Evening journal., 1900-12-21
APPROPRIATION
FOR DELAW Arb
Completed Bill Reported 10
The House To-day
Il Deals Literally With The River aud
Meets With Very Little OPP
position

Washington Dee. 2l-The River
and Harb0r Committee put I'm O long
and hard days work yesterday on the
River and Harbor BILL and instructed
Chairman Burton to report It 70 the
House this afternoon The aggregate
amount OF the bill Is $4,000. 600. The
bill as originally drafted by the COM
mittee footed up S7S.Q00,000. This was
perhaps a little over one-sixth of the
grand total recommended for river
and harbor work by the government
engineers. The aggregate amount sug-
lgested for expenditures In the engineer
reports this year for pending and pro-
iected improvements amounts 10 about
Si0O 100000.
LITTLE OPPOSITION LOOKED FOR.
It is expected that In the main the
bin viii be acceptable TO both branches
lof Congress. IL Will pass the House
with very little opposition. Mr.. Ache
s0n. of Pennsylvania, who is a mem
Iber OF the committee. said last night.
1--WE could pass a bill approprlating
/ 500. 100000 for river and harbor inn
lprovements. Not only Is the sentiment
Of Congress overwhelmingly In favor
OF liberal expenditures for improve
lmcnts of this character but the people
everywhere throughout the United
States are in favor OF Them The spirit
of expansion and progress is upon us.
and nothing will be permitted to stand
IN the way of our commercial upbuild-
ing and supremacy. / have not the
lslightest doubt that public opinion
would be quick TO sustain Congress In
q O .aIa.aH 20
river and harbor improvements
THE DELAWARE RIVER ITEMS
The bill deals literally with the
Delaware river. An appropriation Of
100000 Is made available with the
; beginning OF the next fiscal year for
d deepening to thirty feet a channel 600
. feet wide. and $2,4OO 600 is authorized
to be spent, under the continuous con.
tract system. as rapidly as the work
may be prosecuted The effect of this
viii be 10 enable the War Department
20 make contracts Immediately TO the
amount Of s3,00000O for this improve
mclt, and as soon as this amount has
? been expended for work accomplished
and accepted as satisfactory, the re-
mainder of the whole amount author
4
lpropriated for the completion of the
improvement. The committee has sat.
q isfed itself by consultation with the
army engineers that the bed Of the
q Delaware presents favorable cOndi-
r tons for the expenditure of the sums
D appropriated to deepen the channel
. because all the work that IS done q
. obtain a twenty-six foot channel tends
D by that much to aid In getting a thirty
foot channel. And the same is true OF
the conditions as deep as thirty feet.
The engineers state that after q
thirty foot channel is once obtained Il
will be a comparatively less costly
work to obtain thirty-six feet, in cas-.
. the commerce Of Philadelphia like that
OF New York or Boston. should de
mand further deepening. The action
Of the committee is regarded as one
u likely to receive the approval Of the
4 House and to become law, in which
n event the Delaware river improvement
e will hereafter take it's place in the
y Smdry Civil Appropriation bill as q
e continuing work, rather than a new
= or experimental one.