The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-02-28
WATERWAYS MOVE
PR0SPER|NG NOW
Rivers and Harbors Bill Just
Passed, Has Established
a Precedent.
palladium Special

Washington, Feb. 2S.-Representa-
tive Joseph r.. Ransdell, OF Louisiana
member of the rivers and harbors
committee of the house. and president
of the national rivers and harbors
congress, is enthusiastic over the pas
sage of the river and harbor appropria-
ton bill, which it is believed Will be
speedily signed by the president.
In speaking of the merits OF the bill
and the careful. painstaking PR para
! ton given to the measure by both the
house and senate committees dealing
with waterways. Mr. Ransdeil SAID:
The passage OF the bill now IN the
hands of the president makes three
| bills in three successive years. The
emergency bill. as it was called, OF
1909. carried about ten million dol
lars. The bill OF 1910 carried some
ffty-three million dollars, while the
present bill provides for something
over thirty-six millions, so that there
has been legislation affecting our
great highways and our harbors Tor
three consecutive years. This certain
ly establishes the precedent for an an
nual bill hereafter. This feature of
the bill is most generally praised and
have no doubt it will be followed by
successive congresses as a well set
tied policy.
Another feature. which is crafty
ing to the friends of a liberal water
way policy is, that the present bill. to-
gether with that of 1910 which, carry
ing approximately ninety millions, If
expended promptly would give an av-
erage of forty-five million year-a
close approach to the fifty millions
per annum which was adopted as the
slogan of the national rivers and har-
bors congress several years ago.
THE annual feature and the in
creased amount have been urged with
the great persistency and the accom-
plshment of one and near approach
to the other are deeply gratifying to
all friends of improved waterways.
IF I were asked to name the distin-
gushing characteristic of the two bills
passed by the Sixty-first congress
should say that they are essentially
river bills, as cOntra-distinguishe
from the harbor bills which have been
enacted into law so frequently in the
past Indeed such liberal provision
was made for most of the harbors on
the great lakes, the Pacific, the Gulf
and the Atlantic by former congresses
that their demands were small and the
present congress could well afford to
be liberal in it's treatment of rivers
Il wish it clearly understood that
eli oh nta G m
to harbor improvements, for every
harbor is railroad terminal The
greater the facilities thereat for hand
ling freight in large vessels, the cheap
err the rates thereon, subject in
which all freight movers are intensely
interested. But while we have cheap
ened freights by deepening harbors,
we have done practically nothing to
establish forceful competition on riv-
great east and west water course such
as the combined Ohio and Missouri
rivers, and north and south route.
as the Mississippi from ST. Paul to
the Gulf would. if properly improved
and utilized, be wonderfully beneficial
in solving the problem of freight
charges. l use these streams as an IL
lustration merely and there are many
others practically in every part of the
union which would. in proportion to
costs of improvement, be equally help
full.
Another and most important idea,
consistently followed by this congress
in it's river legislation, is the adoption
of definite plan on great projects
and fixing specific period in which
to complete them. To illustrate: The
river and harbor act of 1907 adopted
plan to improve the Mississippi
from St. Paul TO the mouth of the Mis-,
souri, at a cost of twenty millions; 1t
provided five hundred thousand dol
lars in cash and authorized contracts
for a million and a half additional
with the proviso that not exceeding a
half million dollars should be spent in
any one years. This would mean for
~ years in which complete the pro-
ject.
The act of 1910 made suitable pro
vision for prosecuting the project
above spoken of and specifically stat
ing said improvements within a pc
riod of twelve years. thereby fixing a
definite. reasonable time for compile
ton. Similar periods were also fixed
for several other great projects that
have been under way for these many
years without any prospect of compile
! ton within the lifetime of any mem
Der of the present congress.
In view of the increased appropria
ton. and in order to expedite future
works. the bill gives an increase OF
sixty members to the engineer corps
of the army and provides for the ad
mission of a certain number of civil
ians for duty on river and harbor i'm
provements. This is a very decided
advance and very beneficial results
are expected from it.
The bill as a whole is clean cut and
as free from objection as any of the
great appropriation bills | have ever
known in my twelve years OF con
Sressional life"