The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-09
Study Will Be Made of Canals and Rivers of Europe and Their Facilities
ALL OF EUROPE WILL BE
 STUDIED CAREFULLY
Material Will Be Gathered Which Will Be Used By the National Rivers and Harbors Congress In
 American Construction.

Washington, August s.-(speciaiA- Seven of the 12 members of the national waterways commission. a commission au- thorized by Congress to investigate not only the waterways of Europe and Can ada. but the waterways of the United States, for the purpose of making recom- mendations for the Improvements of the rivers, harbors and canals of our own country. sail Tuesday morning on the North German Lloyd liner Kronprinzessen Cecilie, on ten weeks investigation and examination of the waterways of En- rope. The personnel of the party is as follows:
 Senator Burton of Ohio, chairman; Sen ator Gallinger of New Hampshire Sen ator Simmons of North Carolina; the new chairman of the rivers and harbors com mittee of the representatives. D. S. Alex ander; Representative Stevens and wife of Minnesota Representative Wagner of Pennsylvania and Representative Spark man of Florida. together with Professor McPherson of Johns Hopkins university, Professor Johnson of the University of
 
 neer corps of the army. ana Herbert Knox Smith, chief Of the bureau of cor porations and Secretaries of the Com mission Woodbury Pulsifer and Joseph MeGann. It is the intention of Senator Piles of Washington, Senator Smith of Michisau, Senator Loriner of Illinois ansi Congressman Moon of Tennessee, also members of the waterways commission, to join the party September at strass- burg, Germany where the committee will commence an investigation of the Rhine.
 Itinerary of Party.
 The itinerary includes visits to the great commercial centers Of Europe and the capitals of the old world in order that first-hand study may be made, not only of the waterways. but of the transporta- tion problems which are closely related to the use of the water courses as freight and passenger carriers. The party will spend from August IS to 22 inspecting canals and rivers in and around Berlin and it's environs. Dresden, August g and 24 Prague, August 20 and 26, arriv ing at Vienna on the evening of the 18th instant, remaining there until August 31. Budapest will be reached September l, where three days will be spent in an in- vestigatlon of the Danube. the party journeying to Orsuva the night of Sep tember 3. September and at Belgrade and back to Budapest From Budapest to Munich on the evening of September ', and d visit to Strassburg and then a rather extended trip on the Rhine from September 10 to IA. Holland, its dykes and canals will occupy the attention of the party from September 15 to H. Bell gium September IS to 21, the canal sys- tenn of this country being regarded as most complete. Paris % and 30 and Lon- don October 1 to 15, which includes trips along the Manchester ship canal and in- speetion of harbors and waterways of England, arriving in New York octo- Der 23
 Independent Observer.
 Emery R. Johnson, who holds the chair of transportation and commerce in the University of Pennsylvania, and who is a noted authority upon trans porta tion questions, accompanies the party as the representative of the na- tional rivers and harbors congress. MT. Johnson will not only submit his find ngs as an independent observer to the national waterways commission, but will make a report to the national rivers and harbors convention to bb held in the city of Washington Decem- Der S. and 10, which will be notable for the number of distinguish ed men / who will address the convention during It's sessions, including the President Of the United States. Secretaries Dickin- son and Nagel, the German ambassador, Senator Theodore F.. Burton and Gov s ernor Harmon of Ohio. Mir. Johnson, who, upon other occasions has made study of the waterways of Europe. will upon this trip learn much possible of the relation of waterways to railways and the industry and trade of hese waterways and furnish such material in the way of documents and illustrations will assist not only the national waterways commission in making its report to Congress but the national rivers and harbors congress Tn carrying out It's platform which calls for a comprehe ensive policy of water ways development on the part of the federal government.
 Lodge Well Pleased.
 q am particularly pleased at the way Massachusetts fared.' says Senator Lodge of Massachusetts. ''So far as [ know, not an industry in Massachu- setts has been injured by the revision, and a great many of them have been benefited. Among the more noticea- ble schedules in which Massa chusetts was directly interested were those on hides coal, oil, scrap iron, Iron ore and z lumber. All of these have been low cred. an dhides and oil placed on the free list
 "The advantage of free hides" said Senator Lodge. will be that we will be able to buy our hides at the worlds market price. For the hides this coun-- try imports we've been paying the worlds market price plus Is per cent duty The packers in Chicago have been the only ones to benefit from this. If we produced enough hides to supply our demand it would be different; but we don't. Consequently the Chicago packer has been able to sell his hides at the same price we pay for imported ones. namely the worlds market price