Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-19
DIFFERENT ABROAD
European Nations Have Been
Alive to Value of Water
ways for Years.
MAKE THEIR FORESTS PAY
Congressman Moore of Pennsylvania
Talks of What He Saw in a
Recent Trip Abroad.

Washington, Sept. 19-The neces-
sity for broad and comprehensive
policy on the part of the general gov
eminent. toward the inland water
ways of the United States, is becom-
ing more and more patent. as the COM
pletiOn of the Panama canal ap-
proaches. This necessity is due to a
multiplicity of causes. principal of
which is the inadequate railway facili-
ties to handle our overwhelming COM
meree. The necessity also presents
itself in the activity of foreign gov
ernments toward their inland water
ways. which necessarily affects our
commerce TO a large extent
This past summer members of con-
gress have. more than ever before,
made a study of the waterway sys-
TENS of European countries and the
relation of the government to their in
land waterways, as they affect the
commercial life of the people. 1t is
doubtful if the legislative branch of
the government has ever been more
! largely represented in Europe than
during the present year, these repre-
sentatives of the senate and house of
representatives going abroad to make
personal examinations OF foreign con-
ditions, in order that better under
standing may be had of these condi-
tions as they affect the needs Of the
people of the United States.
| ShOuId Re Systemafic
1T is high time the people of the
United States began to Systematically
develop their waterways and take
stock account of their natural re-
sources" said Congressman ]. Hamp-
ton Moore of Pennsylvania, who has
just completed tour of Europe with
| Chairman Theodore e. Burton of the
rivers and harbors committee of the
house. and United States Senator
Reed Smoot of Utah, a. member of the
presidents forestry conservation COM
mission.
| while we have been permitting our
lrivers to silt up and our docks to de-
teriorate. the European countries have
been straining every energy to cor
rect similar errors Of neglect and
omission. They now regard their
waterways as the greatest possible ma
tional asset, and even though some
of them are not profitable, as separate
enterprises, they are assisting the
commerce and industries of the coun-
tries concerned and are developing
new communities. They are also re
Ihabilitating some old ones-Antwerp,
for instance, has become one of the
worlds greatest ports, after depres-
sion that almost depopulated the city,
because in recent years it has culti-
vated the Scheldt river. BY the same
token, Flanders, the province on the
lopposite side of the river, has taken
no steps to improve its water front
and remains a mud banl, with few
wrecks and cheap buildings to mark
its existence.
| Have Large Mileage.
I'VE have more waterways in the
United States than there are In Eng
land. France, Germany and severa
other of the northern European coun
tries combined, but We have not yet
learned how to. care for them nor tC
adequately estimate their value. The
foreigner knows the worth of these
streams and he is cultivating them
/, Neither do we yet appreciate thu
value of our forests. The foreigne
does. He is older and more expert
enced than we and he has gotten owe
his prodigality. AT least, in Germany
} France and Switzerland is this TIL
case. France isn't SO prodigal as j
was. 1t is now husban1ing the forests
You don't hear of Germany sellin
any timber. Germany buys timbe
The other countries have been givin
i up to Germany and now they are b,
ginning to find it out. In Switzerlan
L they are equally careful. They kee
a book account of their trees. The
c do not permit one tree to come dow
y without setting up another. The
s don't lose a tree in Switzerland. The
t can't afford to. visited one fore
IS in Switzerland where they clear