The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-23
River and Harbors
 Committee Plans a
 Visit of Inspection

During the recess of Congress and for fthat matter during the long days
 when the Senate alone will be discuss
 ing the Canadian reciprocity pact
 while the House will be taking it easy
 Chairman Sparkman and members of
 the Rivers and Harbors Committe
 plan to visit number of the import
 ant waterway projects and look over
 projects which have strong local back
 ing. These personal inspections will
 be made for the purpose of familiariz-
 ing the members and particularly the
 newer men of the Committee with the
 needs of communities, cities and
 states in the development of the in
 land waters of the country.
 The first of the planned inspection
 trips on the part of the Rivers and
 Harbors committee was taken a few
 days ago under the personal direc-
 tion of Representative J. Hampton
 Moore of Philadelphia, President of
 the Atlantic Deeper Waterways As
 sociation, the inembers of the commit
 tee constituting the party being Chair
 man Stephen NJ. Sparkman, of Flor
 ida, Joseph E. Ransdell of La, Pres ident of the National Rivers and Har- bors Cong4ess; william E. Humphrey of Washington, Charles C.. Edwards of Ga, Edwin Ellerbe of South Carolina,
 Michael Donohoe, of Pa, John H. Small of North Carolina, Daniel A. Driscoll, of N. r., Thomas J. Scully of New Jersey George w Taylor of Ala, and Andrew J. Barchfeld of Pa. The trip was made primarily for the purpose, of a first hand knowledge of the route of the proposed Philadelphia to New York ship canal connecting New York Bay with the Delaware Riv- CT and crossing the State of New Jer- sey at a point south of South Amboy in that state to Bordentown on the Delaware. Should this canal be built 125 feet wide and a feet deep as plan ned it will cost 4,500, 900 with $200,- 900 a year for maintenance. It is estimated that the annual tonnage within a short period after its com pletion would be 5,20o,00O and In the very nature of things would make New Jersey one of the greatest, if not the greatest, manufacturing of states of the Union. AS a possible condi- tion to ultimate favorable action by Congress, New Jersey has already au- thorized an appropriation of $500,OOO to provide the right of way for the pro- posed canal predicated upon the Fed- eral government building and main taining it. Col. Black of the Engineer Corps and one of the ablest obcers in the service is authority for the state ment that this project is not only fea- sible but is commercially justified.
 There is an interesting parallel to be drawn between the Jersey canal and that of England between Liver pool and Manchester. The English canal was constructed at a cost con- siderably in excess of the estimate necessary to build the Jersey water way and it has paid the government we'll. and has brought increased pros- perity to the two English cities direct ly interested. But the canal across {ar fo greater than the two English cities could ever dream of commanding" said Col. Black in the course of speech to the member of the Rivers and Harbors Committee, ''and per- haps we can show in exact figures that In all reasonableness the return to the government will be satisfactory and that it will be even greater than in the case of the English canal.'
 Chairman Sparkman speaking of the visits to other sections of the country said that the commit tee had been invited to inspect the Ohio river from Oil City to Pittsburg, the invitation coming from Col. John L. Vance, President of the Ohio Val lev Improvement Association. This trip will probably be made but just when is largely dependent upon what the House of Representatives will do after the passage of the wool sched- 1le MT Sparkman will inspect some If the rivers of South Carolina accom- panied by Representative Ellerbe of that State and he will endeavor to ook over a part of the Missouri river above Kansas City especially that portion of the river which is includ- .d in the 4th Missouri Congressional District represented by Charles F. Boo Ter. a member of the Rivers and sHar- DOTS Committee.
 Chairman Sparkman said he hoped hat a river and harbor bill would be ,a ssed at the next session of Congress .hirty and thirty-fve millions and hat the precedent of yearly water Nay bills be made absolute