Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-31
WATERWAYS TO
SOLVE PROBLEM
/ CONGRESSMAN RAlNEY MAKES
ELOQUENT PLEA
HARBoR AND RIVER CHANGES TO
CHECK RAILROAD RAPAcITY
Shows That Large Part of Panama
Canals Value VIII Be Lost
Without Aid from the
Government
Especial to The Herald. ]

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passage of the tariff bill tremendous
quickening of interest in national
needs is noticed, and this interest Is
not likely to wane as time passes.
Already there are noticeable changes
going on throughout the country on
the subject of improving the inland
waters of the United States, and the
utterances of those great railway
kings, Hartman, Hill, Yoakum and
others. who state that the railroads
cannot transport more than 60 per cent
of the freight at the time 1t should be
carried has emphasized the needs for
a broad and comprehensive waterway
policy on the part of the federal gov
ernment, to the end that the great
natural thoroughfares of the country
may be made to do their share OF
transportation.
A much greater interest is being
shown by senators and representatives
In congress than ever before In the
subject of waterways and their Inn
provement. Congressman Henry T.
Rainey of the Twentieth Illinois dis
trict is among the leaders of the house
unreservedly to favor a bond issue of
liberal proportion to carry on the
work of improving the inland waters
and canals of continental United
States, one of the cardinal planks in
the platform of the National Rivers
and Harbors congress, whose sixth an
nual convention in Washington next
December gives promise of being the
biggest waterway convention ever
held.
Congressman Rainey Talks
1.-THE waterways of the country"
said Mr.. Rainey today. have fallen
into disuse for two reasons. First, the
railroads have been increasing their
carrying capacity, building larger en-
gines, building larger cars, laying
heavier rails and Misunderstanding their
lines until now the limit of develop
ment seems to have been reached.
Nothing has been done for waterways
while this remarkable railway develop
ment has been in progress Rivers
have not been dredged to any con-
siderable extent, the banks of
streams have not been regularized and
as yet no comprehensive system of
stwaterway development has been en-
tered upon.
"In the second place, railways paral-
ieling rivers and reaching cities along
our rivers have pursued the policy of
making cheaper rates to river points,
rates often so cheap or cheaper than
river steamers of the present capacity
can make. Railways have been car
rying freight to river points at loss
In order to destroy river traffic, and
have been compelling inland towns and
cities to pay higher freight rates than
they ought to pay in order to make
up the loss. There has been, for half
a century. a fight of the railroads
against the rivers, with no organiza-
tions, until a comparatively recent
period, fighting for the rivers.
One Path to Competition
"There is only one way to meet the
situation and to restore to railroads
the competition they ought to have,
al 4 that is by improving our rivers,
: connecting them where necessary
. with artificial canals, depending upon
the electric lines reaching our rivers
! and extending out now into the in
: terror of the country to furnish, in
connection with the improved rivers,
the competition which n gigantic rail-
way combination must have. Improve
our rivers and you will have furnished
to every man a great free national
highway upon which he can launch his
boat and carrying his goods, free of
all charge, to the ocean highways of
the world.
1.-THE building of the Panama canal
meets with the approval of the coun-
try, and yet it will fail to accomplish
the results for which 1t is intended
unless we improve the 10000 miles of
navigable rivers lying within our
mountain ranges; unless we improve
rivers and harbors between our noun
tain ranges and the seas in order to
enable freight to be transported cheap
ly from the interior to the worlds
ocean highways. The time, 1t seems
to me, is here when the country would
approve a bond issue of large size for
the purpose Of improving rivers on a
comprehensive basis. The development
of the country now depends upon it.
Illinois Appropriates Millions
"By a majority of nearly 100000
votes the state of Illinois has declared
itself for this proposition, and has
voted in favor of a bond issue of
$20.000,000 in aid of the lakes to- the
gulf deep waterway
1.-THE state of New York has voted
$101,00O,0O0 in bonds to deepen the Erie
canal.
1.-THE waterway from the lakes to
the gulf is an interstate waterway.
The Ohio river is an interstate water
way The Missouri, the Tennessee and
the Arkansas rivers are all great in
terstate waterways. The Atlantic coast
deep waterway is an interstate
scheme. Illinois and New York have
done their part toward creating ef-
ficient waterways within their boun-
daries connecting our interior lakes
with the sea. The time has come for
the national government to issue
bonds for the purpose of carrying on
and canal building upon which the
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