Vízügyi Közlemények, 1936 (18. évfolyam)

Kivonatok, mellékletek - Kivonat a 2. számhoz

THE FURTHERANCE OF OUR TRAFFIC BY WATER, AND THE WATERWAYS. By E. SAJÓ.f (In the Hungarian text pages 117—133.) In Hungary the period of flood control and drainage works, lasting nearly one century, has been succeeded by that of water utilisation. Among the problems therefrom arising, the furtherance of traffic by water and the waterways is coming more and more into prominence. In the past there was a harmful competition between navigation and railways, and this resulted in a want of suitable stations where goods could be transferred. Our great programme for constructing waterways was suspended by the outbreak of the world-war, when only the canalisation of the Bega river had been accomplished. All over the world the great war drew attention to the importance of navigation, and in all States an intensive activity in the development of waterMays began. As regards waterways, conditions in Hungary are very favourable. Owing to the exceedingly small slopes, the costs of constructing one kilometre of artificial waterway are perhaps nowhere in the world lower than in this country ; for this reason the profitableness of the investment is secured with even a comparatively small traffic. A powerful motive for developing waterways is the fact that, in contrast with railways, our products can freely reach both western and eastern markets on the Danube, which has been declared international. Besides, about 75% of the construction costs falls to wages, which gives it a special sociological significance. These circumstances induced the Government to build the new commercial and industrial harbour at Budapest, the traffic of which has gradually increased in excess of expectation. In the immediate future it will above all be necessary to utilise as fully as possible the existing network of communication ; for this purpose adequate connections between waterways and railways must be secured by establishing stations where goods can be transferred. The question of the Danube

—Tisza-Canal has also to be studied, because it would interconnect our two main rivers, the Danube and the Tisza, which have been separated from each other ever since the peace treaty of Trianon, and would shorten the westward route for our most important agricultural products by 645 kilometres. The lucrative character of this canal is secured by the fact that about 1000 km of waterways of the Tisza and its tributaries will he inserted into the international traffic. Act XLIX of 1908 already declared this