New-York tribune., 1907-01-01
FOR BIG IMPR0VEN ENTS.
IN RIVERS md H4RBORS.
HeaUiest Bill on Record Being Con-
&idered by House Committee. e
trrom The Tribune Bureau ]

Washington Dec. 31-The largest River and
Harbor bill in the history of the country will be
reported to the House on January II by Chair
man Burtons committee, subcommittee OF
which have been holding sessions during the
holiday recess, The appropriations made in 1t
VIII approximate s7J.0000O0 or $s0oo000o
About three-e!ghths OF the appropriations in
! the biz will be for cash expenditures and the
remaining hve-eighths win be authorized for
projects extending over a number of years, some
Of which now under way. Not for ten years
has such a big budget been prepared by the
! Rivers and Harbors Committee. Ten years ago
S12 G5o3J0 was appropriated IN cash and SI9-
GIG 4O4 81 worth Of work was authorized. max
Ing a total of So 80 954 81. Three years went
by before another such measure was passed.
and then S16091 SII 81 was appropriated in cash
/ and 500 SGG32t - was authorized total III
! S399JS lGG % In 1902 the cash appropriation
was $26.7I1. .442 and $}S,33G.lG0 was authorized.
The total SG!. 107 co. The bil which was
passed IN 1900 carried total of So 300 133 Ot.
of which S1S,lS1 SO ~ was IN cash and Sill
1Si Cos c3 was authorized
The committee met to-day and discussed the
general projects, but no reports from sub-com-
mittees were received. and none viii BE- for a
week more The discussion was Informal and
no decision reached.
II Is expected that there will be contest over
the adoption ~ the plan for the t4-foot water
way from Chicago % st. Louis. costing $3I.N1A.-
WW. Tho members fron the Mississippi Valley
win favor the project. but II is not probable it
Will receive rocoerition nj this session. The i'm
preston IS that the chairman Is opposed to It,
n; lcasJ at This time. lie has strenuously advo-
Gated a policy of undertaking only such number
os improvements can be finished within a
, reasonable tlme. end is opposed to the present
system of sc3ttprfpp fpproDriqtinue
\ member OF the COMMITTEES said to-day that it
Aou;d probably Ec The policy 10 finish all the
most important impror sments now under way.
Il may lie said without question that steps will
ac taken to complete possible the
ga ,rovoments in New York Harbor This in
c,uGes tho enlargement OF Ambrose Channel
from a point tust below the NarroWs in south
saS;elly direction to the This orig
inaIly c-tinated to cost $G0OA0o0 but con-
tract. was made for $4GG0Con The work nov
IN progress Is being done by government dredges
Considerable concern has been expressed by
he army officers who have riyor and harbor
improvements in charge. lest the enforcemen;
ri the e,aht-torr law IL government contract
work increase their cost. Some have estimated
he increased cost hish tIom - to 80 per
cent The validity of the law has been cues
toned by the contractors. and it is prOba Bile that
test case viii reach the Supreme Court in
short time Decisions of the lower courts have
sustained the new law. These officers say that
the natural increase, due to increased cost OF
material and high wages. is only small part
of mat due TO the law.
There never greater pressure for river
end harhor legislation than at present. The
river and harbors congress. which convened in
Washington recently, has done Sreat deal TO
crystalline sentiment in favor of liberal appro-
pratiors. In recent years the number of sep
arate projects has been diminished by the con
sclidaton of some and the dropping of others,
but the number in the bill this year Will he
about four hundred. Among the projects that
will probably carry new 500" lock ana
alternating channels in the Detroit River, at II
cost Of 100000 the deepening of the harbor
a Boston, and extensive improvements or the
Delaware and Mississippi rivers.