Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-26
PRESIDENT SIGNS
WATERWAYS BILL
THEN ATTACKS IT
Approves the Rivers and HarborS
Measure but Scores 1t in
Message to Congress
TAFT TEMPTED TO USE VETO
Wants Fewer Projects and More
Work Done on Those That
Are Started
1Aasociated Press1

ASSOCIATED Press1
WASHINGTON, June 25.-President
Taft sent a message to congress be-
fore adjournment was taken today,
saying that while he had signed the
rivers and harbors bill he never again
will approve a measure along the
same lines.
After announcing that he has ap-
proved the bill, the president says:
while l have signed the bill, ven
ture to submit memorandum of ex-
planation and comment"
The text of the message in part fol-
lows:
THE bill is an important one and
contains many excellent features. 1t
provides for the canalization of the
Ohio river. to be prosecuted at rate
which will insure it's completion within
twelve years: the improvement of the
Mississippi river between Cairo and the
Gulf of Mexico, to be completed within
twenty years; OF the Mississippi be-
tween the mouth of the Missouri and
the mouth of the Ohio, to be completed
within twelve years; of the Hudson
river, for the purpose of facilitating
the use of tire barge canal In the vicin-
ity of Troy, N. Y: of the Savannah
river from Augusta to the sea, with
view to its completion within four
years: of n thorty-five-foot channel in
the Delaware river from Philadelphia
TO the sea: of a thirty-flvefoot channel
to Norfolk, Va; of a twenty-seven-
foot channel to Mobile, Ala; of a
thirty-foot channel to Jacksonville,
Fla; of a thirty-foot channel to oak
land, Cal
POINTS TO BILLS DETECTS
"The chief defect in the BILL is the
large number of projects appropriated
for and the uneconomical method or
carrying on these projects by the ap-
preparation of sums small in compari-
son to the amounts required to effect
completion.
''The figures convincingly establish
the fact that this bill makes made
quate provision for too many projects
''The total of the bill, s52,o0O,0 900. is
not unduly large. but the policy OF
small appropriations with a great
many different enterprises, without
provision for their completion, is un-
wise 1t tends to waste because thus
constructed the projects are likely to
cost more than IL they were left to
contractors authorized to complete the
whole work within reasonably short
time
Moreover the appropriation of
comparatively small sum for a doubt
full enterprise is thereafter used by its
advocates to force further provision
for it from congress, on the ground
that the investment made Is conclu-
sive recognition of the wisdom OF the
project and its continuance becomes
a necessity to save the money already
spent This has been called piece
meal policy
"It is proposed to remedy this de-
feet by an annual rivers and harbors
bill. but that hardly avoids the OBJ
jectlons above cited, for such yearly
appropriations are likely to be af-
fected by the state of the treasury
and political exigency.
CITES PROPER POLICY
"The proper policy, it seems to me,
is to determine from the many pro
1ects proposed and recommended what
are the most important and then to
proceed to complete them with due dis
patch; and then to take up others
and do the same thing with them.
Under the present system, every
proiect is submitted to army engineers
who pass on the question of whether
II ought to be adopted, but who nave
no power to pass on the relative I'M
portance of the many different pro-
iects they approve, or to suggest the
most economical and businesslike or
der for their completion.
congress should refer the old pro-
iects to boards of army engineers for
further consideration and recommen-
dation. This would enable lis to know
what of the old works ought to be
abandoned.
TT has been made clear to me that
the delay of the bill this late in the
session would seriously obstruct con-
structing engineers. I do not think
therefore, the defects of the bill which
have pointed out will Justify the
postponement of all this important
work. but 1 do think that in the prep
aration of the proposed future yearly
bills congress should adopt the re-
forms above suggested, and that a
failure to do so would justify with
holding executive approval even
though a rivers and harbors bill
failed"