Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-12-22
TO HELP THE VALLEY.
Four-Foot Channel to Corvallis
and Free Lecks.

The following from metro
politan paper proves that the
commercial bodies of Portland
are waking up to a sense of true
conditions and are favorably in
clined to assist in the develop
ment of transportation on the
Willamette river from Corvallis
to Portland:
State OF Federal ownership of
the Oregon City locks and four
foot channel from Portland to
Corvallis are the results the
Board of Trade will seek to
realize during the next year.
The Importance of the two i'm
provements to the Willamette
valley has not been lost sight of
by the organization, and while
the progress which has been
made was known only to the
members OF the executive bodies,
a strong start has been given the
two movements. 1t is asserted
that the prospects are exception
ally bright for the introduction
of a measure at the next session
of the Oregon legislature, which
will have for its object the free
dom of the locks.
The legislative committee of
the board, which has not been
appointed for the ensuing year,
is to be formed with view to
handling the free locks question
in the best possible manner.
Strength will be gathered in the
valley, where the agitation is
paramount to anything else now
before the residents of the state,
and the combined help Of every
legislator is expected.
Wallis Nash, president of the
Board of Trade, is regarded a
strong man for that position, so
far as the lock question is con-
cerned, for he has enjoyed a
wide experience in the operation
of steamers on the upper Will
lamette, and his associates look
upon him as one thoroughly fa-
miliar with the needs of naviga-
tion on that part of the stream.
With the support Of President
Nash assured, the committees
work will be facilitated, SO that
when the legislature is convened
the matter will be in shape for
presentation.
sThe question OF open locks at
Oregon City came up yesterday
at the meeting of the Willamette
Valley Development League,
aud the general sentiment was
decidedly favorable to it, said
Mr.. Nash, reviewing the question
today. ssGovernor Chamberlain
expressed himself as convinced
that Federal or state ownership
was the proper remedy, and Cap
tain Graham, Of the Oregon City
Transportation Company, pre-
sented figures showing that since
the locks were completed the
owners had reaped from the state
at large the muni6cient sum of
IS, 900, 900. The company alone
pays an average of $Io, GOO a
year for the toll charges, and
this, of course, is in turn made
up by shippers and passengers.
Speaking of the channel between
this city and Corvallis, Captain
Graham said the steamboat men
had agreed that the wingdam
system was not to be compared
with the results obtained by
dredging, as it had been con-
Quoted during the past two sea
sons, and he thought a four-foot
channel was all that was needed.
'This is not all the board will
undertake to do in 1906, how
lever. We propose to organize
the different trades OF the city,
as associations or exchanges, SO
that each may help the other.
The next step to be presented
for the approval Of the executive
committee, is the question ol
holding open meetings every two
weeks, at which one of the II
permanent committees will have
charge. The committees repre-.
lsent different lines, and the body
under the auspices of which the
gatherings are conducted, vii
arrange for speakers, papers and
demonstrations on the particula,
subject to be treated. This sys
tenn promises to. be productive Q