Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-08

We're slow sometimes in the building up
Of improvements.
II am not prepared to say that those
| criticisms with reference to individuals
were not well founded. You cannot take
/ Il great corps like that numbering. as
! 1t does, great many officers within it.
! and not find men who fail to keep up
with the procession. but | am very sure
from talking with Gen. Marshall and
with number Of other men at the head
! Of the CORPS that they are fully charged
with the increasing interest in this coun-
| try among the people and among the
| business men in the development of the
j inland waterways and that YOU could not
| have a safer body of men to advise than
| the army engineers.
Case of Good Fortune.
| Il count it one of the great good for
i tunes Of this country that when the
country had to build the Panama canal,
after using the great ability of civil en-
| sineers, we finally settled down upon the
army engineers to carry that project
! through.
So IL IS With respect to the water
ways They have recommended to the
chairman of the waterways committee
| in the House 4 system of improvements
/ that / believe will meet the Judgment
or ms contention If it be moderated
colnplIShed i think you can secure
upon the statute books of this country
declaration in favor of continuing
contracts to build the four or five prof.
ccts which the engineers have recon-
mended, in such Il way that even if YOU
! do not get the bonds voted. at first that
i If tn" time arises when the revenues
/ Will not permit their use. ! mean the
current retenuS, 10 continue that work
! with reasonable rapidity. you can move
I upon the government for the issuing
] "a hf.YoI X. n r,g1-.. E.rt>
/ bonds when the conditions strengthen
/ the argument in their favor. 1t is
strong argument that you will have to
meet that if You going to issue
| il large amount Of bonds just for the
purpose Of putting them into the water
| ways as their necessity may develop,
| then there is temptation to extrava-
gance. Perhaps it is my judicial ex-
pericncc. but | always feel as if you
ought to shape your policy in order TO
/ win, not according to the enthusiastic
| suggestions Of your imagination, but in
order To overcome the obstacles that you
are likely 10 encounter in winning the
/ end which YOU seek.
And. now. ladies and gentlemen, I am
/ very much obliged to YOU for giving me
such attention | realize that what /
| have said comes from the lips of a mere
! tyro, but it comes from one who has
! some temporary responsibility in respect
| TO the matter. and from one who is
thoroughly in sympathy with the general
| object which you seek hereto wit the
| development Of all the waterways of'this
country by a general policy in such a
| way as to reduce and control railroad
| rates and in such a way AS to stimulate
| upon the bosom of the waters the trans
| portation OF such MERCHANDISE is
peculiarly fitted to that character Of
carriage.
Upon the completion of the Presidents
| address, the delegates We're requested to
| remain seated and face camera placed
| at one end of the hall. while a flash light
| picture OF the convention was taken.
Count Won Bernstorff.
Count Won Bernstorff. the German ann
bassador, was introduced as "the repre-
! sentative of the country which has taken
the most advanced stand in the world ON
the question of Improvement of wafer
WAYS" The ambassadors address was
listened TO with close attention and was
much applauded. pom its completion
he was congratulated by President Taft
The German ambassadors address was
largely Il resume OF the development and
maintenance of inland waterways of the
German empire under the direction CT
the minister OF public works The count
told the congress that he could not at
tempt to draw any lessons for the United
States, because of tho wide variance of
conditions existing in the two nations.
Count Won Bernstorff sketched the
building of the early canals by the Prus-
the middle of the past century, when the
railways of the empire began to show a
considerable development and the water
ways seemed to lose some of their impor-
lance But eventually the condition
turned. and in the seventh decade of the
last century the railways, in spite of
their advantages We're unable to meet
all the demands upon them, especially
for lowering. their tariffs for the trans
portation of goods carried in great
masses and the interest for water com
munication was revived.
Revival of 1875.
About that time. 1873. the total length
OF the navlgable waterways of the en-
pire was estimated at little more than
1000 kiometers, on in round figures
about 5000 miles. Then during the wears
from 1870 TO 1900 the greater part Of
the waterways were rtorSaniZed and the
German rivers we're systematically i'm
proved. Tile greatest streams were so
mich deepencI hE correcting the mean
water levels That at mean water
capacioGS ships We're allowed safe nas-
sage. and that even at low water nayi-
CATION was still profitable. All improve
which would assure the passage east o,
Berlin % vessels of 400 tons capacity +,
and west of Berlin Of vessels Of ri least
6,,1 tons, though not AT low water times
y here suitable correction was moi hos
Sbie. tir rivers were converted into liSr .
a. canals ;.tid provided with .ocslS of /
large dimensions. Those canals then in I
use were replaced by more efficient ones J