The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-06

troduced by Chairman Ransdell of the Congress. as one of the distinguished railway transportation managers of the South. He said he was heartily in sympathy wit hthe purpose of the Con- gress s1
 q have endeavored to consider" said he, .'the problem. not only as it effects the interests of property intrusted to my management. but on higher plane as a problem in economies affecting the interest of the general public. Water transportation and rail transportation largely supplement each other. To a large extent the waterways are feed CTS of the railways, anc the rivers in turn, are feeders of the waterways Not only in this country. but in Eu- ropc as well. there is general ten dency to division of traffic between water and rail carriers. In all coun- tries. no matter how extensive their inland waterways may have been, we find that there has been room for the successful operation of railways"
 He referred particularly to the de- velopment of the system of waterways in France and Germany, where the traffic of the waterways has increased in recent years at more rapid ratlo than that Of the railways. He was in clined to think that study of the question would demonstrate that Tor most classes of traffic. rail transporta- tion was economically more efficient than water transportation on artinclal waterways, but he believed that the system of providing waterways at pup | lie cost was nevertheless economically | sound. He said that study or the map of the United States would snow that most of the populous centers nave | both water and rail carriers and that zach class of carriers had been bene- l fted by the united prosperity or tne | other. He pointed out that 1t was the policy of the Southern Railway to en- | courage the establishment or coastwlse steamer lines as he believed that the @ providing of additional Iae'iitleS .a sa | water transportatioi would increase | nonulation and prosperity of the sea hoard communities and thus benent the
 railways.
 The Panama Canal.
 "In the same way" said ne; l1iava that the construction of the Pah- anna Canal will benefit rather than ln- iure the Trans-Continental Raii"ays' as it will tend to build up the fa- cifc Coast States. and wnne ,,I IaSs r,ue some traffic from the roads Will give them increased traffic of ether classes.
 "It Is to the Latin American countries and the Orient that we must LOOK TOT an increase in our transportauon Ia
 ciIities. 1t is to them that we must Hook for the principal operators 10 ex- tend cur markets for those conllhoui- ties which we are striving 70 proouce Tn competition with Europe" In con- cIusion President Finley said:
 T believe that the solution or tnis
 nrohIem Is to be found In the adop-
 tion by the general government or 2
 broad and comprehensive plan TOT Che
 management of the rivers and harbors of the country to be carried to com . nietion as rapidly as the work can be
 advantageously. and by the adoption by
 Federal and State governments or sucn
 railway regulations as will 1nvoiVe the
 minimum of interference with the op.
 eration of economic laws consistent
 win the protection of buyers or trans
 nortation and the public generally from wrong.
 Chairman Rausdell in presenting tc
 the Congress Representative Theodore
 F. Burton of Ohio. Chairman or tne
 Riyers and Hartors Committee or the
 House of Representatives. said Una!
 the country had reached It's present
 high plane in the improvement or ln-
 terroI waterways materially through the efforts of Mir. Burton. The dele- gates rose and cheered Mir. Burton fl eartily.
 Mir. Burton's Address.
 } Mir. Burton declared that the move mert for the improvement or tne ln- land waterways had been stimulated ny the unparalleled growth of the country
 In it's resources He said tnere was an admitted inadeauacy in the trans . nortation facilities of the United states
 and if was for the purpose of improv- : ing the facilities that such congresses
 as this had taken up the work. lie said that the National Congress large
 lv had eliminated '1og rolling Tn pe-
 half of special projects and that sucn
 individual projects were now aIl"weo
 td take care of themselves. He be-
 liaved it uuuuestionable that approprl- ations for the improvement of rivers
 and harhors would be Increased in the near future. because it was conceoeo
 by all who had devoted study 70 tnt matter that the railroads were unaoie . to care for all the freight offered foI transDortation.
 . We are going ahead by leaps-anc l bounds" said he. land we have come upon a time when the railroads or tht country cannot begin to take care ol l the traffic. In this situation the m l ternal waterways arc not only conve nient but necessary. The field or op 7 eratton between the railways and tn' . waterways will be divided between
 them. and I hope to see a greater de t gree of co-operation between the rali' 3 roads and the waterways than hereto fore has existed.
 This is a great national policy Wnici
 we are advocating which must not D' : divided in proportion to the population ! or wealth of States. In my opinion w l should avoid the making of driopIlhI 7 appropriations for any particular pro l iect but once a project is begun, f 1 ought to be finish hed."
 3 At this point Mir. Burton was inter g fupted by delegate of the Congress . who inuuired what he had to propos,
 in the way of appropriations. we'll 1 said Mir Burton. 'I can stand by you e platform of s50.000.0o0 year. So e course that question can be answered r only by concrete conditions. We mus q cut out visionary projects and such al |, opera ion will necessitate some man e standing up against them.
 T No Irrigation Projects.
 u MT Burton said that personally n t was opposed to including In rivers an . harbors bills projects for the irrigaLlo = of lands and he did not believe Una
 the measure should be made the ouhp
 ing ground of projects for all sorIs T water distribution. . Tn conclusion Mir. Burton sald;
 Tt is my earnest desire to withdra.
 from the Rivers and Harbors Comiht'
 tee with which I have had the mono
 to be chairman for a long time ou e as member of Congress ana as , member of this body. will be ready
 an times to cooperate with you Tn tn II projects which are so dear to you ari
 which are so dear to me. '. John NJ. Parker of New orleans u' = livcred a brief address on the develol i' mcnt of the Lower Mississippi RlVe