The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-17
Comprehensive Scope of Work Done by State Com mission on Waterways
 Appears at Hearing
East Must Bring Raw Ma
 terial Used Tn Its Manu-
 factures at Lowest Cost for Freightage to Main tain Industrial Supremacy

s The commission on the improvement | if the waterways of Connecticut met, l last night, in the office of Harbor- 1 master Charles H. Morris, to hear the 1 ieeds of Bridgeport and to get the | fiews of Bridgeport men with respect Io harbor improvements
 The commission was authorized by he general assembly in 1909, and vas named by the governor. Four members of the body were present, including E. H. Warner of Hartford, shairman, Henry E. Parmelee of New Haven, clerk. Oliver Gildersleeve Of Ei1dersleeve and R. q. Crane, 3rd president of the Crane valve Con- It's work in the broadest way. Not Eonneeticut. but New England, is the shat It has in mind Is the reservation bf the supremacy of New England as Ennproyement of the general condition tf the people that is bound to come when the states enjoy the adVantage Af a co-ordinated system of water ways bringing the raw materials of the country, a little cost, to the spot where they will be used, or consum- ed.
 The elucidatlon of the objects of the commission was largely by MT Crane, who pointed out that New England Is the very outboard of the country that 1t is engaged in manufactures hInnost solely and yet Is remote from the raw materials that 1t must use;
 Unless the raw materials can be brought cheaply to New England It's. manufactures must go down .Defores the competition of concerns located near the sources of supply.
 The state commissioners are work Ing on a scanty appropriation. They have no power to make surveys They have power, however, to suggest leg lsIation.
 A portion of the time last night was devoted to a discussion of the powers that a waterway commission ought tO have.
 The commissioners believed that a created ito to. have control over all the navfgabIe ways of the state and that ehfs commission should plan and su- pervise improvements qeemed neces- eary from time to Mime. This view was shared by Mayor Bucking gham who presided at the meeting and by Harbor Master Morris, and all of those present, except that upon a single feature of the proposed plan there was a difference of optn- ion.
 This difference was expressed part I ly by Lynn w. Wilson, who believed that the power of the commission should not extend to having 5urisdic- tfon over the projects of Bridgeport that were peculiarly it's own business.
 Mr. Wilson said: Many of us here people who make up our population are as competent as any other 100 900 = do the business that concerns it only better than a state commission can do the business of the city for It. We believe in a commission to have charge of state waters, which shall have power to plan and supervise means of communication by water, but we do not believe that such 8 commission should have power to say to this city that it shall. or shall not, build docks. or wharves with 5L,5ate1 modern wants to do these things, and pay for them Bridgeport should have the right to do them without seeking the per mission of a state commission"
 MT. Wilson suggested, however, that in case the state desired to help pay the cost of any such improvements to further a general scheme of public wharves throughout the state, that a state commission should then have an amount of control equal to the states relations between the state and the public schools. Chairman Warner cit ed the state highway system as an example of mixed control.
 MrWilson further said that the ex- perience of Bridgeport with state com- missions had been unfortunate, par ticu1arly when it had come into con flfct with the Railroad Commission with the New Haven railroad as the party of the other side.
 Harbor Master Morris expressed himself as opposed to lodging in State commission power over the in- ternal affairs of the city But he fa- vored the creation of a commission with full power to plan and supervise a system of Connecticut waterways.
 The absolute paucity of conyeniences for traffic by water appeared. The harbor master said that the only pub lie dock in Bridgeport is AS feet at the foot of Wall street. He gave figures showing the large water borne com meree of the port, and declared that an adequate service of pubic oocks' equipped with modern tools for un- loading, would in a few years enor- mousIy increase the tonnage by wa fer.
 committee on Rivers and Harbors, said that negotiations with the New Ha- ven railroad for the purchase or ~. 4Ge were underway and that he believed the bargain would be put through without any strings on it.
 But if the case should prove 10 De otherwise then he would favor the city getting adequate wharfage al eoTne other convenient point Alder noan n9al1s Paddock also Commented on the scarcity of conveniences for vessels coming into the harbor. and said that the Harbor committee Is thoroughIy In sympathy with the work of the
 Fl. M, Beers. harbor master of strat- ford, spoke briefly upon conditions in that town, and said that the town owns a large frontage on the river which he believes will be occupied some day by manufacturing plants
 RW. Miller, representing the Man ufacturers' Association. described the great advantages to manufacturers 1T &he Black Rock harbor by reason o1 Uater transportation He doubted ii the iron founding business could be conducted profitabIy in Bridgeport Ii fhe heavy materials as sand, iron ano ehe like could not come by water.
 Chairman Warner described briefly the situation in Hartford, where the fnnprovement of the Connecticut River the chief waterwayMpf the State. is greatly desired.
 The Federal government has made @F for the improvement of the Connectf cut between Hartford and Holyoke