Why it is difficult to say exactly how many miles of im……
TEXT D Water is the oldest form
of transport. The original sailing vessels were replaced by steamboats in the
early 1800s and by diesel power in the 1920s. A distinction is generally made
between deep-water and navigable inland water transport. Domestic commerce
centers on the Great Lakes, canals, and navigable rivers. In
1975 water transport accounted for 22.6 per cent of total inter-city tonnage.
Its relative share of inter-city tonnage was 31.3 per cent in 1947 and 31.7 per
cent in 1958. Tonnage declined to 27.9 per cent in 1965 but increased by 1970 to
28.4 per cent. This short- term increase did not stabilize. Market share dropped
by 5.8 per cent by 1975. Forecasted market share by 1985 is 18.4 per cent of
total inter-city tonnage. The water transport share of revenue has been less
than 2 per cent of inter-city freight revenue since 1955. The
exact miles of improved waterways in operation depend in part on whether coast-
wise and inter-coastal shipping are included. Approximately 26,000 miles of
improved inland waterways were operated in 1975. Fewer miles of improved inland
waterways exist than of any other transportation mode. The main
advantage of water transport is the capacity to move extremely large shipments.
Deep-water vessels are restricted in operation, but diesel-towed barges have a
fair degree of flexibility, in comparison to rail and highway, water transport
ranks in the middle with respect to fixed cost. The fixed cost of operation is
greater than that of motor carriers but less than that of railroads. The main
disadvantage of water is the limited degree of flexibility and the low speeds of
transport. Unless the source and destination of movement are adjacent to a
waterway, supplemental haul by rail or truck is required. The capability of
water to transport large tonnage at low variable cost places this mode of
transport in demand when low freight rates are desired and speed of transit is a
secondary consideration. Freight transported by inland water
leans heavily to mining and basic bulk commodities, such as chemicals, cement,
and selected agricultural products. In addition to the restrictions of navigable
waterways, terminal facilities for bulk and dry cargo storage and load-unload
devices limit the flexibility of water transport. Labor restrictions on loading
and unloading at dock level create operational problems and tend to reduce the
potential range of available traffic. Finally, a highly competitive situation
has developed between railroads and inland water carriers in areas where
parallel routings exist. Inland and Great Lakes water transport
will continue to be a viable alternative for future logistical system design.
The full potential of the St. Lawrence Seaway has not yet been realized with
respect to domestic freight. The slow passage of inland river transport can
provide a form of warehousing in transit if fully integrated into overall system
design. Improvements in ice-breaking equipment appear on the verge of
eliminating the seasonal limitations of water transport. Why it is difficult to say exactly how many miles of improved waterways are in operation
A．The most recent figure is for 1975 and the figure is declining. B．Water transport’s market share goes up and down frequently. C．So few miles of inland waterways exist that no one has bothered to count them. D．You must know whether to include coastwise and inter-coastal shipping in the figure.
