New-York tribune., 1909-01-31
BETTER WATERWAYS
Com prehensiUe Plan Of ImproUe-
ments 4dUOcdted.
rFrom The Tribune Bureau. J


Washington. Jan. 30.-"During my service in the
House Of Representatives I have been impressed
with the lack of a general comprehensive
plan for the improvement of the rivers and har-
bors that could be made available for navigation
than with any other branch of the public ser
vice"
This statement was called forth to-day from
James A. Tawney. of Minnesota, chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations. largely on account
of the activity which the friends or improved
waterways are showing the present session OF
Congress. growing out of the many conventions heid
in the last year having for their object cryS-
utilization Of sentiment for the betterment or the
rivers and harbors of the United States
Continuing Mr.. TaWney said: Representing as
] do, district that does not have naVigaole
river in It. naturally have not interested Tnyseit
as much in this subject I otherwise would have
done. The Mississippi River forms the northern
and eastern boundary of my district for distance
of about seventy-ive miles. The improvement OF
the upper Mississippi has heretofore been proVlded
for by permanent annual appropriations; therefore
the subject of river and harbor improvements Il
one that has not been Of direct special interest TO
the people I represent Since / have been al the
head of the Committee Appropriations now
ever it has been my duty to consider the estimates
for river and harbor improvements uhue' pre-
vtous authorize tious and the informa ton mus oo
tanned has impressed with the necessity OF a
more comprehensive policy for the Improvement
am development Of water navigation t1an We
have hitherto had It this that prompted me
Two or three years ago to urge in the House the
adoption a plan for the deepening Of the chan-
Of the Mississippi from the mouth OF the MIS-
souri, the head of navigation on that river 10 a
depth of six feet, which plan has been adopteu
and a f1,I and complete estimate Of the cost has
been made by the engineers of the War Depart
ment.
ITO make definite and certain, when this plan Is
carried out and the Improvement completed, so that
those who would utilize the improved river for
ma vigation might prepare TO do So in advance OF
the completion of the Improvement have al TINS
session Of Congress introduced n bin authorizing
the Secretary of War contract for Work under
the plan in the amount of s2000.o00 per annur''
which will complete the Improvement OF the river
in about nine years. instead OF in forty years. as
proposed.
There is one danger. however. which the friends
of waterway betterment will encounter If they DO
NOT exercise care and are conservative in their
demands. That IS. their project as a whole EN-
hraced In what they now seeking nanny d
broad and comprehensive plan for the development
of all waterways and the completion or pro1ec's
v,bch involve the construction of artlclaA water
ways may be so large and require the expenditure
of. SO much money to make l1npossioie 'he tuop
ton and carving out Of the plan because of the
limited revenues of the government; or IL may oe
+,,a+ the nlan is made impossible because or the
opposition among the people generally TO the cFea-
ZION of an enormous bonded Indebtedness tor I~le ~
purposes of improving the rivers haroors anu
canals Of the country
.-rr,a man therefore should not alone be compre-
bansiv but practical well. and should be pre-
nered so as 70 avoid rousing the opposition tha'
would necessarily result from the fact tha us eA
ecution cannot be effected out OF the current 'e>e
nues OF the government or by making heces''-S .
resort TO bonds. !, ,.
.-Tbere IS another fact that must no; be Iost
sight Of in the development OF our waterways anu
1ha+ is that the execution of any PTactlcaI piail
for this purpose must of necessity cover d o,e
,ariod OF time No country in the world mas oe-
,olo,a6 and improved its waterways in year OF
IN q decade The capacity of the government 70 10 10
the work is limited well its capacity 10 meet
the expenditures"