The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-05-04
SAYS CREEKS %
PAY BIG RETURNS
River and hsrb0T Bill Cause Of
Argument Among Members
Of Committee
snecial Ia Daily Leader.

Special to Daily Leader.
Washington, d. G., May i.-Senator
Kriute Nelson ot Minnesota, acting
chairman II the committee on com
iilevce. Tin the absence OF Senator
Frye Of Maine, who has been detained
at his home for weeks on account ~
iliness). ana one ot the coniei @s Jl
The river and harbor approb .~toh
hill. anticipates that ii will take at
least two weeks for the confereeS to
reach an agreement on The differ
ences between the senate and house.
Ii was surprise to the committee
that Senator Burton Of Ohio made an
adverse eport on the bill Senate
Nelson stated that IL vas the first
minority report eyer made by mem
ber OF the committee against a,rlyer
and harbor bill during his fifteen
wears sAr,ice on the commerce com.
ruittee. And to have this eport sup
plamentrd BY two days speech
against the bill after he had added
one million in continuing contracts,
ard Sl50,0U1 In cash. in addition to
that carried in the house BILL which
appropriated two and one-hall millions
In continuing contract and one mil
lion in cash foa the Ohio nYer. seem
"a Eli.l more surprising to the com
mIifse. according TO Senator Nelson
II The Ohio river, in the bIll now ~
confe. ence. receives over s5,000,000
sOne-tenih OF the increase aiaie ~
the senate, was added to the bill at
the instance of the junior 81 aator
from Ohio" said Senator Nelson. In
the bill as 1t passed the senate the
Ohio river carries one-tenth of the
entire bill. In this connection it is
understood that the friends of the
Ohio riyer including the Ohio Valley
Improvement association, were en-
tilely satisfied with the treatment ac
corded the river b. the house com.
uiittee and that so far as can be as
certalned they did not ask for sim
gle dollar additional. The increase
given the river, by the senate, through
the efforts OF Senator Burton, will
undoubtedly be acceptable even
though it was the unexpected which
occurred In this palticular case
The bill now in conference, and
which will no doubt be signed by the
president, Notwithstanding rumors TO
the contrary, aggregates 52.566,00J.
This amonnt will, it is expected, be
reduced to $50,000001 in conference.
This bill In its scope said Sen
afor Nelson, is one OF the farest
I'd best river and harbor bills that
has ever been passed by congress, in
no M m satfa fsed
committee Of the senate.
Some criticism has been made that
the bill appropriated money tor the
Improvement Of small creeks and
small riyefs but il so happens that
in nearly every instance these
streams show large development OF
commerce per dollar OF expenditure
In his statement before the com.
nicrce committee, col Wm Fl. Bixby
who is to succeed General Marshall
as chef of engineers. said that there
was not any class Of streams IN the
United States that gives so large q
rett for the dollar OF eXpenditura
as the little Insignificant creeks on
tide water and that have an average
OF txosto four feet draft when they
are cleaned out. Aud he laid down a
propositica that seems wholly logica
Ia me. that all river and harbor i'm
pfovementg must be built for eight OF
ten years in advance and that the
country must take the chance on how
these developments a G going to run
eight Oh ten years after il starts To
do the work"