New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-16
4 PROBLEM TO BE FACED.

The future of the New-York canals must soon
be definitely determined The State cannot long
continue TO drift or temporiZe We must face
the situation frankly, say that we think water
ways are out of date and abandon them, or else
enter upon a policy of adequate improvement
The question is one which, under our conSt1tu
ton, must be decided by the people, and moth
ing is TO be gained by delaying vote upon II
beyend the time necessary to formulate a clear
and comprehensive plan to bring the canals up
TO modern requirements. This ought to be done
by consent of both parties. Politicians have not
unnaturally been timid about initiating any
plan which opponents could take advantage of
as political issue. 1t is not, however, politi-
cal matter, and by mutual agreement the people
should be allowed to settle the question without
any attempt TO saddle upon any party the re-
sponsibiiity for proposals which must be the
work of engineering and commercial experts, or
any attempt in the name of party to dragon
voters to accept or reject those proposals.
The friends of canals are themselves largely
responsible for the public Indifference toward
the Improvement of the waterways, They
fooled the people the last time they got them to
vote on the question They asked for an i'm
provement which they said would be adequate
to modern needs and would cost S9.0000oO
Before the vote was taken they knew the work
would cost much more. When the S9,0oO,oUo
had been spent, and the people had discovered
this, they were quite as much disguised over
the deception over the bad management ana
extravaganza in the prosecution of the improve
ment. After the suspension of that work there
was no agreement among the friends of canals
on what they wanted. Some wanted a canal
which would bring lake vessels to Newly rk.
Others wanted one thousand ton barge canal,
variously estimated TO cost from S600O00O0 TO
SS0001000 Still others wanted to carry ont
the original plan. which was half done when the
appropriations were exhausted. Under such
circumstances it is not strange that politicians
and persons who were not experts were too
much puzzled 10 know what to do. Then last
winter, when Governor Odell in his efforts to
solve the problem proposed compromise a
plan for one thousand ton barge locks and the
completion of the prism as formerly designed,
the canal men, instead of standing by their con-
victions and saying that this would not give the
carrying capacity absolutely necessary, pre-
tended that they thought it would do fairly well
and tried TO secure the passage of such
measure. They now say they were glad it was
defeated, for such canal would have been n
disappointment and of no real benefit to New
York.
a majority of the people of this State, we be-
lieYe, favor canals. They are disposed to make
any improvement which they can be convinced
is necessary for the prosperity of the common
wealth, can be built for a sum settled before
hand. and will not be mere makeShift needing
further enlargement as soon as it is completed.
The people are sceptical on these points, and
they have had reason TO be- The canal men
represented by the Canal Association of Greater
New-York have come to appreciate this, and
have settled upon plan which. they say, rep
resents all they want and no more than they
need They propose the building of the one thou
sand ton barge canal recommended after much
study by the Greene commission. The latest
estimates fix the cost of such an improvement
at $50 600, and the association ASKS the next
legislature 10 submit such proposition TO the
people This is large expenditure; but the
exnerts who have been heard from on the sub
loot believe the Greene commissions plan TO be
tbe hest vet devised. They consider it not
merely much cheaper. but actually much better
for commerce than a larger canal, for ships,
which are many times as costly as barges. can
NOT afford to make slow canal trips and it is
to transfer carg0es. On the other
hand. they contend that a smaller canal would
not meet the needs of trade, secure low rates
IN NayrYark and restore our fast departing
prestige fhis is not the time to enter upon
detailed discussion of the worth of canals 10
New-York If they are worth anything, they
are worth maintaining at modern standards of |
efficiency Experts of high authority say such
a waterway as the Greene commission favored
meets that requirement better than any other,
and there seems TO be no sufficient reason for
besitatinp longer TO submit the difficult question
in that form TO the people for their final de-