Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-17

complete them and the settlers are
left in a most distressed condition.
The President urges that in order to
repair what is in effect a breach of
faith. that s30.O00,COO in bonds be is
sued. He is of the opinion that the
proceeds from the public lands plus
the water rentals will create sink
ing fund large enough to retire the
bonds within 10 years.
Passing TO the question of forestry
he says that 19O,OOO,OOO acres are now
under the control of the Department
of Agriculture in the shape of forest
resources. and states that the pos
sibilitv of treating these forests so
that they shall yield a large return
in lumber without reducing the sup
plv has been demonstrated in other
countries. He believes that we should
work toward the standard set by
them as far as their methods are APP
plicablc to their conditions. 1t is his
opinion that the 400,000O00 acres of for
est lands in this country now under
private ownership cannot be regulated
as to cutting by the nation as a whole,
but that such regulation must come
through the states.
The last general subject which the
President takes up is the Improvement
of the inland waterways, evidently
meaning the Mississippi River and its
two principle tributaries, the Missouri
and the Ohio. He gives particular at
tention to the Ohio, possibly because
improvements on that stream have al
ready been begun, as well as because
commerce thereon is more extensive.
His view in regard to this matter is
put in the following words:
mo enterprise ought to be under
taken the cost of which is not def
ntcly ascertained and the benefit
and advantage of which are not
known and assured by competent
engineers and other authority.
When, waterway has been de-
veloped so that the plans have
been drawn, the cost definitely
estimated, and the traffic which
will be accommodated is reason
ably probable / think it is the
duty of Congress to undertake
the project and make provision
n Ja onnrnnri9-
ton BILL
He then cites the Ohio from Pitts
burg to Cairo where it is proposed
to introduce dams so as to maintain
q depth of feet, stating that he be-
lieves it wise to begin the Inaugural
ton of a policy of improving water
ways with this particular project
In closing he says,
Il am informed that the investi-
cation by the waterways commits
sion in Europe shows that the ex-
istence of a waterway by no
means assures traffic unless there
is traffic adapted to water car
riage at cheap rates at one end or
other of the stream. 1t also APP
pears in Europe that the depth OF
the streams is rarely more than
feet, and never more than 8. But
it is certain that enormous quanti-
ties of merchandise are transport
ed over the rivers and canals IN
Germany and France and England,
and it is also certain that the exist
cnce of such methods of traffic
materially affects the rates which
the railroads charge. and it is the
best regulator of those rates that
we have, not even excepting the
governmental regulation through
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. For this reason, l hope that
this Congress will take such steps
that it may be called the inaugu-
rator of the new system of inland
waterways"