R., 71

Jekyll, Sir Herbert, 62

Kennet and Avon Canal, 26, 38-45, 121

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, 46

Lancaster Canal, 26, 124

Languedoc Canal, 14

Leeds and Liverpool Canal, 120, 135

Leicester and Swinnington Railway, 29

Lift at Anderton, 122-123

Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 21, 23-26, 28

Liverpool merchants, petition from, 25-26

Local taxation, 9-10, 139, 145-146

Locks, 32, 33, 43, 50, 66, 120-121, 127

London and North-Western Railway Company, 37, 46, 48-49, 59-71

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company, 128

London County Council, 5

Loughborough Canal, 26, 27, 29

Macclesfield Canal, 46

Manchester and Bury Canal, 46

Manchester Ship Canal, 133

McAdam, J. L., 12-13

Mechanical haulage, 49-50, 121-122, 130-131

Meiklejohn, Professor, 97

Mersey and Irwell Navigation, 13, 15, 21, 24

Mersey Harbour Board, 5

Midland Railway, 30, 37, 67, 83

Mining operations and canals, 46, 65-66, 126-127

Mississippi, the, 111-117

Monmouthshire Canal, 26, 45

Morrison, Mr, 27-28

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln Railway Company (Great Central), 46

Municipalisation schemes, 4-8, 135

Nationalisation of canals, 4, 10, 135

Neath Canal, 26

North British Railway, 53

North-Eastern Railway, 149

Old Union Canal, 26

Oxford Canal, 26

Packhorse period, the, 12, 16, 18

Paddington Canal, 18-19

Physical conditions, 11, 96-99, 119

Political conditions, 100-102

Principle, questions of, 9-11

Private enterprise, 9, 106, 142

Profits on canals, 15, 16, 21, 26, 27

Public trusts, 4-6

Pumping machinery, 42-43, 63

_Quarterly Review_, 17-22, 111

Railways, position of companies as ratepayers, 7-8; cost of railway construction and operation, 9-10; effect on railway rates, 10; advent of, 17-22; Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 21, 25, 28; Leicester and Swinnington Railway, 29; Midland Railway, 30; Great Northern Railway, 31; attitude of canal companies towards, 35-38; control of canals, 38-56, 57-73; railways in Germany, 100-102; in France, 102; recommendations, 145-146

Ratepayers, liability of, 7-8, 137

Rates, regulation of, on railways and canals, 27-28

Regents Canal, 129

Rennie, 124

Road-motors, 149

Rochdale Canal, 26, 120, 132

Ross, Mr A., 45-47

Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways, 62

Sandars, Mr Joseph, 21, 23-25, 34, 75

Saner, Mr J. A., 38, 67, 129

Sankey Brook and St Helen's Canal, 46

Saunders, Mr H. J., 39, 44

Select Committee on Canals (1883), 37

Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation, 46

Shropshire Union Canal, 47-50, 69-72, 120

Somerset Coal Canal, 40

Speed, 122, 131

Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, 26

Stalbridge, Lord, 86

Stephenson, George, 30

Stephenson, Robert, 30

Stourbridge Extension Canal, 45

"Strangulation" theory, 55, 143

Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, 45

Swansea Canal, 26, 45

Taxpayers, how affected, 3, 5, 137

Telford, 124

Thames and Severn Canal, 123

Thames steamboat service, 5

Thomas, Mr G. C., 39

Thwaite, Mr, 125

Trade, changes in, 11, 40-42, 52-54, 61, 74-92, 133-134

Traders, advice to, 146-147

Trent and Mersey Navigation, 16, 26, 27, 49, 69, 72, 122, 123

Troops, transport of, by canal, 18-19

Tunnels, canal, 123

Ulrich, Herr Franz, 97

United States, waterways in, 104-118

Vernon-Harcourt, Mr L. F., 135

Walker, Colonel, F. N. T., 5

Water-supply for canals, 24, 32, 33, 42-43, 62-64, 66, 77, 99, 127-130

Wheeler, Mr W. H., 99

Widenings, 66, 70, 71

Wilts and Berks Canal, 40

Worcester and Birmingham Canal, 26, 120, 123, 132

WORKS BY EDWIN A. PRATT

THE TRANSITION IN AGRICULTURE

_Crown 8vo. 350 pp. Illustrations and Plans. 5s. net._

"A book of great value to all interested in farming. Discusses, as correctly as possible, the hopeful development of subsidiary branches of agriculture, the prospects of co-operation, and the principles on which small holdings may be increased."--_The Outlook._

THE ORGANIZATION OF AGRICULTURE

_Cheaper and Enlarged Edition. Paper covers. 1s. net._

"The first impression produced on the mind of the thoughtful reader by a perusal of Mr Pratt's book is that, in one form or another, agricultural co-operation is inevitable.... To attempt to stand against the pressure of cosmopolitan conditions is as futile as Mrs Partington's attempt to keep back the Atlantic with a mop."--_Guardian._

RAILWAYS AND THEIR RATES

WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE BRITISH CANAL PROBLEM

_Cheap Edition. Paper Covers. 1s. net._

"A valuable book for railwaymen, traders, and others who are interested, either theoretically or practically, in the larger aspect of the economic problem of how goods are best brought to market."--_Scotsman._

OUR WATERWAYS

A HISTORY OF INLAND NAVIGATION CONSIDERED AS A BRANCH OF WATER CONSERVANCY

By URQUHART A. FORBES Of Lincoln's Inn, Barrister-at-Law; AND W. H. R. ASHFORD

_With a Map especially prepared to illustrate the book. Demy 8vo. 12s. net._

"The history of these canals and waterways, and of the law relating to them, is clearly set forth in the excellent work. Should become _the_ standard work of reference upon the subject."--_The Standard._

MUNICIPAL TRADE

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES RESULTING FROM THE SUBSTITUTION OF REPRESENTATIVE BODIES FOR PRIVATE PROPRIETORS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS

By Major LEONARD DARWIN

Author of "Bimetallism."

_Demy 8vo. 12s. net._

"This work should be carefully studied, for there cannot be a better guide to the understanding and solution of a difficult problem."--_Local Government Chronicle._

MODERN TARIFF HISTORY SHOWING THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF TARIFFS IN GERMANY FRANCE, AND THE UNITED STATES

By PERCY ASHLEY, M.A.

Lecturer at the London School of Economics in the University of London

With an Introduction by the Rt. Hon. R. B. HALDANE, LL.D., K.C., M.P.

_Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d. net._

"... A careful, fair, and accurate review of the modern fiscal history of three countries."--_Times._

LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, PRUSSIA, AND THE UNITED STATES

By PERCY ASHLEY, M.A.

THE BRITISH TRADE YEAR-BOOK COVERING THE 25 YEARS 1880-1904, AND SHOWING THE COURSE OF TRADE

By JOHN HOLT SCHOOLING

_With 191 tables, each containing several sections of British or of International Trade. 46 Diagrams and various abstract Tables. 10s. 6d. net._

This is the ONLY BOOK that shows the COURSE OF TRADE.

"We believe, after careful examination, that Mr Schooling has dealt in a strictly honest and impartial fashion with the material at his disposal. Readers of the book cannot fail to get much insight into the course of trade from Mr Schooling's clear-sighted methods."--_Times._

THE PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF TAXATION

By G. ARMITAGE SMITH

Principal of Birkbeck College.

_Crown 8vo. 5s._