Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-04-29
ID INVESTIGATE
 ARKANSAS RIVERS Inland Waterways Commis sion Appointed by the President Will Visit This State During Summer
TO PREPARE 4 REPORT
President Roosevelt Named the Com mission at the Instance Of Nnmer- 0us Commercial Organizations Of the Mississippi Valley.

the present summer Arkansas will receive an official call from the in laid waterways commission, com posed of experts appointed by Pres ident Roosevelt to devise means and recommend measures for the better utilization of the rivers of the country. Immense benefits are ex- pected to result from the inyestI- gations of this commission, which Is composed Of Theodore F. Bar- ton, chairman, also chairman of the committee on rivers and harbors Of the national house; Senator Francis c. NewIands, Nevada: Senator William Warner, Missouri; ex-Rep- resentative ohn H Bankhead, Ala hama; Gen Alexander Mackenzie, chief of engineers, L. s. A, Prof. ". J. McGee Of the geological sur vey; Frederick H. Newell, director of the reclamation service; Clifford Pinchot. director of the forestry bureau; Herbert Knox Smith, com missioner of corporations.
 The president named the com mission at the instance Of numerous commercial organizations of the Mississippi valley. and asked them to prepare report Of compre- hensiye plan for the future i'm provement of the rivers, viewing the subject in the light of the vast interests invOl sed-the states along the Mississippi river, which must have protection from the ravages of flood waters, the shortage of cars caused by the inability of the rail- roads to transport the nations products 10 market irrigation, man. nfacturins and other phases of the national activities.
 Arkansas will be interested vi- tally in the deliberations of the commission and will have am op- portunitg 10 present it's views on pertinent subjects when the mem bers visit the cities of that state.
 The Presidents Letter.
 In order that the commission may go armed with tae authority and disaIty of presidential E.is- sion, the president has written to them a letter n which he discusses the pressing need of thorough work in the future, and he sags in part:
 1t IS becoming clear that our streams should be considered and conserved as one of the srea9e.C natural resources. Works desi4aee. To control our wateswa4s have been thus far usually undertaken for sin gle purposes, such as Improving navigation, development of power irrigation Of arid lands, projection of lowlands from floods or supply ing water for domestic or mann. featuring use.
 While the rights of the paopie to these and similar uses must 5e preserved the time has come fo merge local projects and uses of in- land waterways in 6 comprehen. siye plan designed to benefit the ea- tire country.
 The task invoIved in the orderly development and control of our river systems in q great one, yet the results to be attained seem to promise even greater.
 Railroads Fail, Rivers Will Not.
 Tt is a matter of common knowl- try have been unable to move the crops and products of the factories rapidly enough to procure adequate transportation, and there is small prospect TOT immediate reIef. The railways themselves point out that the products of the nation hayt doubled in ten years, while the rail road facilities have increased onl! about one-eighth; there is reasoI tC CouDI that there Will De de velopment to keep our transporta ton means abreast of production.
 Only one remedy appears-de yelopment of complementary sys tenn of transportation by rail. Tn present congestion affects chiefl the people of the Mississippi val ley and they demand relief Whe the congestion shall have been re Iieved, the entire nation will shar in the good results.