The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-26
President and PaTb VIII Soon
 Begin Noted Trip
MORE FACILITIES NEEDED
De. elopment of Country Has Exceeded Possibilities of Railway Traffic and Great Results Are Ex-
 pected of This Tour.

St. Paul. Mnn., September 25.-(Special) On Thursday, October 3, the members of the inland waterways commission will start from the port of St. Paul fer their first trip on the Mississippi river, to meet President Roosevelt at Eeokuk. It will be the largest gathering of men of prominence and power in public affairs Watch has ever occurred on the river. When President Roosevelt joins the party it will be the first time that Presi- dent of the United States has ever tray eled on the river for the purpose of learning of it's possibilities. The trip prom iscs important results, for on it's out come largely depends important river i'm provement work in the future.
 The party will meet in St. Paul on Thursday morning fer the down-river trip leaving on the government steamer McKensie named after the chief of en- gineers of the army who will be a mem Der of the party The other members will be Chairman T. E. Burton of Ohio, Senator Newlands of Nevada, Senator Warner of Missouri, Senator Bankhead of Alabama, Secretary W. ]. McGhee of the commission, F. H. Newell, chief of the government reclamation service; Clifford Pinchot, chief of the forestry service; Herbert Knox Smith, chief of the bureau of corporations, department of commerce and labor, and General McKensie, chief of engineers, United States army.
 Secretary McGhee points out the inn portance of the trip in calling attention to the fact that with their utmost efforts the railways cannot keep pace with the growth of commerce. Waterways, he asserts, must give the avenues of trans portation which are so urgently needed. He points out the extreme importance of the development of the Mississippi in connection with the building of the Panama canal, the completion of which will make the Mississippi exceedingly | important channel Of distribution and Q i supplemental artery of commerce for the distribution of traffic through the canal to inland destinations.
 Purpose of the Trip.
 Speaking further of the purposes of the commissions s trip. Secretary McGhee in an interview says:
 ''Jt. Paul. in five years will be a sea- board city. Conditions are just ripe for such thing. in my judgment. We think the Mississippi should be made freely navigabe from the gulf to the head of navigation at St. Paul. We think there should be one naVgable channel up the Illinois river to Lake Michigan at Chi cago. We think the Missouri should be naVigabe from it's mouth to Portage Cou lee, 2Gj0 miles from the gulf. Traffic is in- creasing more rapidly than railway fla cilities, The development of navigable rivers will do much to relieve the pres sure felt at present in the handling of the commerce of the country
 Upon the commissions trip depends in very large degree future governmental action in making the Mississippi once more the great north and south channel of transportation. and the information gathered by the commission and by Pres ident Roosevelt. will, it is believed, be of extreme importance to the future of all the Mississippi valley states.
 The members of the commission will be entertained upon their arrival in St. Paul by commercial organizations of this city anu it's departure from the head of river navigation upon it's trip will be made an event of importance.