Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-12
Report Of The Inland Commission
VIII Mol Have Smooth Sailing.
ARMY ENGINEERS ARE AGAINST II
They Seem to Feel Tint the consum.
nation of the Plan Would Moan
Taking Important Work Away From
Thcm-Thc Other Side.

WASHINGTON. ID. c., Dec. lit
Ia very evident that the vast, com
prehensive plan for the Improvement
of the Inland waterway of the nation
advanced by the inland waterways
commission will not have clear sail
Ing. or course, the entire scheme
may DO said to be n tentative one.
Nevertheless. embodying as 1t does
everything that can be In any way
connected with inland waters-the
preservation or the forests, the con
trcl of floods the drainage OF swamp
land. the irrigation OF arid land. the
protection OF soil generally. the purl-
ilcatlon OF running streams OF water
to say nothing OF the TRANSPORTATION
questionable plan already has stir
rcd up antagonism among the engi-
reers OF tho army, who apparently
see visions OF the river and harbor
work of tho federal government BASS
Ing into other hands.
The reason for this antagonism Is
tha feeling in some quarters that. in
The event that permanent inland wa
tcrways commission Is appointed, It's
personnel would naturally include
prominent civil engineers. Some army
engine ers have stated very positively
that the scheme Is too comprehen-
give and embracing TO lc practi-
cal--tbat all the lines OF work cnum-
Grated above, which heretofore have
been managed separately. can not be
gathered tobether under one head
These engineers think the proposed
commission would be entirely too
cumbersome for effective work.
Everybody will admit that the plan
is big-so big that any other one
commercial undertaking Of the gov
crnment shrlvels up Ivy comparison.
II may be. too. that ihero IL some
good ground for tho alarm of the army
engineers, who have boon doing
splendid work on the rivers, lakes
mud harbors for many years. How
ever, In view OF the fact that the dig
Ging of the Panama canal Ind to be
finally turned over to army engineers
after several high salariei civilians
had failed to make good should tend
tn Hllny alarm in army circles over
the possible loss of inland water Inn
provoment work.
In fact, one of the conservative
Dills so far introduced-and thee are
scvcral--wlth view OF creating n
permanent inland waterways COM
Gission, specifically provides that the
hriny engineers shall be co-ordinatcd
with tho commission in lts work.
This bill was introduced by Senator
Ncwlands, OF Nevada, himsef men,
Der Of the tentative commission APP
no'nted early this year by President
Roosevelt The Nevada senator
would reserve fund Of $4,000. 600 In
the treasury. If the fund shall bo
reduced as low AZ $4,000 .OOD by
drains upon It at any time. provision
liz made Whereby the President Is au-
lhorized TO issue n sufficient amount
IN bonds to Bring the aggregate up
to the fifty million mark, hut never
beyond 1t.
Under the provisions of this pro-
posed law the bureau OF corporations,
the forest service and other branches
of the government service related 10
waterways. In addition to the corps
OF engineers of the army. would be
brought into CO. ordination with the
waterways commission. Provision IS
made also for the appointment of ex-
ports In several lines.
Against tho arguments of army en-
glncers That the proposed permanent
commission would DO too clumsy for
practical work is the contention that
the very comprehensivenes of The
plan IL fts strongest claim to rccoe-
milton: that tho grouping of these
several branches under one head In
stead of continuing them along sepa-
rate lines as at present will result In
n great saving of energy now more
or less wasted because SO widely
scattered