The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-14
RIVER AND HARBOR APPROPRIA-
TIONS.

A pamphlet recently issued in the interest
Of New York harbor Improvement throws
some interesting light on river and harbor
Improvements in general. Few persons
have any idea of the vast amount of money
the government has expended for this pur-
pose, and fewer still have any idea where
it has been expended, and, as to much Of it,
how useessly. 1t is of course, the duty of
the government to improve it's rivers and
harbors in such way as to promote the
interests Of commerce, but the history of
our so-called river and harbor improve
ments shows that large proportion Of the
appropriations have gone to promote local
interests or those of local politicians. AS
New York is beyond comparison the most
important port of entry in the country and
for more than generation past has fur
nished considerably more than half of the
entire customs revenue of the country, it
goes without saying that its harbor should
be developed and improved to the utmost
extent required by the interests of COM
merce. Yet the facts show that other har-
bors and some rivers of comparatively little
Importance have had proportionately
great deal more money spent upon them
than has been spent on the great national
gateway of our foreign commerce Careful
compilation and analysis of the appropria-
tions made by Congress during the hundred
years from 1880 to 1890 shows that during
that period New York got only one-half of
one cent out of every dollar appropriated,
as compared with 991z cents spent the
rest of the country. When it is considered
that during the last forty years Of the
period named more than two-thirsis of the
customs revenues of the government were
collected at New York her share Of the APP
preparations for harbor improvenle nts APP
pears ridiculously small. The figures seem
to show that the average Congress has very
peculiar ideas in regard to putting money
where it will do the most good. AS a
sample case of recklessness in appropria-
tions and unbusiness-like methods, take the
following:
The Kentucky river is a tributary of the
Ohio, and emptieS into it at Carrolton, KY.
The object of its Improvement was to re-
pair five locks and dams built by the State
of Kentucky, and to extend slack water
navigation for q draught of six feet, by the
construction of twelve add tional locks and
dams, to Three Forks, a distance of 261
miles from the mouth of the river. There
has been appropriated to date for the inn
provement of the Kentucky river $l,673,00O
and further allotments. amounting to $685.
l5515. have been made for operating and
keeping in repair the locks and dams.
The tonnage of the Kentucky river for the
year 1896 was $780, 1856 tons, with an estimated
value of s., 1863, 246 This includes all the COM
merce of the river both up and down. The
commerce passing the locks on this stream
amounts to about 130,150 tons annually, vai-
ued at 81, 43l 600, while the cost of maintain
ing tine system has averaged $4,000 per
annum. The total value of foreign Imports
and domestic exports of New York for the
year 1895 was 1914, 391, 9SS. three hundred
times the value of the Kentucky river ton
mage for the same year, and yet the harbor
of New York has received from the federal
provements only 81 252 5O0 as against
81. 2S1 155 for the Kentucky river. The river
and harbor act Of June g. 1896, provided for
the completion of the present project of the
Improvement of the Kentucky river at a
cost of 81 $4,000, exclusive of the amounts
heretofore expended. This will bring the
s., $50 1856 including the cost of operating and
maintenance. If the cost of operating and
maintaining increases in the same ratio as
the locks increase in number, this cost viii
be about $4,000 per annum when all the
locks and dams, seventeen in number, and
all the other improvements contemplated by
the expenditure of this $l349,c00 appropria-
ton shall have been completed. When this
last appropriation shall have been expended
the Improvement and maintenance and
operation up TO So, 900.
But even after expending this sum, the
government must, in order TO derive any
use of the Improvement and get any benefit
from the expenditure, continue to eXpend
annually $4,000 for maintenance and oper
ating the locks and dams.
This is only one of scores of cases in
which large sums of money have been
appropriated and expended without any
national benefit and with very little
local benefit beyond strengthening a
few sitting members of Congress in
their districts. So far as New York
is concerned, 1t must at least be adj
mitted that the improvement of it's harbor
is a matter of national Importance. The
lesson of the appropriation bills is that Con-
gress should spend less money where it does
little or no good and more where it is
needed and would be of national eenefit.
Several uevspapers in the East have as