The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-05

rule now fs to nave throughof France
 free can canals as they have free .ysds;
 the Ambassador said. had been the uni flying of all the waterways, such as the depth and breadth of canals, and uni formity of distance between locks. The
 thirty or forty canals. ne said. are now
 like one single canal conveying goods to all parts of France and to ell principal
 seaports.
 made by the republic" said the Ambas-
 sador, "the total length of our canals is
 4,675 kilometres; the total expense has
 been about 2,0e0,000,000 francs, and Tar from considering that 1t is too much we
 know quite we'll that 1t is not enough and we add new sums from time to time. Canals fin France are under the
 supervision of the government. From I7S5 to 1890 the traffc increased li2 per cent and 1t now amounts to over 3O, 100000 tons. The investment IS val uable because of what It yields. or what it helps and also of what 1t prevents The best thing 1t prevents is the rail- roads raising their tariffs too high. Az \ soon as the railroad companies raise | tbeir tariffs quantities of goods ma that there can very well afford to travei I at a slower pace and take the esWater | route. Our canals act in way as kind of rate bill. self-regniatins one l. 0ueUthOn OI HEWITT S- \ | .Another great question with which | we have had to cope is that Of rivers, | continued Mir. Jusserand. We nave ' l number in France; but mostly shallow l and irregular We have done mucn | 10 improve the courses and have much | vet to do. Plans are being laid TOT | ar1ipie Improvements Here comes m | a consideration of paramount intsr- . | est for you. as for every other country | 6f forASta. --f eE sTt is an absolute princfple-no | forests, no waterways. Without foreets | regulating the distribution or water | rainfalls are at once hurried to the sea, l,hurried some times, alas. across the I country. After having devastated the | neigbboring fields the rivers tina | theinselyes again with little water ana | mucI, sand; and with such rivers how l will you feed your canals in all seasons2 | since our forests suffered damages
 repairing n at considerable pains and cost a river like the Loire has been entirely transformed, 1t used to be the best of waterways. and It Is now the ! river whose inundations are most destructive.
 | The question Is as clear as can be- | do you want to have navigable rivers, or do you prefer to have torrents that | will destroy your crops end never bear a boat? If you prefer the first. then mind your forests. We can tell you' for we know"
 | A Bill Introduced.
 Senator Newiands introduced bill providing for the appointment of an in- land waterway commission and for the I improyeemnt and development Of the inland waterways of the country. The bill appropriates 5o.o0O ,oeo to an, in- land waterway fund. and provides that ! whenever the fund is reduced by ex- penditures below 320,000,0ee the Presi- dant may make up the deficiency by the issue and sale of bonds not exceed I ing in amount the difference between the cash in hand and $S0,000.000.
 The President is authorized to cause to be nude examination and survey ot all the waterways of the country; to appoint an inland waterways commit-
 tee and to bring into cooperation with
 1t the engineer corps of the army, the l reclamation service, the forestry into l service, the bureau of soils, the bureau | of corporations and other branches of
 the public service related to water | ways and to appoint such experts and
 boards as the work may require. The
 commission is required to make reports
 to the President and to Congress.
 After examination, Survey, estimate and determination of the feasibility oi
 any project by the commission, Cit may
 with the approval and through the ap-
 propriate service, let contracts for con-
 struction provided the necessary mcn-
 eys therefor are available in the in-
 land waterway fund. It Is provided
 that the projects may Include collateral | works for the Irrigation of arid lands. Will Beneht Railroads.
 Francis G. Newlands. United States l Senator from Nevada, in his address, applied old principles to new condi-
 tions. He said the subject involved
 not only the waterways but the rail-
 roads, and that it meant that all the l interstate commerce transportation
 companies which are to be benefited. | Transportation does not heed State
 lines," said he, any more than dis- ease needs State lines. The present
 system of financial exchange is par | alyzed by lack of uniformity. It Is
 our purpose to standardize the methods | of transportation in order that we l may unibnize the sentiment of the
 country in favor of the largest exer-
 else of the powers of the people of | the country"
 Martin A. Knapp. Chairman of the | Interstate Commerce Commission, was | introduced a some who could speak by l authority on the question of transport ation of this country.
 He pointed out that the transport | atton interests of America exceeded l 400 .000. GOO tons in every twenty-four hours. and that it was advancing every | day. Unless this traffic is able to be carried. he inquired. what possible use
 ia there to produce 1t? He pointed out
 th6t it was beyond the power--the
 nbvsical power--of roads to increase | their transportation facilities in the immediate future.
 | "It is not a question" said he, "of | rights of way. of locomotive, of gem
 eral equipment but of terminal facii- | ities of railroads. It has been found that a capitalization of S150,o00 per l r,IIe on Manhattan Island would be
 necessary to provide adequate facilities | Io,. inc transportation or for the hand
 ,tng of freaght traf1c. One half
 of that amount would pay for the con-
 struction of the immense waterways in
 1Sa country. We must make our profit hy carrying our products to the na- | ttons ~f the earth What Is to be the l situation If thirty days are required to
 aarrv nroducts of this country, for in-
 starce from Buffalo to New York via | sha Erie Canal? We must look to an
 ;ncrease of our inland transportation
 hv water if we are to be able to com
 nsta with the other nations of the | world in foreign commerce!
 Carnegie Expresses Regret.
 4 letter was read from MT. Andrew Carnegie expressing his regret that he l .,as pot able to be present at the sessions of the congress. The salient | noint of the letter was this:
 ..Trsteaa of spending money on war
 sh,ns to hght ina ginary foes, we | WalGrWAXE"