The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-17
WATERWAYS BILL ID BE RUSHED THROUGH Measure Will Be Reported and Passed Early POLICY OF ECONOMY Senate Amendments Will Re Offered Hut It Is Sure That They VIII Not Be Large Nor Broad In
 Scope
 
POLICY OF ECONOMY

Senate commerce committee has lost no time getting 10 consideration of the river and harbor appropriation bill. Work was resumed on the bill on Thursday, the day the session of Congress resumed. There is every indication that the bill will be reported early and there Is no reason to doubt that 1t will secure an early pas sage by the Senate
 The Senate amendments to the bill will be approximately considerably less than usual. To date the aggregate sum car ried in the Senate amendment is approx imately s2,S00.000. The Senate amendments to the bill of last year amounted to over s10.oGo000, for straight appropriations $6.- 3So,567 and for continuing contracts 8, 627,- 675.
 It seems pretty certain that the Senate will not depart far beyond the policy ob- served in the bill as 1t came from the House, which was distinguished as par ing down to well within the estimates of the engineers. The Senate amendments, although increasing the size of the bill to close to s26,000,000, are all within the engineers estimates, with no new legis- lation proposing new projects included.
 Amendments to Be offered
 Other Senate amendments are expected to be offered, but it seems to be we'll un- derstood that nothing will be done to en- danger the bill by any amendments call ing for large appropriations or attempt ing to provide for new projects.
 In this respect both committees-House and Senate-having charge of the river and harbor bill have acted consistently with the cardinal doctrine of the national rivers and harbors congress for "a policy and not a project" The organization policy has regard strictly to the adoption of no waterway enterprise not fully ap- proved by the board of engineers for rivers and harbors and 1t must also be a project so obviously beneficial to com merce in the broadest sense that it will have the unquestioned approval of the business interests of the territory con- cerned.
 Hacking on Projects
 At every session in which the Senate has had to consider a river and harbor bill there has been a disposition to tack on new projects oftentimes such as have failed of approval by the House commit tee. House members interested in local projects have resorted to bringing the matter up again through their senators. with the result that it has happened that insistence upon minor local waterway en- terprises has imperilled the entire meas ure, with all of it's meritorious and thor oughly approved and undisputed schemes of improvement, even to setting back work under continuing contracts. The rivers and harbors congress has earnest ly sought to educate the public and inn press Congress upon this point. What General Bixby, chief of engineers, said In his recent annual report and subsequent ly reiterated at the National Rivers and Harbors convention, when he delivered his interesting and instructive address to that body, particularly with reference to projects now in hand Is we'll worth cita- ton.
 Limitation of Plans
 "I-nder existing law" said General Blk by, "re-examinatons of existing projects are made by the board of engineers for rivers and harbors by either the commit tee on commerce of the Senate or the committee on rivers and harbors of the House of Representatives. But these re- examinations are subject to the limitation that no enlargement of the scope of the project can be considered so that de- sirable extension of projects cannot be recommended"
 Thus it is seen that so far from being ready to take up new projects the board of engineers is not yet prepared under the plain intent of the law makers to con sider even the extension of old projects until II mas been SdtiSructorliy ueliioH- strated that the further improvement is desirable from the standpoint of business necessity and the conservation of the work already done.
 Members of the National Rivers and Harbors congress, many of whom are members of the federal Congress. are very we'll satisfied with the status of the pending bill They are well aware that considerable money yet remains to be exnended of the appropriattOn bill passed June % last and are confident that Con- gress can next time. pursuing the policy of an annual appropriation and harmony with the declared policy of the Water way. association pass a bill which will approximate the $50,0o0,0 600 figure.