Evening journal., 1913-01-01
WATERWAY "
IMPROVEMENT
House Committee viii Get
Together to Make Up
Report
MORE HEARINGS
ARE BEING ARRANGED

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Chairman
Sparkman will call a meeting Of the
Rivers and Harbors Committee inn
mediately upon the presumption OF
the session Of the House, with a view
to an agreement for an early report
on the annual bill making appropria-
ton for waterway Improvements.
Consideration Of the measure has
moi yet reached such stage as to
indicate what will be the size of the
bill except that from expressions of
members of the committee, it Will
nearly approximate the necessities Of
provision for continuing contracts,
maintenance and Outlays for such
public works as are of obvious and
imperative Importance in carrying
forward the progressive policy
adopted by Congress responsive to
widespread public opinion.
Both the Rivers and Harbors
committee of the House and the
Commerce committee of the Senate
gave hearings during the ante-holi-
day period of the session notably
during the presence in Washington
OF members of the National Rivers
and Harbors Congress. The work OF
lnN AMO AOIiillANttc Aido AAup AAl nAHAA
almost wholly given to these hear
ings, and but few more hearings at
least by the House committee. will
be had before the bill is reported to
the House as it is planned shall be
done early In the remaining days Of
the session.
During the meeting of tho national
waterways association the first week
in December, delegations from that
organization were heard by the TWO
committees of Congress on problems
affecting the large inland water
ways, notably the MISSISSIPPI and
Ohio rivers.
In both instances respecting these
two rivers. advocates of improve
mcnts laid stress upon the desra-
bihty and Importance of the federal
government taking over the entire
scheme of Improvement and aban-
GCning the local cooperative prac-
tice .on the Mississippi river partic-
ulariy in ieFee Improvements and on
tee upper Ohio, at the junction OF
the Alieshany and Monongahela riy-
ors involving lock and dam con-
strucicn and food prevention pro-
iects.
TIC hearing on the Mississippi
r.fcr's dificu.t.es, in the discussion
Cf the leyee problem. disclosed thai
local cooperation in levee work hat
made excellent progress up to the
tieastrous food Of early last sum.
mer the oXtcnt of the vast destruc-
uyenesa of which convinced all inter.
ests that the safest dependence tC
prevent the recurrence of these nu.
ineIOus disasters, is for the fedora
government to be yiven complet,
control OF the construction and care
of the levees of the great water
highway. 1t was particularly en-
phasized that the speediest possible
Improvement in accord with the pol
icy was now more than ever mani
festly the most vitality important o
all river projects, i'm view of the an
preaching completion and opening Il
the commerce of the world of thl
Panama Canal.
ihe estimates from the engineer
of the army for all river and harbo
improvements call for the expendi
ture of about $4,000 600. There ar
millions more, already involved il
former recommendations. At tn
first meeting of the Rivers and Har
bors committee after the holiday
an effort will be made looking h
an adjustment of the difficulties in
dicated, and pairing the amounts a
far as possible to an equitable basi
of distribution, keeping In mind al
ways the two considerations of pub
nc economy and superior importanc
or public works already projected o
commenced