The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-07-18

special, and, therefore, The Rivers and
Harhors Committee, is transacting no
business with view to legislation at
this time. Nevertheless members of
the committee are alert to the import
ance of the work ahead of them and to
framing the next annual appropriation
bill which is to come from the COM
mittee at the regular session of Con-
gress.
Perhaps the fullest gathering of
members of the committee this year
was had on Wednesday when they as
sembled at the instance of pushing,
active, member, DIR. Andrew Jackson
Barchfield, of the Thirty-second Penn
sylvania district, one of the most popu-
lous districts Of Pittsburg, who got his
colleagues together to convey to them
an invitation from the city of Pitts
burg to come and see for themselves
the object lessons of certain river pro-
Jects of much concern, not only local
ly but of striking significance as a fac
tor in the whole great scheme of river
and harbor improvements, as advocat-
ed by the National Rivers and Harbors
Congress.
The City of Pittsburg has invited
the members of the Rivers and Harb-
ors Committee to visit the site of sew
eral projects in which the steel metro
polls Is interested and for that pur-
pose has appropriated $4,000 just for
the entertainment of its guests.
Chairman Sparkman, with other
members of the committee now in
Washington, on Wednesday met DR..
Barchfield and unanimously accepted
the invitation. Other members from
the city have signified by wire their
acceptance of the invitation. The
Rivers and Harbors Committee men,
bers are to be Joined by Representa-
tives in Congress from all the districts /
IN Western Pennsylvania and along the
Ohio River in West Virginia, Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. They
are to leave Washington July 10 and
go first to Oil City, Pa, where they
are to learn something about the pro-
position of flood prevention by the |
of reservoirs and the con-
Servation of water at all seasons of |
The year for the Ohio river. They will
hon cnnnd tho dow In
hey will hear a lot about the great
new scheme of connecting the Ohio |
liver with Lake Erie by a canal 101 |
niles long-"a Matchmaking PROPOSE
.ion," as DR.. Barchfield terms it, con-
;istently in line with the policy of the
National Rivers and Harbors Congress
or a broad and comprehensive sys-
EN- of river and harbor improvement.
But the localities most concerned pro-
'osed to raise the money for the pro-
ect, of course, with the endorsement
If the government through the army
engineer office. The legislatures of
pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio
1ave enacted laws to present the mat
.er in referendum form to the counties
n the states to be traversed by the
proposed canal, authorizing them upon
IN affirmative rCte to Issue bonds to
lefray the cost. The Congressional
'isitors will be taken on the Ohio by n
'omfortable light draft steamer from
7ittsburg down the river, with Cairo
or their ultimate destination, with a
'iew to showing the members of the
the condition of the public
work already done and the site of pro-
lects under contemplation.
The MISUNDERSTANDING party will
make stops at Steubenville, Wellsburg,
Parkersburg. Gallipolis
and Ironton, in Ohio, Paducah, KY.
and other large river towns. stopping
finally for a day at Cairo.