The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-02-27

1 lunuttthtutdi nSGcSSty W. NohcSi tiAo
these resources upon which our pres
lent and future success as a nation
primarily rests. Running water is a.
most valuable natural asset of the
people, and there is urgent need for
conserving it for navigation, for pow.
or, for irrigation, and for domestic
and municipal supply.
| "The Commission was appointed to
obtain information concerning our
waterways as related to the general
welfare. Much work was done, but
more remains to be done before a plan
for their development can be prepared
in detail We need additional infors
mation en- the flow of our streams, the
condition of channels. the amount and
cost of water traffic, the requirements
for terminals, the area in each water
shed which should be kept under for,
lest, and the means of preventing soil,
waste and the consequent damage to
our rivers. But it is neither neces-
sary nor desirable to postpone the be-
ginning of the work until all the facts
are obtained. We nave suffered heav-
lily in the past from the lack OF ade-
quate transportation facilities, and
unless a beginning is made promptly
we shall suffer still more heavily in
the future.
Being without funds or an expert
staff, the Commission has confined it,
self to principles affecting the whole
problem and the entire country. Its
report is plea, in the light of actual
facts, for simplicity and directness in
dealing with the great problem of
our inland waterways in the interest
of the people 1T submits no specific
plans or recommendations concern.
ling even the most important projects,
The first of these of course concerns
the Mississippi and its tributaries,
whose commercial development will
directly affect half our people. The
Mississippi should be made a loop OF
the sea and work upon 1t should be
begun at the earliest possible moment,
Only less important is the Atlantic in.
ner passage, parts of which are al.
ready under way The inner pass.
lagos along the Gulf coast should be
extended and connected with the AT
lantic waters. The need for the de-
veloping of the Pacific coast rivers
is not less pressing. Our people are
united in support of the immediate
adoption of progressive policy of in
land waterway development.
Hitherto our national policy of in
land waterway development has been
largely negative. No single agency
has been responsible under the Con-
gress for making the best use of our
lrivers, or for exercising foresight in
their development In the absence of
a comprehensive plan, the only safe
policy was one of repression and pro.
lcrastination. Frequent changes of
plan aud piecemeal execution OF pro.
iects have still further hampered i'm
provement. A channel is no deeper
than its shallowest reach, and to Inn
prove a river short of the point of eff
fective nayigability is sheer waste
of all it costs. In spite of large APP
preparations for their Improvement,
our rivers are less seryiceable for in.
Iterstate commerce today than they
were half century ago. and in spite
of the vast increase in our population
and commerce they are on the whole
less used.
The first condition of successful
development of our waterways is
definite and progressive policy. The
| second is concrete general plan,
prepared by the best experts available,
covering every use to which our
streams can be put. We shall not
succeed until. the responsibility for
administering the policy and execut.
ing and extending the plan is definite
ly laid on one man or group of men
who can be held accountable. Every
portion of the general plan should
consider anu so far as practicable Sc
cure to the people the use of water
for power, irrigation, and domestic
supply as well as for navigation. No
project should be begun until the
| funds necessary to complete II
promptly are provided, and no plan
once under way should be changed
except for grave reasons. Work once
begun should be prosecuted steadily
and vigorously to completion. We
must make sure that projects are not
undertaken except for sound bust
ness reasons, and that the best mod
ern business methods are applied in
executing them. The decision to un-
dertake any project should rest on
actual need ascertained by investiga-
ton and judgment of experts and on
its relation to great river systems or
to the general plan. and never ON mere
clamor
"fhe improvement of our inland
waterways can and should be made to
pay for itself so far as practicable
from the incidental proceeds from
water-power and other uses. Naviga-
ton should of course be free. But
the greatest return will come from the
increased commerce, growth, anG
prosperity OF our people For this we
have already waited too long AIDE
nuafp f1ndQ canuld ha Yrn,saoA ~.