These are only a few of the larger items and there are a great many more of nearly equal importance with those cited above. There has also been shipped out in farm and dairy products for the year ending 1908 from
| Linn county | 1,980,218 pounds | |
| Cedar county | 733,708 pounds | |
| Benton county | 451,297 pounds | |
| Black Hawk county | 1,032,444 pounds | |
| Buchanan county | 1,980,218 pounds |
These are a few of the items from the counties which are tributory to this river.
For the year 1907 I will mention the yield of a few cereals in counties adjoining the Cedar river, to-wit:
| Buchanan county | 1,942,750 bushels corn | 1,011,000 bushels oats |
| Benton county | 3,686,100 bushels corn | 1,842,800 bushels oats |
| Linn county | 3,851,500 bushels corn | 1,166,160 bushels oats |
| Johnson county | 3,415,170 bushels corn | 1,231,100 bushels oats |
| Cedar county | 3,211,230 bushels corn | 804,500 bushels oats |
Say nothing of hay, potatoes, barley, wheat, rye and other products.
Such a water course would also offer inducement to manufacturing concerns for the manufacture of cereals, etc., which are shipped out in carload lots daily, as well as grain which is cleaned here and sent out to other cities. This will give you somewhat of an idea, not only of the value and productiveness of Iowa soil, but to show the chances of such a water way by which freight products could be handled at a much lower rate than at present, as we have here the same freight rate as they have at Council Bluffs, and by this means we would get the Mississippi rate, which is much less. Such a water way would open up the heart of the corn and oats belt of Iowa and make it possible to get the water rate on large shipments of freight. If the government is now urging a water way enterprise, surely the Cedar river should not be overlooked, for it is a large body of water, with a rich adjoining territory, and by government promotion could be made the carrier of all our products which, as above set out, means millions in bushels annually.
It is not likely that the freight shipped into our city would come by water, as it is generally of a kind which is wanted quickly, but there is no question but that the products of our farmers, and all our mills and factories, would be sent by water, on account of cheaper rates to better markets than now.
It is only when I visited other countries and studied transportation from cities in England, Holland, Belgium, France and Germany that I realized the small rivers of those countries which have been used for centuries to such an advantage for the carriage of freight. For instance, a river of any size is dredged to a certain depth at government expense; there is a uniform depth of a little better than three feet of water on many of these rivers, and on these bodies of water barges of not less than 1,000 tons pass up and down loaded with freight. This means cheaper freight rates than we have and this in consequence makes products cheaper to the consumer and higher for the producer. Canada, during the past few years, has spent millions of dollars on its rivers and canals, and it is money wisely spent; while we have spent little or nothing in any effort to help the people in the promotion of water ways, which will be the real source of competition in freight rates in the future.
I fully believe that the survey of the Cedar should be made, and I believe that if such a survey is made that this stream will be declared navigable, and that the state or nation will step in in order to make definite plans for financing this great enterprise for the carrying on of freight steamers, carrying cargoes as far as the Mississippi, and I believe that enough tariff exists now to warrant such an enterprise. The Cedar river is an important factor now for the purpose of furnishing power, and should also become a factor in transportation as well. This would be the case provided the river would be improved as demanded, which would result in re-establishing heavy freight traffic by water instead of as now wholly by rail.