The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-11-30
IMPERATIVE NEEDS
Of WATERWAYS
BIG CONGRESS OF NATIONAL RIV-
Frs AND HARBORS WHICH
MEETS NEXT WEEK WILL CON-
SIDER WATERWAYS.

Washington, Nov. 30.-One of the
busiest Offices at the national capital
these days is that of the secretary's
Office of the National Rivers and Har-
bors congress, which holds its sixth
annual session in the city of Wash
ington December s, 9 and 10.
Captain j. F. Ellison of Cincin-
natl, who for a quarter of century
has been connected with the steam
boat service on the Ohio river as mas
ter and owner and who is the secre-
tary of the National Rivers and Har
bors congress-, is enthusiastic over
the forthcoming convention, believe
ing that there will be upwards of
5000 accredited delegates.
President Taft, who has personally
inspected thousands of miles Of wat
erways in his recent 13,000-mile trip
through continental United States,
will open the convention with an ex-
haustive address upon the needs of
waterway improvements and the ne
cessity for some fixed governmental
policy as to their development. In
addition to President Taft the cabi-
net will be represented by Secretaries
Dickinson and Nagel, who will deliv-
er addresses during the sessions of
the convention, which are to be held
at the New Willard A dozen or
more governors of states will be pres
ent. heading their delegations and
many Of whom will speak to the con-
vention Representative men of the
nation interested in this great ques-
ton will be present to add the weight
of their influence to this movement.
The National Rivers and Harbors
congress stands for the general ap-
preparation of $5O,000,000 year for
the internal development Of the riv-
ers, harbors and canals of the United
States, to be distributed on the var
of the engineer corps of the army.
Should current revenues be INSULT
cient to make such an appropriation
possible then the congress urges the
authorization of $500, 900 of wat
erway bonds at low rate of interest.
with the same conditions surrounding
these bonds as surround the Panama
canal bonds, said bonds, however are
not contemplated that these bonds
shall be issued at any one time, but
only as the needs of waterway i'm
provements make their issuance i'm
perative.
The National Rivers and Harbors
congress was founded in Baltimore in
October, 1901, at which some six
hundred delegates were present. At
the last convention of the congress
held in the city of Washington last
December nearly $500 delegates were
present, which gives Secretary Eli
son ground for his prediction that
5000 delegates will be present next
month at the sixth annual conven-
ton of the congress. which in i'm
portance to the business and agricul-
tural interests of the country is sec
ond only to the congress of the Unit
ed tSates.
Since the foundation of the govern
ment and including the last river and
harbor bill there has been spent on
all the interior waterways of the
country. including harbOrs, lakes and
canals less than $60O,000,000. Con-
trast that amount of money spent in
the 1873 years of our history with the
freight tonnage carried in the year
1908 alone. which shows that there
were upwards of 300,000,OO0 tons of
freight carried on vessels of the Unit
ed States. and the Importance of
this great economic question becomes
paramount.
When it is remembered that the
waterways of our country-rivers,
canals. lakes and coastal channels
have an aggregate length of between
$4,000 and $4,000 miles and only
about $4,000 miles is now used for
navigation the possibilities of vastly
increasing the opportunities for wat
er transportation is apparent.
Secretary Ellison urges upon all
commercial bodies. boards of trade
and chambers of commerce, mayors
of cities and governors of states the
Importance of sending delegates to
the sixth annual convention of the
National Rivers and Harbors con-
gress which will mark the culmina.
ton of the movement for a broad
and comprehensive policy on the part
of the general government towards
our rivers, harbors ana canals
'Jackies" Giving Up the Weed.
Washington, Nov. 30.-Foes of