The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-12-24
SURPRISE IN STORE
FOR EVANS FLEET
Latin-American Republics Are
Making Heavy Expendi-
ture on HarborS.
TO ANCHOR IN FINE PORTS.
SMALL COUNTRIES ARE SAID TO
BE OUTSTRlPPiNG THIS MA
TON IN SEABOARD IMPROVE
MENTS.

Washington, Dec. Elf the South
American countries View with awed
the great fighting fleet now
bearing down along the eastern coast,
the officers and men of the powerful
naval aggregation also Likely will open
their eyes at the wonders of the South
American shores For the greatest
squadron of modern. battleships the
world ever saw will find safe anchor
age in harbors worthy of its reception.
Instead of into shallow indentations n
the coast line. Admiral Evans will
T. ~ tho noses of his sixteen engines.1
of destruction into deep water ports in
hl...n tl4cs md, iIue at ease.
The cruise thus will be one of edG
cation for Americans, as we'll as fur
nishing evidence to the world at large
that this nation is capable of uphold
ing its honor on the high seas. There
is a rooted idea in the minds of PEG
pie of the United States generally that
South America is benighted coun-
try, with small enterprise and fewer
ambitions The impression is ell
tirely wrong.
1t was brought prominently to the
attention of the American people this
month, that the Latin countries Of
the Western hemisphere are in many
ways outstripping the United States.
John Barrett, director of the bureau Of
American republics, in lue course Of
an address before the recent conven-
ton of the National Rivers and Har
bors congress here, said:
The one central though | wish TO
bring out in this address is both re-
markable and surprising, but entirely
true. Iii sthat our sister republics of
Latin America, which we have been III
the habit of neglecting, as unimport-
ant and regarding carelessly as the
home of revolutions, are spending
more money and following a more sys-
tematic plan at this moment for the
permanent improvement of their riv-
ers and harbors than is the United
States. In other words. five of our
twenty sister nations, namely Brazil,
Uruguay. Argentina, Chile and Mexico
have now under way harbor and chan
mel construction for which direct ap
preparations of not less than 100000
600 have been made, and these same
governments announce that they have
only begun vast scheme of improve
ments which they contemplate
At Rio Jeneiro the capital of Brazil,
and Boosting a population of $4,000,
the Brazilian government is spending
SO, OG0 in making harbor improve
ments and constructing concrete ba
sins and docks that will surpass any
thing in the country. Brazil also is
spending at Pana, near the mouth Of
the Amazon, S13,00OC0O; at Santos,
swampy port has been transformed in
to q splendid harbor at a cost of S10,-
100000 and at Rio Grande do Sui,
work is going onward on harbor inn
provements to cost another $12,O0O,Oo.
This activity is not confined to Bra
zil. Argentina is equally active. Its
harbor at Buenos Ayres is the pride
of the country and cost S50.00oOoo,
but the government is preparing 10
spend $15.OOO.O0o additional i'll i'm
provements. Rosario, several hun
dred miles from the sea on the river
of Parana, is splendid seaport, be-
cause of improvements TO the river and
the construction by the government
of docks costing S1O,OOOOOO, at which
the largest steamers load and unload.
The expenditures made by this gov
eminent for waterway improvements
seem paltry beside these figures. The
NJ tional Rivers and Harbors Con
gress has been insistent for several
years that not less than s50,0o0,ooC an
nually should be expended by the Unit
ed States in such work. The sorry
condition, and one that is growing
worse every day, of the railroads rends
absolutely imperative the develop
ment of some additions means of
transportation.