The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-04-18
Appropriation of that Amount Each
Year for the Improvement of
the Naviaable
Rivers
ON PRACTICAL BASIS
Pending River and Harbcr Bill is
Declared to be the Best Scheme !.
Yet Provided in this
Country.
[Gate City Special Service. ]

NASs
WASHINGTON, April 1S.-No bet
ter waterway scheme of expenditure
has ever been provided by congress
than the pending river and harbor
appropriation bill That is the delib-
crate opinion of Senator John H.
Bankhead, of Alabama, of the senaH
commerce committee. who has been
directly and actively interested in
waterway legislation ever since 1889,
when he entered the house as a rep
resentatiye from the sixth Alabama
district. He served ten terms as
member of the house and was twelve
years member of the river and
harbors committee. In 1907, he was
appointed a member of the waterways
commission Immediately following his
last term in the house. Senator Bank
head gained strength and recognition
in Alabama by his sagacious appre-
citation of her great waterways, the
Tennessee river, the Warrior, Tom
bigbee, Coosa and Alabama rivers and
Mobile harbor the rivers trayersing
The unequalled mineral belt OF the
state and being susceptible of i'm
provement of ineaicula6le value to
the commerce OF the state. But, with
all his loyal devotion to the waterways
of his own commonwealth, he has
been constantly vigilant and sensible
Of the advantages of progress in the
Improvement of navigation in other
states His long experience en-
abled him to take a broad, nation
wide view of the great subject. AS
member of the rivers and harbors
committee of the house his work and
counsel were highly valued by every
member of the committee, especially
by the chairman Hon Theodore Bur
ton. of Ohio, many years the chair
man of the committee. and now
colleague of Mr.. Bankhead on the
commerce committee.
This exceptional experience in river
and harbor legislation, with its rare
opportunities of studying the question
of cheaper transportation by way oil
deepening river channels and harbors,
so developed him that it made SEN
ator Bankhead one of the staunchest
advocates of broad and compreheh-
sive system OF waterway Improvement,
and he thoroughly subscribes to the
doctrine of the National Rivers and
Harbors congress for maintaining that
policy by continuous annual appro
priation
THE indications point to deter
-
mination to appropriate annually at
least $50,000.000 year for the i'm
provement of the navigation of our
waterways said Senator Bankheac
today. ''Thlt there shall be no cessa
tion of work upon projects well con
ceived and approved by the army
engineers is now the prevailing view
Until lately the engineers were re
porting not oftener than once every
two years. Now the chief has in
structed his subordinates to have theil
reports and estimates prepared every
year, so that the exigency of annua
appropriations may be adequately
met. Thus we are getting down tt
practical basis, with promise of faI
better results than we have ever
hitherto achieved 1t is fair enough
to assume that the policy entered up
on will provide substantial basis
and afford the hest possible opportun
ity under conditions as they present
themselves. to test fully the problem
OF cheaper transportation by water as
cheek to possible excesses of cost
of transportation b. railway. One o.
the important principles of the pres
ent measure is the recognition of an
idea, vital to many regions of the
country, which are peculiarly well en-
dowed by nature in that respect, i
that the water power of navigable
streams may be permitted to be de
veloped to the great advantage ol
large communities and to the profit
of the entire country and at the same
time preserve and conserve the bene
fits of navigation. For q long time
waterpower development has been
going on, il at all, without due re
spect TO navigation, and the improve
ment of navigation has been proceed
ing without respect to the utilization
of waterpower Each has Its value as
commercial factor. They should be
worked together, and operated to
gether; their benefits would be ineal
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