Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-24
FORCE WATERWAY
WORK, SAYS SOLON
Senator NeWIandS of Nevada
Would Have Board Chosen
to Cooperate

WASHINGTON, May 2S.-There is
probably no man In the country who
has taken a livelier interest in the de-
velopment of the waterways of the
United States than Senator Francis q.
NeWlands of Nevada. Without having
navigable river in his state, and
therefore without an AK to grind, with
no election facing him, Senator New
lands has thrown the weight of his in
fluence and his enthusiasm for gov
ernment board to cooperate with the
corps of engineers of the army in in
vestigating questions relating to the
development of waterways and water
resources and the related problems or
irrigation, forestry, swamp land recla-
nation, Qualification of streams, regula-
ton of flow, control of floods, utiliza-
tion of water power, prevention of soil
waste and railway transportatin.
Senator Newlands, in his efforts to
bring about such a board, which shall
deal with all the questions above out
lined, is insistent that the time has
arrived when there should be assembled
under one general department the
brains and the skill and practical ex-
perience of the representatives of the
government having to deal with these
problems. 1t is the belief of Nevada S
senior senator that a great mistake has
been made in the endeavor to develop
isolated waterways
WORK UNPROFITABLE
Experience has shown that such work
is Improbable and that the greater
part of the money thus spent is wasted.
1t has also been shown that water
shed should be considered as unit,
and should be developed with a view to
it's material requirements and the traf-
fic needs of the territory through which
it passes, entirely regardless of the
particular water course itself.
Discussing the needs of such board
Senator NeWlands said: IT do not ap-
prehend that there will be great differ
ence of opinion as to the relation of
questions of foreStry-the reclamation
of arid lands, drainage of swamp lands,
development of water power and the
clarifcation of streams-to the deVel-
opment of waterways for the purposes
Of navigation. The development of a
waterway for navigation may be en-
tirely impracticable because of its cost;
but if we can unite with the develop
ment of that waterway the reclamation
of the arid lands above, the drainage OF
swamp lands below, and the interme-
date development of valuable wtaer
power, we then add to the natural re-
sources of the country and create val
ues which in themselves will be COM
pensatory of the entire work, whereas
the work would not be in any measure
self-compensatory if confined to navi-
cation alone.
RAILROADS DESTRUCTIVE
"Then, again, the question of trans
portation plays most important part
in the development of the waterway.
The decline of waterway transporta-
tion, in my judgment, has been due to
the fact that the railways have, by un?
fair competition, sought to destroy wa
ter transportation. Now it seems to
me to be wise to bring together water
way and railway experts to the end
that water and rail shall cooperate.
1.-The railroad managers have de-
clared that it Is essential, in order to
meet the transportation requirements
of the country, that at least $751; 900, 900
shall be expended on our railways.
That $4,000, 100000 is a charge on the
natural resources of the country. The
interest on it, amounting to at least
5000 100000 annually, will be paid by
the shippers of the country. The ex-
penditure of a billion dollars in water
way transportation at the rate of $780,
O00,O0 a year during the next ten years
will save more than half of the neces-
sary expenditure of $5,000000,000 Now
NV idea is to assemble under one gen.
eral board the scientific servants of the
government, the best engineers, con-
structors and transportation experts of
the country, to create comprehensive
plans for the development of our wa
terways. otherwise 1 fear that ship
wreck viii be the fate of the waterway
movement"