The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-02-19

The sundry civil appropriation bill,
kind Of an omnibus appropriation bill, as
it were. has been brought forward for
this session. Probably the most i'm
portant item in It, that is so far as New
England is concerned, is that of $780,
900 for the Improvement of Boston har-
Dor in " hivh or course all New Eng
land and the whole country, for that
matter, is vitality interested.
Congressman Barrett Of Massachu-
sets, during the incumbency Of this his
first congress, BY virtue of his being the
only New England member on the very
important committee of rivers and har-
bOrs, has devoted his especial attention
to this matter, and his efforts have been
ably seconded by the Boston merchants,
and the combined work of all concerned
has given ne Boston harbor inDrove-
ment a decided impetus lately.
The river and harbor bill passed at the
last session of the present congress pro-
Vided for the completion of a project
in Boston harbor to widen and deepen the
main ship channel, to cost when COM
pleted some $4,000, 00o The money for
this work VIII be appropriated regularly
by the sundry civil appropriation bill in
sums of 500, 900 each ear, the law pro-
viding that the secretary of war shall
not obligate the government for a larger
sum OH any one project during any one
year. The initial appropriation, how
ever, in the pending appropriation bill
is the means of inaugurating the great
work and in the cours" of a few years
its manifold advantage to Boston har-
hOr and all other New England interests
will of coure be strikir.gly apparent.
Other New England places are we'll
treated in the pending bill, too. Brock
ton, Mass, gets 900 for her public
building; Portland, Me-, and Rock and
Me, both get 100000 for the completion
of the harbOr Improvements in those
cities; Providence river and Narragan-
sett bay, r. l., gets $125,000 for the i'm
provements now being made there;
while a number of smaller and less i'm
portant items are scattered through
the bill.
The bill as reported by the house COM
mittee originally appropriated $50,664,-
74S. This is $8,1l1,06S less than the esti-
mates, and $1S,6l4, 80 more than the APP
prOpriatiOns for the current year; ST.
529, 053 of the appropriation is for car
rying out river and harbor contracts
and $4,072,79 for public buildings. The
bill was amended to quite a large extent
i'll the house, and will be altered trifie
in the senate, as well as in conference;
but it is safe to say that the measure,
when it finally reaches Mr.. Cleveland
and becomes a law, will provide for the
disbursement of some $50, 900, 900 for the
benefit of the people of the country.
Nothing could be more advantageous
to the people of Boston and New Eng
land than the improvement of Boston
harbor. The great avenues of commerce
are the lifeblood of the nation, and Bos- |
ton, as the second largest port in the
Uunited States, certainly should have |
adequate facilities for the transaction of
her commercial business. The business
men of Boston are deeply aware of this |
fact and together with Congressman |
Barrett they hope to soon have Boston's |
harbor in as good a shape for the carry
ing on of Boston and New England's
commerce as is now the case with any /
great commercial port in the world.
Another impetus will be given this |
matter in the completion of a drydock .
at the Charlestown navy yard,a project |
which the business men of Boston and |
Congressman Barrel It have taken up
with renewed vigor lately. The selection /
of John D. Long of Massachusetts as
NcKinley's secretary of the navy, under |
whom all such work is done, is a very de-
sirable thing to hasten matters along .
in this line. A suitable drydock at BOs-
ton would bring renewed commercial ac-
tivity to Biston and New England, and |
1t is hoped that in the very near future
of In this direction will h. ]