The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-19
WATER TERMINALS
Must Be Provided to Secure River and Harbor Ap-
 propriations

Washington, Feb. 19.-The River and Harbor appropriation bill which will probably be reported this week, the committee having worked inde- fatigablY of late to that end, will fur ther emphasize the DO icy of the com mittee in the 61st Congress, that in order to secure the best results from waterway development, there should be an annual river and harbor bill, fashioned along the lines of the army, the navy and the postoffice budgets
 Congressman John H. Small of North Carolina, member of the Riv- CTS and Harbors committee, who has been an enthusiastic advocate of a broad and comprehensive policy of waterway deVelopm ent on the part of the general, government, has some pronounced views on the subject or water terminaiS $ essentially necessary to perfect water transportation. He contends that the control of port ter minaI facilities is the key to securing traffic by waterways. and no water line may expect to secure a satisfac- tory traffic unless it controls ade- Quate terminals at each port or land ing where business is invited.
 '"The time will come" said MT. Small today, when all appropriations by Congress will be predicated upon the establishment of appropriate ter minals by municipalities and while due regard must be had to the vary ing conditions of different sections, yet subject to this limitation, the necessity for the terminals is so ap- Darept as to command early and ser iouS consideration.
 These terminals must comply with several conditions There must be houses are necessary and they must be equipTed with up-to-date mechani- cal appliances, for the transfer of freight to and from the vessel and the warehouse and the car. Such ter mjnaIs must have trackage connec- ton with the railroad or railroads with which traffic is exchanged. And these terminals should be provided by municiDalitieS or some other convent ent public agency to the end that they should be regulated and controlled in the interest of the whole people.
 Every facility for their use should be extended to water carriers and they should be operated without the exDectation of profit above the inter est upon their cost and maintenance " The importance of this question IS emphasized by General w. H. Bixby, the Chief of Engineers of the U. $. Army who. in a recent address said ''Anc+her important point developed in Europe in the past year is the fact that no waterway can be used to its full capacity until it is provided with improved terminals, having all mod ern facilities for unloading and re- loading and for transfer of cargo be- tween railroads and steam boats in such way as has been done for years on the Great Lakes at the ore docks of Lake Superior and at the coal docks of Lake Erie
 Another point of great import ance," continued General Bixy, lis the necessity of all proper control of these terminals by the municiDalities of commercial ports and the establish ment of arrangem ents by which rail- road lines will give through bills. of landing and all loadino and other transfer facilities to any freights as may be desired to shippers along and over lines of mixed railroads and wa ter routes"
 In the Trenton, N. J., scheme of improving the water terminals pro vision has been made by council for the acquisition of a public dock which is to be equipped with the most mod ern ma chirery for the proper hand ling of ship cargoes. Montgomery, Ala, is included in the cities owning a portion of it's river front as are also New York, and New Orleans.