The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-16


ed quite as auspiciously as the first
The attendance of delegates was large,
filing the great auditorium comfort
ably. The deepest interest was mani
tested by the audience at the morning
and afternoon sessions in the splendid
papers and addresses. The enthusiasm
of the delegates was kept up to a high
pitch by a number of spirited ex-
changes on the floor of the convention
during the progress of both sessions
Mr. NewelPs illustrated lecture in the
evening was immensely enjoyed by a
large and appreciatiye gathering which
included majority of the leading
delegates and prominent visitors.
After the brief preliminary business
of the meeting was disposed of. Gov
ernor Chamberlain president of the
congress, introduced L. S. Senator
Francis G. Newlands Of Nevada. father
of the Reclamation Act and member
of the Inland Waterways Commits
sion
INLAND WATERWAYS COMMITS
SION.
Senator Newlands delivered a highly
instructive address on the formation
of that commission and the purposes
of it's work After referring to the
appointment of the Inland Waterways
Commission by President Roosevelt,
Senator Newlands said that the letter
of instructions from the President en-
joined upon the commission the study
of all questions relating to inland wa
terways. with. a view to recommending
practical legislation upon the subject.
The Presidents purpose was to under
take now plan of practical utiliza-
ton, improvement and development
which. might in the coming years be
worked out comprehensiyely and sue
cessfully. whilst the primary pur-
pose of this inquiry is to facilitate wa
ter transportation, it is impossible to
perfect the machinery of the water
ways without taking into consideration
the related questions of forest pres
erva tion, of irrigation of arid land, of
reclamation of swamp land, of bank
protection, of Qualification of streams,
and other kindred questions
whilst these questions are impor-
tant, the use of these great waterways,
lakes and rivers for purposes of trans
portation of men and of products, is
the most important. Every creek,
every brook, contributes in some de-
gree to the volume of the. river or
lake which should serve as a part of
the great machinery for transportation,
and a thorough and comprehensive
plan of artifcializing waterways should
be adopted, with view of securing
stability of channel. 1t is impossible
to indicate now what the form of leg
islation should be. Individually, |
should say that some plan in which
the chiefs of the great scientific SER
vices of the country could be brought
together in a national board of public
works, with power to make compre-
hensive plans and to work them out
gradually, might be the most efficient
way.
1.-THE people of the United States
are awakening to the necessity OF
utilizing the national power for the
promotion of the general welfare. We
nationalized banking and currency be-
cause we realized the folly of having
as many different financial systems as
| there We're States, the danger OF IN
| fiation and panic arising from careless
and inconsiderate State action. we
nationalized irrigation because we saw
| the futility of subjecting the treat
ment of the sources, the watersheds
and valleys, of streams flowing through
! several states. We realized that every
great river must be as a unit, regard
less of the state lines, and that the
action of the Union on national lines
! was therefore essential. We nation
! allied the quarantine because we real
lied that the health and safety of the
! entire Nation might be endangered by
the careIessness or indifference of
single state We are now taking VI
the question of Matchmaking the de-
veIopment of the inland waterways
/ embracing lakes and rivers and con
Meeting canals, and including all th'
related questions of forestry. OF irri
CATION. of Qualification, of bank pro
lection. of channel opening, as well a.
naviga ton: and the South in this lat
ter movement is taking the lead To-
national action, realizing as it doe
that the promotion of Interstate an1
foreign commerce was one of the pr
mary causes of the union of the states
as A Nation. Under national incor
poration, the questions relating to IN
land waterways, railway and oceaf
! TRANSFORMATION. will be solved
| At the conclusion of this address
which eIICiIEu the IIOSISN SANN~AAN-0
A. Beard read a letter from secretary
of the Interior Garfield regretting MI
inability to be present, and commend
ing in the strongest terms the Wort
and purposes of the congress. Th'
letter wound up by asking Governor
Chamberlin to express 10 the con
gress his appreciation of the assistance
It has been to the Reclamation Ser
vice"
Congresses and conferences" adde'
the secretary, when conducted III
spirit of suggestive criticism are al
ways helpful. I am confident that IN
water users, either individually o
through their representatives, VIII al
ways find the officers of the govern
ment willing to meet them half wa!
: in the discussion and settlement of an
: questions or differences that ma
arise
At this point the secretary OF tn
congress was instructed to wire IN
following reply to Secretary Garfield
Sacramento. Cal. Sept 3. 1907 IN
Secretary of the Interior, Washington
D. c. Your message to HonoraD oil