The Green Forest tribune., 1910-01-21

they would relieve the railroads or sup plement them in respect to the bulkier and cheaper commodities is a matter of conjecture. No enterprise ought to be undertaken the cost of which is not def initely ascertained and the benefit and advantage of which are not known and assured by competent engineers and other authority. When. however a project of a definite character for the improvement of a waterway has been developed so that the plans have been drawn, the cost
 definitely estimated, and the traffic which will be accommodated is reason ably probable I think it is the duty Of
 congress to undertake the project and make provision therefor fin the proper ap-
 propriation bill.
 One of the projects which answers the
 description I have given is that of intro
 ducing dams into the Ohio river from
 Pittsburg TO Cairo. so as to maintain at
 all seasons of the year, by slack water,
 depth of nine feet. Upward of seven
 of these dams have already been con
 structed and six are under construction,
 while the total required is 50. The re-
 mainng cost is known to be $G3,000,000.
 It seems to me that in the development
 of our inland waterways 1t would be wise to begin with this particular project
 and carry it through as rapidly as may be. I assume from reliable information that it can be constructed economically
 in ten years. l recommend, therefore. that the public lands. in river and har-
 bor bills, make provision for continuing contracts to complete this improvement, and l shall recommend in the future, if it be necessary, that bonds be issued to carry it through.
 What has been said of the Ohio river is true in less complete way of the fm- provement of the upper Mississippi from St. Paul to St. Louis to a constant depth of Ci fee nf Kansas City to St. Louis to constant depth of six feet and from St. Louis to Cairo of a depth of eight feet, These
 projects have been pronounced practical by competent boards of army engineers. their cost has been estimated and there is business which will follow the im- provement.
 As these improvements are being made, and the traffic encouraged by them shows itself of sufficient importance. the i'm provement of the Mississippi beyond Cairo down to the gulf which is now going on with the maintenance of a depth
 of nine feet everywhere, may be changed to another and greater depth If the neces- sty for 1t shall appear to arise out of the traffic which can be delivered on the river at Cairo.
 Cheap Rail Rate Necessary. l am informed that the investigation by the waterways commission in Europ shows that the existence of waterway by no means assures traffic unless there is traffic adapted to water carriage at cheap rates at one end or the other of the stream. It also appears in Europe that the depth of the streams is rarely more than six feet. and never more than nine. But it is certain that enormous quantities of merchandise are transported over the rivers and canals in Germany and France and England. and it Is also certain that the existence of such meth ods of traffic materially affects the rates
 which the railroads charge, ard 1t IS the
 best regulator of those rates that we have. not even excepting the govern
 mental regulation through the interstate commerce commission. For this reason I hope that this congress will take such steps that it may be called the iuaugu- rator of the new system of inland water ways. For reasons which it is not nec-
 essary here to state, congress has seen fit to order an investigation into the in terior department and the forest service of the agricultural department The re-
 suits of that investigation are not needed to determine the value of, and the ne- ceSsity for. the new legislation which have recommended in respect to the pub
 lie lands and in respect to reclamation earnestly urge that the measures be talk en up and disposed of promptly without awaiting the investigation which has been determined upon.
 WILLIAM R, TAFT,