The sun., 1899-02-02
FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS.
THE HOUSE BEGINS THE CONSIDER
4TION or THE BIG BILL.

nIe, ,Soo.e49 to Re Expended in the Next
Fiscal Year-SI7,i1O,539 Authorized ia
he Expended Under the Contract system
Mr.. Hepburn of Iowa Criticises the Bili.
WAsHIHGToN. Feb. THE House to-day
went into Committee OF the Whole TO cons sider
the River and Harbor bill
Mr.. Burton tRep.. o.. Chairman OF the Com
naittce on Rivers and Harbors. opened the de-
bate. Ho said that the committee had pre-
sented to II for consideration projects the ca
tin1ated cost OF which was S2OO,OOOOOO Of
these the committee recommend that the con-
ntruction Of S3O.OOO.UOO Of them he entered
upon. The amount to he expended In the
next nscal year was Sl2. .5O0G4p; conditlonally
appropriated. S77O.OOO; amount authorized to
be expended in the future under the continu-
ing contract system. S11llO53n. In select
tnR the projects to be carried cut the commit
tee had thought it best TO take those where
commerce had already been developed and
which needed additional facilities rather than
70 make small dribblng appropriations over
large series OF works lie pleaded that no
changes be made IN the bill or amendments
offered to IT, SO far as II went. ho said. II was
sym metrica and Just 10 all sections OF tho
country. II any changes were made there
was no point ut which halt could be called
until "a much more as the bill now carries
had been added to IT,
MI MOON NDen., Ienn.) gave notice That he
would move to increase the appropriation for
Improving the Tennessee River between Chat
tanooGa and Riverton from S35,0OO to $780,
900. in accordance with the recommendation
OF the engineers and the policy OF the commit
; tee as announced bY AIr. Burton,
MI Hepburn ikep., Ia entertained the COM
pittee with speech against the hill lie said
me would approve bill that appropriated for
great rivers of the country but 1t was the uI-
ferior purposes covered In the bill that he oh.
s1eGted TO and which made It unsavory., He
asked Chairman Burton to state il he did not
know OF appropriations to improve sites occu-
pied by private persohsand make them access-
that the appropriation Of S25OOOO to dredge
channel from Galveston lIarbor to Texas
City was for the benefit Of an Ohio capitalist
who had located at Texas City. established n
factory and opened two stores and wanted the
merce. The appropriation had oeen urged
,i,rs ne said by 6y an attorney from Cleveland With
subject of the bill, Hepburn told OF the expert
: ences enc OF a man WHO took boat up its tortu-
Tore he could turn turn around. @ d. Owe Over i hei &c" Of
ffhe, money carried in the bill. Mr.. Hepburn
said was devoted TO projects for the improve
were unknown outside the immediate loca-
sies 1t WAS this that made the bill SO un-
Mr., shattpc ,,Gep.. o.J-How many items have
Vou In the hill'
SET Mr SahStttGcnrh9t a.ntnrn 't 1 accounts for t.
tn6 DllI, IL mas rivers 1naknlllCpnt |
IN width and depth compared with many that |
She bill proposes 10 improve.
'HWhon the appropriation for the Fast channel |
IN New York harbOr was reached. Mr.. Fischer |
tHep.. n. y moved an amendment directing |
that the dredgingS from the channel be de- /
poslted on Homer Shoals Lost, 10 10 ~
MIR; Fischer moved to appropriate SlOO.OOO |
Tor the continued Improvement of Bay Ridge. !
Red Hook and Buttermilk channels
MIR. Burton said that ample provision had !
n 6een made, for these channels in the Act of
that, they should wait further improvement !
until the channel to the sea had been COM
pleted. The amendment was lost
Inc paragraph apprOpriaIing S25O.OOO for
DeglnnlnR the construction Of channel be-
tween Galveston and Texas City was stricken
from the bill.
Mr.. Often rep. Wis., made an earnest but
unsuccessful effort TO secure SlO.OOO for car
ry1ng on the improvement OF the harhor at
South Milwaukee Mr. Ouen's chief obstacle
was the failure OF the Engineer Corps to rec
ommend the work.
, The old Santa Monica and San Pedro har-
bor light was recalled in motion by Mr. Bar
low (Pop.. Cal y to appropriate S}42. 900 for i'm
Rrovement OF the inner harbor at San Pedro
He made gallant tight. but the committee re-
fused to sunDort him.
Ihe committee rejected all amendments
proposed to the 'ill save the one relating to
She IeNas City channel. and after disposing OF i
uIty or the eghty-SiX pages of the bill, rose |
and the House adjourned.