Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-04
WORK ON MISSOURI RIVER
Commission Makes Report to Congress on
Its Final Efforts.
PERMANENT CHANNEL FOR THE BIG MUDDY
Much Good Has Been Accomplished
Already Through the Policy
of Protection of Banks
Adopted by Engineers.

The annual report Of the Missouri River
commission for the fiscal year ending last
June has just come from the government
printing ONCE and is of more than passing
interest from the fact that the commission
says that by reason of the repeal Of the
law creating the commission this Is the
last annual report, and for this reason,
probably, the commissioners give a short
resume Of the history of the commission
from its organization, July 8, 1884, and a
brief outline of the policy Of the commits
sion since that time. On the latter point
II says;
Thu policy may be stated, in a few words.
to be a continuous, progressive control OF
the river, contracting 1t where necessary,
giving the channel proper direction and Sc
part Of the river in the first reach, where
continuous work was done, under what Is
called systematic Improvement, the results
reached were remarkable. A continuous
channel of not less than six feet depth at
low water was obtained In a stretch OF
about tr, a9psyI1y on. m nj the o wo T,ye par qs OF Tf tse
Usage. In addition to his forming. of a
much land protected from destruction by
the river. To Illustrate this, II may be
stated that in the distance Of only eighteen
miles In the vicinity of Jefferson City the
area of new land formed by the rectifca:
ton works amounted to $500 4, sG re .c and
the area OF ldnu pToleCteu was AS,oO 800
acre the sum Of ssl5' 900. or over $4,000
per mile of river, was added to the wealth
of the country as incidental 10 the I'M
provement of navigation.
Importance of the Work.
suits would be obtained on the whole river,
from it's mouth tc Sioux City, a distance
OF 500 miles, under a thorough. systematic
The river flows along OF through seven
states. with a length Of over 2,4Oo miles.
Between Sioux sS6 Gity ana i hSr5 m1sth, oT q ais
counties. In these forty-six counties the
population aggregates ~i.47Sy57O, and on its
Including one city Of over 10000. two of
5000. 1900, 5000 and 5000 respectively,
10000, hye OF more than $500 and less than
5000 and twenty, Of more than So and
iess man sIms 49, S,nciept FOR Channels Of not
less than Ave feet depth at sioux City, and
eight 10 ten feet at the mouth. =,
II the amount OF its existing commerce Is
to be Ifsed as the measure OF its WORTH.
ness for Improvement, II might as well, as
has been factiously proposed, be wiped on
its capacity for improvement and the pos
sibiiities Of its use as a highway for cheal
transportau9n TOT a Ven iares 9st fa0 SSii
considered, Its worthinsss takes high rank
Protest Against Policy.
Running through the entire report there
is a protest against the policy pursued b.
congress in the matter OF the improvement
OF the river. In the opening paragraph thu
commission says: Unfortunately for thu
improvement, the commission for thu
greater part Of the time OF its existence haI
not been permitted to carry out it's policy
except with such limited amounts Of tn
yearly appropriations as to render progress
exceedingly slow" And more than once 1
speaks in the same vein, particularly whei
It refers to congressional action which re
Quired the commission to extend specihI
sums from the annual appropriation 70
work at certain points, far removed and en-
tireiy disconnected from the systemsti
work Of the commission referred to above
These specific expenditures, It admits, Wer
sometimes necessary, but should have bee
provided for outside OF the regular appro
priation of the commission, because tn
scattering Of the work required an add
tional expense in the employment OF super
intendents. clerks and operation of dis
tinct plants, which extra expense has bee
paid from the funds otherwise available 70
; systematic work. II closes its protei
against the action Of congress by saying:
Congress created the commission with IN
J supposed purpose OF making an extensiv
and effective improvement OF the rive
The commission has carried out this pui
pose with seal and with fidelity TO the q