The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-26
PLEASED WITH BILL
MIR. vANDrvER TALKS OF ALA-
 BAMA RIVER APPROPRIATION.
says Improvement of Waterway Will Be Followed by Immense Volume
 of BusEness--Praises Con-

The news that the rivers and har- bors bill in Congress would give s200,- 900 for the Improvement of the Ala bama river, was joyfully received in Montgomery. W. F. yandiver of the Alabama River Improvement Commit tee. was delighted with the success which had been obtained by the Ala- bama Congressnien.
 In an interview yesterday he said he expected the Improvement of the Ala bama River to, be followed by immense volumes of business.
 1 Colonel Wiley introduced a bill to appropriate s5e0,000 to the improve ment of the Alabama" MT. vandiver said yesterday. Captain J. B. Cav anaugh, United States Engineer for this district, has estimated that the cost of four-foot channel from Mo- bile to Montgomery will be s650, 1000. Two years ago, an appropriation ot s1o0,000 was made, and the Rivers and Harbors Committee of Congress was asked and urged this year to make an appropriation on the continuing plan, that is an appropriation of $100.0e0 an- nually- for five years The continuing plan for the appropriations for river however, has never been known. and the Committee made no exception in the case of the Alabama.
 But the Committee as given $200,-
  S59,000 of a previous appropriation that has not been expended.
 T have had a conference with Cap- tain Cavanaugh. who immediately after the passage of the rivers and harbors bill. will ask for the privilege of hav- ing a new dredge built immediately for use upon the river, the construction to cost about s75.o0o. The employment of the new dredge would do the work more rapidly, and Captain Cavanaugh hopes that by the time another rivers and harbors bill is proposed. 'so much of the work will have been accom- plished that we shall be able to obtain an appropriation for second dredge. There would then be no trouble in idly
 T am sure," continued Mir. vandi- yer, that all our people feel grateful to Colonel Wiley, Colonel Bankhead, Hon. George w. Tay1or and others, who have succeeded in obtaining the appropriation. This being Colonel Bankhead's last effort as a member of the Rivers and Harbors Committee, it seems to me he has covered himself with glory in the success he has met in securing over s4,000,00o for our har- bor of Mobile and the rivers of Ala bama'
 Resumng his discussion of the Ala bama river as a particular beneficiary of the appropriation Mr. Vandiver said:
 The Alabama river occupied a unique position. Most rivers applying for government aid, base their claims upon future development of one or two branches of commerce or industry, such as the marketing of lumber, granite, etc, with practically no developed commerce upon which may be based a claim for appropriations by the Con- gress.
 But the Alabama river has an al- ready developed traffic. and there is now being hauled on 1t at least $14,- 100000 of commerce annually. There Is great deal of virgin pine and oak forests. cypress. cedar, juniper and other valuable timber which can be marketed. The Alabama carries a large amount of cotton raised upon the farms tributary to the river, and in addition, transports a large volume Of assorted merchandise of every charac- ter; and we must consider aleo the immense deposits of Selma chalk for cement, supply unlimited.
 "Whe:> we have secured a four-foo channel at the rivers lowest stage thus insuring rapid transit during the entire year, I expect to see immense volumes of through business coming in and going out of Montgomery--unle ? he added after a pause. unless there rates to Montgomery by the railroad companies of the soratry. look for- ward to the day when the Alabama river will be a potent factor in the ad- justment of rates to Montgomery from all points east and west"