Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-03
Rivers and Harbors Bill Re-
garded as Very Moderate.
CARRIES BUT $4,000, 900
Measure Not Likely to Be Over
loaded With Amendments.
IN LINE WITH ECONOMY PLAN
Hearings to Be Given by the Senate
Committee on Certain Spe-
cial Projects.

| The river and harbor appropriation bill
is resting easy in the Senate commerce
committee along with sundry pending
amendments as congenial companions
The bill is regarded by it's friends as ar
any extreme in moderation. There Is no,
| likely to he the usual overlooking of the
bill with Senate amendments largely in.
creasing the aggregate sum carried In the
House bill as has characterized the bill
| in the past.
The administration pressure for econo-
my has effectively operated to restrain
many senators and representatives as
handling the subject from initiating and
insisting upon appropriations for projects
Of a local nature which are much cher
ished by their constituents.
Bill Free of Objection.
No bill ever came from the House to
the Senate freer of objection In the minds
of army engineers intrusted with river
and harbor public works as the bill which
passed the House before the holidays. In
difference to the policy of economy of the
President. and, yielding to his insfstence,
the estimates Of the local engineers were
cut down considerably and then the
figures approved by the chief of :engi-
neers and the board of engineers for
rivers and harbors were further scaled
There was not. nor is there likely
to be. it is claimed, even the hint Of
the pork barreP' about this years
river and harbor bill. 1t is more than
ever hedged within the cardinal doc
trlne of the national rivers and har-
bors congress of policy and not a
project" a policy of taking care Of
waterway improvements Of national
scope and character, such as will carry
Der. benefiting the widest and most
varied commercial interests. and in
their progress pursuading the people
that this Is the surest way toward the
solution of transportation problems.
Total Of Appropriation.
The aggregate sum Of the appro-
priations provided in the pending
Senate amendments is $2,819,26s, which
with the appropriations coming from
the rivers and harbors committee and
the House makes a bill appropriating
approximately $26,OOO.OOO. Other amend
but 1t is not likely the bill will go
much above that figure. Nearly every
one of the Senate amendments Is with
in the estimates as recommended by
the engineer OmcerS on the several
projects which have been omitted from
the House bill.
Much disappointment in the apparent
meagerness of the river and harbor
appropriation for this year in the pend
ing bill and much misapprehension
might be removed If the public were
made to understand that there is in
the aggregate a very considerable sum
Of money appropriated on projects yet
unexpended. and that on some projects
the balance available covers nearly the
entire sum appropriated for them in
last years river and harbor bill.
Time Required by Engineers.
As Gen. Bixby, chief of engineers. has
repeatedly observed. it takes time to get
plans and equipment ready upon all
projects, and as it was only last June
that the last river and harbor bill was
passed and became a law in midsummer
much Of the failure to make use of money
appropriated is thereby clearly enough
explained. The delay In the passage OF
the BILL coming. as it did, late in the
session of Congress, explains also the
reason why the engineer officers assigned
to such duty were late getting a start OH
their tasks. Moreover, it should be borne
in mind that there is a scarcity of engi-
neer officers available for river and har-
Dor duty. as the chief of engineers en-
phatically pointed out in his annual re-
port.