New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-17
NEW WATERWAY BOARD
NAMED BY PRESIDENT.
To Prepare Plan for improvement
and Control of Riuers.

ana L OHtFOC ~ AtLCFS.
Washington, March l6.-Complying with petit
lions presented by numerous commercial organ
izations of the Mississippi Valley. President
Roosevelt has decided 10 appoint an inland
waterways commission. whose duty it will be
10 prepare and report comprehensive plan for
the Improvement and control Of the river sys-
TENS OF the United States Eight public men
have been asked 10 serve the commission,
and Representative Burton. OF Ohio, chairman
of the River and Harbor Committee in the last
Congress is to be chairman OF the commission
In letter which he has addressed to each of
these persons the President says he is influ-
enced in creating the commission by broad con-
siderations of national policy; that the railroads
are no longer able to crops and manufact-
rapidly enough 10 the prompt trans
action of the business Of the nation, and thar
there appears TO be only one complete remedy
the development OF a Complementary system of
transportation by water. The letter follows
The White House.
Washington. March Il, 1907.
Ny Dear Sir: Numerous commercial organlza-
ions OF the Mississippi Valley have presented
petitions asking that l appoint commission 10
prepare and report comprehensive plan for the
improvement ana control of the river systems
of the United States. ! have decided to comply
with these requests by appointing an inland
waterways commission, ai5 have asked the
following gentlemen 10 act upon il. will be
much gratifed if you VIII consent 10 serve:
Hon. Theo. T. Burton. chairman; Senator
Francis G. NeWlands senator William Warner
Hon. John II. Bankhead, General Alexander
Mackenzie DR.. w J. McGee Mr. F. H Newell
Smith
In creating this commission l am Influenced
by broad considerations OF national policy. The
contfoi or our navigable waterways lies with the
federal government. and carries with il CORE
spending responsibilities and obligations. The
energy OF our people has hitherto been largely
directed toward industrial development connect
ed with field and forest ana with coal and iron,
and some of these sources of material and
power are already largely depleted. while our
inland Waterways a whole have thus far e.
celVed scant attention 1t is becoming clear that
our streams should be considered and conserved
as great natural resources. Works designed 10
cohtroi our waterways have thus far usually
neeG Undertaken for single purpose. such as
tIse Improvement or navigation. the development
or power, the irrigation of arid lands the pro-
Iecuon OF lowlar3s from floods. TO supply
wafer for domestic and manufacturing purposes.
w nile the rights OF the people TO these and SIM
liar Uses Of water must he respected the time
has come for merging local projects and uses
OF the inland waters in A con1prehensIye Ma,
designed for the benefit Of the entire country
such plan should consider and include all the
uses 10 which streams may he put and should
pIing together and coordinate the points OF
view Of all users Of water. The task involved
IN the full and orderly development aud control
% me river systms of the United States is a
great one Yet IL IS certainly not TOO great for us
20 approach. The results which It seems to
promise are even greater.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED
II is common knowledge that the railroads Of
the United states are no longer able 10 move
crops and anutactures rapidly enough to se-
cure the prompt transaction Of the business of
The nation, and there is small prospect Of i'm
mediate relief. Representative railroad mon
point OUT mat the products Of the Northern In
terror states have doubled in ten years while
the railroad facilities have increased ONLY one
elsil.n' ana there is reason 10 doubt whether any
Development OF the railroads possible IN the near
future viii suffice to keep transport alton abreast
OF production There appears TO. be only one
'oihpleie remedY-the Development Of connie
mentary system Of transportation nv water
me present congestion affects chiefly the peopIe
OF the Mississippi Valley and the,- demand re-
LEI. When the congestion Of which they com
pam re - relieved the whole nation win share
rank, they are also liable to become 7aetr,,'ti,
agencies, endangering life and property ana
some Of our most notable engineering enter
pTises have grown out If efforts 10 control +ber
- was computed by Generals HunphFevs ana
-Appo'I haf a century ago that the Mississippi
a.iLe sweeps INTO us lower reaches and the Gulf
4o9ug0ooo tons Of floating sediment each vear
iabout twice the amount OF material 10 bn ovco
waited in opening the Panama CanaJl besidas a.,
nous but nhmeaSured amount OF earth sa It's
ana soil matter carried in solution This ,as+
llood me loWIands Of the lower river F,l- render
Ihe foW caprcious and difficult 10 control
Fu hefmoTe The greater part OF the sedirnen.
dIIu son inatteF IS composed Of the most fertile
material or the field and pasture drained IN, rho
smaller and larger tributaries ANY plan for NH
lzng our Inland waterways should consider
Hoods and their control bI. forests ap5 S+I,o-
means; the protection Of bottom lands fro,, t,
jury by oveTfows, and uplands from loss nv soil 4
WASH; the physics n sediment charged waters
and the physical or other ways OF purifying
Them the construction Of dams and looks ,,o9 /
only 10 facilitate navigation but TO control ma
character and movement Of tho ,,aters and
should look 10 the full use and control Of our
running waters and the complete arti6ciaIizatioo
Of our waterways for the benefit Of our neopIe as
whole. +YF'' -
TO CONSIDER OTHER RESOURCES
1t is not possible properly 10 frame so la-ga /
plan as ms Tor the control q our rivers with
our taking account OF the orderly development Of
olher natural resources. Therefore ask thar thn
inland waterways commission shall consider
The relations OF the stream TO the use Of all the
great permanent natural resources and their
prosperous homes.
Any plan for utilizing our inland waterway
70 be feasible. should recognize the means far
executing IL already IN existence bntt, -, -,
federal departments OF War Interior A ,rjo,,it
ure and Commerce and Labor and IN tba etatag
and their sub divisions, ana must NOT invoI,o
uhduiy Dufoensome expenditures from the ma
uohal treasury. The cost Will necessa rily no
large in proportion to the magnitilde ~ baTa0te
10 ne conferred. but II will be small in comparison
with the Sl|.OOOOO0,oO0 of capital now Invested
IL steam railways in the United Stafes-an
amount that would have seemed enormo,Is ana
incredible half 4 century ago Yet the invest
lnent mas been constant source of profit 10 the
people, and without Il our Industrial nroorsss
would have been impossible
The questions which will come before the In
land Waterways Commission must necessarily
se'e 70 every part or The United States, and af-
fect every interest within its borders Ito nlsDe
should be considered in the light OF the vtidest
knowledge of the country and its peoDIe and
IRON ms most diverse points OF view Accord
lnglY, when ITS work is sufficiently advanced T
shah add TO the commission certain cors,,Iti,.
members with whom shall ask.tha its reconl-