The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-03
.FOX ENTHUSIASTIC OVER WATER ROUTES Alabama Should Be Especially
 Interested In Project . HAS 865 MILES OF RIVERS Thoroughly Inspired Over Subject Speaker at Commercial Club
 Makes Deep Impression on
 Those Who Hear Him.
HAS 865 MILES OF RIVERS

With a. small but appreciative and rep resentative audience John A. FOX, speclai field director of the national rivers and harbors congress, delivered an address at the Commercial club yesterday after- noon on the subject of waterway lm- provement. MT. Fox's talk only lasted for about ten minutes, but during that time he held the close attention of his audience by the facts he was present. ing to them.
 The meeting was presided over by Col. T. G. Bush, who introduced MT. FOX. Colonel Bush compared the need of im- proved waterways with the need of guar anteed deposits in banks, saying there had been 19 bills introduced in Con gress making it necessary for banks to guarantee depositors. '"rhe number or shows that the people want this guar antee, and that they have been writing their congressman and senators. The people want it and Congress is bound to give it. It is the same way with this question: If the people demand, Congress will laccede
 'The French government has spent s75O, ,OO00OO in improving the waterways in that small country and now one fourth of the traffic there is transported by water.e Colonel Bush then explained the formation of the national rivers and harbors congress and the object of Mir Fox's visit.
 J. J. Smith was called on for a few words on the subject of improved wa terways by Colonel Bush. In part Mr Smith said: We have spent so much on railroads that 1t seems odd that we should have neglected our waterways, which cost so little in comparison. This is a question which everybody should be interested in, but they won't be until after a campaign of education"
 MT. Fox Introduced.
 MT. Fox was then introduced and said in part;
 '"The question of transportation Is one of the most important ones facing the United States and business men should take an interest in it. Birmingham with her resources needs a waterway to the sea and it is proper that a campaign should be started here towards improv- ing waterways.
 'Out of 162 cities in the United States which showed improvement last year. I found that 147 weRe> located on water. There were 15 cities not located on wa terways and out of this 15 there were nine that had mineral resources. like Den yer Joplin and Birmingham, while the other six were towns that happened to be gateways by accident, like Indian apolis and Atlanta. And we will find that these last named towns are trying to secure waterways. Indianapolis has just held a great waterways convention in the effort to secure water connection and Atlanta Is doing the same thing
 ''I don't know what the future will bring to Birmingham, but believe tho day will come when Birmingham will need waterway to keep pace with the other progressive cities in this coun- try.
 Last year freight congestion was a question which faced this country. We don't feel this now on account of con ditions, but it is one of the problems we ndNe got tO luce. Int canal is going to make it very strong proposition for the south, and some thing must be done to solve it.
 "While we have built hundreds of miles of railroads we have found we can't control them by commission There is way that we can control them and that is by competition. A increased 119 per cent since 1900 while the railroads have only increased their equipped for hauling this traffic by 33 per cent. Something must be done to remedy this. Last year witnessed a great increase in the amount of raw products and they are still increa sing. but with the hostile legislation which has. been passed lately the railroads are not going to improve
 Cost is Only One-Seventh.
 we know by figures taken from both this country and Europe that it costs about one-seventh as much to convery by water as 1t does by rail-" At this point MT Fox gave statistics showing how canals of certain widths and depths were equal to railroads with a great number of tracks For instance. canal 15 feet deep and 100 feet wide would be equal to a 15-track railroad. and one feet deep and 100 feet wide would be equal to an s-track railroad. He declared that if the improvement desired to be made by the national