The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1908-03-13
RANSDELL'S
NEW BILL
TO CREATE A NEW DE.
PARTMENT.
GOVERNING TRANSPORTATION
AND PUBLIC WORKS OF
THE U. S.

Representative Ransdell of Louisi.
ana has introduced bill which makes
good the prediction last fall that a
movement has been launched for the
creation of a new executive depart-
ment of transportation and public
works, which is part of plan of mem.
bers Of the national congress and of
the rivers, harbors and inland water
ways commission, as well as promi-
nent officials of the government here
to take from the war department au-
thority over engineering works on riv-
ers and harbors; from the treasury de.
partment, public buildings; from the
agricultural department, national for
estry; from the interior department,
irrigated and arid lands, and give them
to the proposed department as well as
the reclamation of 80,000,OOO acres of
swamp, overflow and wet lands of the
south and middle west
Mr.. Ransdell is a member of the in
land waterways commission and presi-
dent of the rivers and harbors con-
gress.
The war department has been adj
vised for many months of these plans,
and quietly has been preparing to fore
fend against legislation which would
rob it of it's traditional function to
take care of the nations engineering
works and of the rivers and harbors
So far as that department is con-
cerned, there will be intense opposi.
ton, but it is now well known Chief
Forester Pinchot and Chief Newell of
the reclamation service are favorable
to the proposed radical change.
1t has been alleged by friends of the
proposed new department that Presi
dent Roosevelt is of the opinion that
some such plan should be wrought out
his utterances in messages and
speeches on numerous occasions being
cited in support of that claim.
That the matter will arouse acri
monious debate is indicated by the al
legged fact put out last fall by pro
ponents of the movement that army
engineers are Anticipated, and citation
of the history of jetty building at the
mouth of the Mississippi so years age
by Captain Eads, when the army is
alleged to have laughed at the jetty
idea, which Eads proceeded to prove
to be the bets means of deepening
channels at the rivers mouth. The!
claim vast sums of money have beef
wasted by the war department il
handling inland river works.
On the other hand the army fairl.
scorns the pretensions of supporter
of the new movement. The department
says friends of this new idea have pre-
sumed to speak positively on ques
ton which has not yet even Deel
slightly probed; that the nation is al
solutely unprepared to say whether o
not the plan proposed is good or bao
The bill even comprehends also sui
traction from the interstate commerce
commission of supervision over roat
beds and rates, and inclusion in tn
functions of the proposed department
of activities of the bureau OF stant
ards, now in the department OF con
merce and labor; the geological SUI
vey, now in the interior department
the office of public roads, now IN Tn
agricultural department, and the CIR
alton of bureau of mining technolog
for the new department.
The general movement OF whlc
Representative Ransdell's bill is IN
first phase which has gone before col
gress directly, contemplates the mos
sweeping changes in the makeup
the several executive department
which have ever been proposed slne
the republic was founded.
The army, as soon as the Dill
came law, would be merely an arm
with an engineering corps reduced
an inconsequentiality. The transpo
tation, forestry, irrigation, dralnag
geological and other bureaus no"
important parts of their respective q
partments, would carry to the pr
posed department enormous authorl'
such as wo, Id enable the secretary
transportation and public WORKS -,
compete with the secretary OF state II
premiership in the cabinet.