The San Francisco call., 1896-01-16
THE EVENING SESSION.
Memorial to Congress Praying for
Comprehensive System of River
improvement Adopted.

iLD pI ONSHl6TC AOOpteQa
The convention met in the evening and
settled down to a discussion of the i'm
provement of rivers, and mainly those
waterways affected by slickens
The memorial committee, through Rob
ert 7. Devlin, presented the following re.
port:
To the Senate and House of Representatives OF
the United Stdtes-The River and Harbor Con-
vention, composed of the City and County of
san francisco and OF the counties of Colusa
Yuba, Sutter, Yolo, Sacramento, Tehama So
noma, Solano, Santa Clara Alameda and Marin,
IN nth biennial convention assembled, respect
tully memorialize you as follows:
The Improvement of the navigable waters of
Northern and Central California constitutes
the most important question engaging the at
tention of the people of the State. These water
channels extend over a thousand miles in ex-
tent and afford q cheap means of transporta-
ton for the products OF the fertile valleys that
they drain. From various causes their nayfga-
bflity has been decreased, and as q consequence
those who would benefit by their improvement
have suffered. They are capable of extension
at small outlay of money so as to bring With N
the range of advantage large portions of the
State now inaccessible by water navigation.
The Government has never given the matter
the attention it deserved and the necessity
for Immediate action by Congress is impera-
tive. Even in their present imperfect stage
the cheepened transportation afforded by them
affects the price of large part of the products
OF California, and has an effect also ON the
railroad rates from other parts of the State not
possessing the immediate benefit of water
transportation. The neglect of these nAvigable
waters should no longer in justice continue
Beside this question of their improvement all
other questions affecting the welfare of Cali
fornia pale into comparative insignificance
Reports made by Government engineers
now on file, show both their Importance in a
commercial sense and the necessity for their
improvement. The low price now prevailing
for all the products OF the farm and orchard
demand that these waters shall be SO i'm
proved as to become common highways for the
veloped resources of California that await only
the means OF cheap water transportation to
spring into life are immense and valuable
Wise statesmanship requires that every effort
should be used to secure this result.
Partial surveys have been made OF the rivers
and of the bay OF San Francisco. and these
should be continued. Without citing statistics
it will be sufficient to say that the saving now
rates, as compared with those prevailing by
rail, amount to the producers of the State to
more than 100000 per annum, and by their
further improving this saving could be doubled
continuous prosperity OF California that these
waters should receive that attention from Con-
gress that their Importance, viewed from the
standpoint of commerce and agricultu ture de-
mand We call your attention particularly to
the reports of Federal engineers on file at WASH
ington, and ask, in addition to the recon-
mendations for improvement therein con-
tanned, to extend the work still further. We
particularly pray that this matter of improve
ment of the waterways of California may not
be conducted on the patchwork system that
hitherto has been observed, but that the Gov
ernment VIII adopt complete system for their
improvement, and that whatever mey be done
shall be done as u part OF a comprehensive plan
under the contract system.
We desire to remind you of the vast sums
paid by California into the Federal treasury