The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-19

& COMMERCE aionS the Atlantic deeper
I waterways. like the traffic on the
I Rhine. is destined to run North and
south do not recognize that the
economic ltw OF supply and demand is
inonopolized by the movements be-
: tween the East and West 1t is absurd
TO say that. There is no business. then.
foS tho Mississippi and Its tributaries,
and that network of canals from Cape
I Cod 70 Florida and then to the Gulf
. of Mexico"
PresIdent's Address.
I The convention began the consider
! alton of actual business Immediately
after the conclusion of Mr. Stovalrs
-. speech. with the annual address of
President j. Hampton Moore, of the
Atlantic Deeper Waterways Associa-
ton. He reviewed in detail the prog
iress of the past year and the problems
which confront the association to-day.
| Distinct gains In the matter Of
waterway improvements were made in
/ every State along the Atlantic coast
! from Maine to Florida during the past
{ year by reason of the activities Of
the Atlantic Deeper Waterways AS
ISOLATION. While general progress had
| been made in bringing public atten-
| ton to the Importance of connected
/ intracoastal waterway, Mr.. Moore
said, there also had been decided
advance in local projects and an In
creasing tendency to improve water
ways as means OF transportation.
AS startling presentment, which,
| lie said. demanded consideration at
the hands OF the government, Mr..
Moore quoted from the report of the
committee OH traffic appointed to col
| lect data with reference to the coast
wise trade IN general In its report. il
said: One OF the strongest arguments
| iii favor of an inside route is the
fact that In single decade. from 1900
to 1909, there were over 800 disas-
ters to shipping on our Atlantic sea-
board. Not all losses arc reported, but
these accidents are known to have de-
stroyed sio,50o.ooo worth of vessels
and cargo. and to have caused the loss
/ of over 1900 human lives"
President Moore pointed out that the
! SiO,5oo.000 loss would more than build
n ship canal across New Jersey from
| New York to the Delaware River. II
doubled, the amount would be sufficient
! to complete a barge canal from Bos-
| ton to Beaufort Inlet, n. c. COO miles.
and the addition OF s20,o00,O0o would
doubtless complete a serviceable water
way from New England TO Florida's
southermost key.
II the whole chain were to be con-
; structed at once-which Is more than
any reasonable waterway advocate
asked or expected-and the cost were
, fixed at $IoO,coo,ooo that amount would
be only half that already spent upon
the Mississippi. with its 100000 tons,
OF commerce. 1t is only one-haif what
has been pledged to the Mississippi
system TO complete n nine-foot chan
mel from the Lakes to the Gulf II is
only s37oOo,00O more than Congress
and the President have indorsed over
to the Ohio River for nine-f foot depth
from Pittsburg to Cairo, and it Is only
one fourth of the actual construction
cost. to say nothing OF the tremendous
maintenance cost. OF the Panama
Canal.
Work Nearer Homo.
After lauding the work on the Pan
anna Canal as complimentary to Ameri
can engineering skill and as having
brought iaurels TO the American ma
tional reputation for commercial phi
lanthropy, Mr.. Moore asked whether
1t was not time to take an account of
what Americans have failed to do
nearer home. "Wdiile we are pouring
our hundreds OF millions into this vast
enterprise, which is to be maintained
! by the United States at It's own risk
and for the benefit of the nations of
the world he said. is 1t not fair to
i pause and take account OF what we
have failed to do a little closer to
home where the circulation of our
national appropriations would aid do
mestic enterprises. encourage domestic
business and probably employ the
labor which is Immediately round
about us?"
ut does not seem unreasonable"
said he. that IF the government is able
to appropriate and spend Approximately
four hundred millions raised from the
masses of the American people for the
employment of both foreign and Amer
lean labor in the construction of
canal al Panama, which ,ust be Of
! equal benefit to all other nations. as II
/ is to the United States. that 1t might
F! stfil be able to spend the paltry fifteen