The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-12
SUSPICION OF J0BBERY.
THREE ITEMS IN Tbs HARBOR BILL
IN DISPUTE.

TEey are the Portage Lake, Green
Barren and Ohio River Proiects-A
Brief History of Each-A Warning
From the President Which the
House Conferees Heed.
WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE conferees on
the river and harbor bill held another meet
ing to-day, and came to an agreement on
all but three items These are the Portage
lake, the Green Barren and the improve
ment of the Ohio river at Pittsburg projects
All three of these items were added to the
bill by the Senate, and are now being
strenuously opposed by the house conferees
All three OF them involve the purchase Of
| locks and canals from private corporations,
and all will probably stand or fall together
in conference
The Portage lake project contemplates
the purchase for 5000 of two canals
with locks which connect Lake Portage
with Lake Superior. Lake Portage lies in
the center of thet part of Michigan known
as KewAna point, and with the two canals
in question makes water way across the
| point that is twenty-five miles shorter be-
tween Buffalo and Duluth than the route
around the point. The improvements are
owned by the Portage and Lake Superior
| ship canal company, who estimate their
value at 100000. Or course the company
has monopoly which it wishes to turn
over to the government.
THE GREEN-BARREN SCHEME.
The improvement IN the Green and
Barren rivers in Kentucky, which consist
| of four locks and dams, are controlled by a
| private corporation, and were secured by a
| lease from the state. The lease expires in
! 1899. The business of the two streams is
carried on by this corporation, which cut
| off all competition by putting the lockage
| tolls up so high that outsiders were unable
to put their boats in for a share of it,
| AT the time the contract went into effect q
great hardship was entailed on the people
| living along the two rivers, who had no
other means of reaching market, OF more
recent years however, the building of rail
roads has greatly relieved the situation and
| now the monopoly enjoyed by the COM
pany is not so profitable. The government
is asked to buy the unexpired lease for
| $135,O00 and open the rivers to free com
merce
If the government should take this step it
will of course be obliged to keep the locks
and dams in repair and make annual ap-
preparations for that purpose,
PITTSBURG's PLEA.
|
gard to the contemplated Improvement of
the Ohio river at Pittsburg. While the
| river and harbor bill was under conSiGera-
| ton In the house an amendment was in
| serted appropriating something over $780,
| 600 for the purpose of purchasing lock No.
| z, on the Monongahela river, belonging to
the Monongahela navigation company
| This was in accordance with plan already
| inaugurated to make the navigation of this
|
locks, one having already been bought
| by the government in previous
river and harbor bill, and every coal barge
| passing down the river was compelled to
pay toll at each lock to the company. When
the bill reached the Senate the Monongahela
navigation company succeeded in inducing
Senator Quay to offer substitute for this
proposition. This substitute, which was
adopted, appropriated Sl0O 900 for the pur-
chase of sites for three movable dams to
be constructed on tine Ohio river, and like
amount to begin the building of the dams.
OBJECT OF THE WORK
The object of this work is to make the
| Ohio navigable at all seasons of the year
The house cOnferees object to this substi-
tute on the ground that the total cost of
| this new work would be far more expen-
| sive than has yet been shown, and also
because the purchase of the Monongahela
locks, which has already commenced should
be completed and will be of much more
practical benefit to the people of that sec
tion of the country in relieving them from
the grasp of a grinding monopoly than
would the proposition of Senator Quay.
The house conferees think they see a Job
in all these projects and are fighing them
vigorously. They are doing this with all
the more vigor in view of the Presidents
declaration that he would not tolerate bill
that smacked at all of jobbery.