The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-21
JERSEY IS FOR
CANAL CHAIN
PLAN
Stokes and Fort Both Ad-
dress Atlantic Coast Meet
ing in Philadelphia.

both addressed the deeper waterways
conference which adjourned last night,
and both stated that New Jersey was
heartily in favor of the plan sug-
gested. Mr.. Fort said he believes that
the whole system of inland waterways
should be constructed under govern
mental supervision. The whole project,
he held. was one of such stupendous
proportions that to act upon 1t In the
piecemeal fashion Congress had fol-
lowed in the past was to invite disas-
ter to any contamination.
AT the banquet last night Governors of
Suites. United States Senator's, Congress-
men and 500 leaders of thought. coming
from a score of States, pledged themselves
to mako the project a reality. Both SEN
ator Newlands and Senator Penrose made
statements from which 1t was evident that
the leaders Of this movement and those
powerful in e~nacting national legislation
have already evolved a plan for a $50O,0OO,-
Wo or $1,000. 900, 900 government bond issue
to finance the Improvement Of waterways
along lines to be suggested by government
engineers.
The business session concluded with the
election of officers, two Jerseymen, John
I. Blair Reilly, of Phillipsburg. and Wilbur
+. Sadler, ir., of Trenton, being among
thVsb sNitttcu. nt Oiltcib 6itNtSd hiN
President, J. Hampton Moore, Philadel-
phia; secretary-treasurer, Addison B
Burke; vice-presidents, Lloyd r. Chamber
lain, Massachusetts; Arthur Knox, New
York; w. F. Sad1er, jr., New Jersey
Charles Heber Clarke, Pennsylvania; Hi
ram r. Burton. Delaware; Reuben Foster,
Maryland; Harvey M. Dickson. Virginia
]. II. Leroy, North Carolina; r. G.. Rhett,
South carU1na; George Il. Miles, Florida.
Delegates, A, Y. Dawson, Massachusotts;
Reilly, New Jersey; Edward f, Henson.
Rennsylvania; r. j. MacLean, Delaware,
pr. David II. Carroll, Maryland; J: r.
Hall. Virginia; George l.. Morton, North
Carolina; e. S. Layton, South Carolina;
Governor Edward C.. Stokes, addressing
the convention, said in part:
New Jersey has been particularly fortu-
nate In her transportation facilities. The
Delaware and Raritan Canal leaving the
Delaware ut Bordentown and entering the
Raritan at New brunswick, was opened
for business in 1894. Its tonnage Ia 1885
was $1,000; In 1860, /, 500, 900; in 1870, 4,0O0, 600
tons, over three times the, entire tonnage
both ways Of the Suez Canal for that year
and more than the entire foreign COM
merce in and out of the harbor of New
York during the same year.
In the proposed Atlantic Deeper
Waterways from Boston to Beaufort. New
Jersey is a natural and essential link.
Indeed, she anticipated this waterway
nearly three-quarters of a century ago,
when she con structed the canal that united
natures two great h~ighways-the Della
ware and The Hudson.
The cost of transportation by water as
compared with railway can be briefly gem
eralized. An Increase in traffic on the
railroad necessitates more cars, more en-
ployees, more wear and tear on the road
bed and increased expenses in every de-
partment This Is not true of increased
traffic on a canal.
In the foregoing paragraphs I have
fFaAfah nf tho IN NAL . nf DriUata n1fpF-
prise where tolls would be. charged for
tonnage. II a canal twenty-eight feet deep
We're constructed, II, would be far better
sioS.9l interests if the United States gov
rnmeu would construct it as q public
highway for the passage Of her navies for
interior lines of Defense. and, of course,
free to our merchant marine. No embargo
in the form of toll would then be placed
upon the traffic. Questions of rate and the
the problem, but the country would be
reimbursed for the outlay by the increased
business and revenue derived from q
greatly augmented
But whether q canal twenty feet deep
SHOULD be constructed by private capital or
81 naval canal of tWenty-eight feet deep
should be constructed by the government,
it would be necessary for the government
10 provide proper approaches in either
case. This would necessitate the dredging
Of the Delaware and Raritan rivers.
Alexander Hamilton has the credit for
predicting that upon the west bank of
the Hudson there would one day rise the
greatest city Of the world. That promised
prediction is fast nearing realization.
paterson, 1'assaic. Hoboken, Jersey City,
Newark. the Oranges, Elizabeth and
Bayonne encifcle the meadows that every
traveller crosses on his way across New
Jersey to New York. Those meadows are
being rapidly reclaimed. Mills n fac
tories are rapidly multiplying thereon,
wharves and docks are being completed,
deeper waterways are in contemplation,
the various communities mentioned are
gradually growing nearer together, and
in time this whole section will be one
great, mammoth city. In the centre. OF
his section a union station Is In course
of construction-the point of distribution
for passengers and freight both for Eu-
rope and the New England States. The
available space for docks and wharves
for shipping purposes Is now nearly ex-
baEsted on both sides of the Hudson.
New harbors, with new wharves and
cocks. must be found to accommodate
the great of his rapidly grow
ing section. These harbors can be found
in Raritan Bay and Newark Bay when
properly dredged.
"One terminus of the proposed canal, the
link In the inland waterway. would tap
these new harbors and find there new
sources of supply that would greatly IN
crease its estimated tonnage. d.
This Is the story of the Delaware and
Raritan, partly realized and altogether
possible in this age of progress and
achievement"
The address of Governor-eIec Fort was,
IN part, as follows.
The problem of an inland waterway,
as discussed, demonstrates that 1t is a
gigantic one. But that need not deter
us, rs this is a gigantic nation. When.
some years ago, the appropriations of a
single Congress for the first time
reached a billion dollars, ii was crlti-
cized as extravaganza, and Thomas b.
Reed, then Speaker of the House, an
swered the criticism by simply saying:
This is a billion dollar nation Now
Congress appropriates almost or quite
two billion dollars during a congress
sional term. No one calls their action
In question. for we are now a two
4 billion dollar nation. Our people do not
complain Of cost. if the expenditures
show results.
1.-THE magnitude OF the plan proposed
makes it, of course, one for the gov
eminent. Railway transportation IS IN
the hands OF private enterprise, SUD
ieet to reasonable regulation by Con-
gress. The water transportation
through inland waterways should De IN
the hands of the government. VI ne
eessity II must be so. The deepening OF
the rivers and their maintenance Tree
from distractions for ransportdllo1
purposes is entirely with Congress, ana
the whole plan should be WIN tne sos-
eminent. In fact, the interstate char-
acter OF the project makes It a ma
tional matter.
"Besides, If deep waterway canals are
to be dug, rivers will, of necessity, have
to be deepened, and the whole slgantle
scheme Is clearly one for the repuoiic'
N the interests 9f all the people.
For a time waterway transportation
has subsidized l.udcr the growth OF steam