Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-15

' ' LETTER
BY II. n WALKER
MAY BE HITCH IN CANAL

Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg.
WASHINGTON, Aug. is.

Samuers treasury to build ship
canal across New Jersey, connecting
| the Delaware river at Bordentown
| with Princess bay at Cheesequakes
creek. This scheme, urged by the in
land waterways boomers for several
years. now has the Endorsement of the
engineers of the war department.
They recommend the big approprfa-
ton, and approve the route surveyed
for the canal.
New Jerseys share of the cost OF
getting the canal finished to depth
of twelve feet is to be the payment OF
the bills for the right of way and the
damages to water rights disturbed or
destroyed in building the big ditch.
This latter item is estimated by the
engineers at s101, 900. Congress is
asked to furnish the $20,0O0,00O to
build the waterway. Eventually, New
Jersey is to be asked to appropriate
So, 00O, 5000 and Pennsylvania 100000
to dredge the canal to sea level and
make it real ship canal
Enthusiasts declare that this canal,
when finished, would carry more tom
mage and save more dollars in trans
portation than will the Panama canal.
The New Jersey Legislature has al
ready ordered the survey for the
canal, which is practically completed,
and the State has also secured options
ON much of the right of way, for which
the Legislature has agreed to pay
when Congress gets ready to put up
the money for actually beginning
work.
AS proposed, the New Jersey canal
would be one of the big and important
links in the Boston to Beaufort in
land waterway. Already canal
across Cape Cod is partially finished,
to permit boats to get to Boston from
Long Island sound without going into
the open ocean. To get through from
Delaware bay into Chesapeake bay 1t
is necessary only for the government
to deepen and widen the little Della
ware and Chesapeake canal that has
been in use for hundred years or so.
Canals and canalized rivers and chan
nels which require comparatively little
expenditure to make them available
for vessels of large draft are now
open from Norfolk, at the foot of
Chesapeake bay, through the syamps
lying along the coasts of Virginia and
the Carolinas to Beaufort.
The only obstacle in the way of
starting the New Jersey canal in the
near future is the probability that the
new tariff revision will greatly reduce
revenues, and that the government
won't have the money to take on any
big projects of this kind for a time.
In the expectation of a falling off in
revenues, there is already prediction
in Congress that it won't be possible
to pass either a river and harbor bill
or public building bill next winter,
and that it may be found necessary
almost at once to increase the income
tax rate in order to provide enough
revenue for the necessary and inevi-
table expenses of the government
There are some members of Con-
gress who have a vision of securing
revenue from the public development
of natural resources--nlineral depos-
it's, water powers, etc. belonging to
the nation. Generally, however, the
idea of getting money for public use
out of these sources hasn't received
much attention, and most congress-
men and politicians are somewhat
startled when you suggest it, We've
been giving away the valuable prop
erty and resources of the nation and
taxing the people for the cost of gov
eminent for so long that the idea of
taking the profits from water pow
ers. railroads, utilities and mines for
public purposes and abolishing taxes,
instead of allowing these profits to
make millionaires of a few men, is
looked upon generally as very radical.
In view of the probable reduction of
tariff revenues, and the unpopularity
of an income tax, however, it is
entirely possible that Congress may,
in the near future, be induced to look
for simpler and more rational ways
of raising money to pay the expenses
of government.
In reducing the parcel post rates
for distances up to $50 miles, Post
master General Burleson succeeded in
making more apparent than ever the
ridiculous absurdities and diserimi-
nations in the postal zone system.
For instance, look at these rates for
an eleven-pound parcel post package:
Up to $50 to
Local zone. $50 miles. 300 miles,
II pounds =. 10 .15 81
Then study this postal monstrosity:
Up to Seyond
Local zone. $50 miles. $50 miles.
20 pounds :. l5 "a $40
ent postal and parcel post rates:
Up to $50 to
| $50 miles. 300 miles.
| II lbs. potatoes, for seed .sS SO
| II lbs. potatoes, for food is 81
| 20 lbs. grain for seed, so ] so
20 lbs. grain, for food. IA / "a
1
| Theodore Randolph Lore, who has
been collector of customs at Thomp-
sons Point, near Burlington, for over
Twenty years, is in Washington trying
to have something done to restore his
office as a port of entry. The Taft or
der, which went into effect July l,
made Thompson's Point a branch of
the Philadelphia custom house, as it
made Newark a branch of the New
York customs house. While Lore says
he knew there was some sort of q
shake-up planned, he didn't quite real
| ize that anything so wanton would be