Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-03-06

control its floods, but selfish Congresses
prefer TO squander an equal sum every
two years in building postoffices and
deepening small creeks for the benefit
of constituents.
The actual outlay of rebuilding San
Francisco after the fire has been fully
800, 000, 900. And, right on top of that
enormous outlay the City at the Gold
en- Gate is putting $50. 900 900 into a
Worlds Fair! And now she is about
to bring drinking water from Yosemite
Park.
Think what Galveston did without
Government aid She spent So, SOC, 900
In building a sea wall and in raising
the city to the level thereof. One-sixth
of her population were drowned by a
tidal wave that swept In from the Gulf
of Mexico; but she rose from that dis
aster and Is now one OF the most pros
porous ports Of the Gulf.
Continuing the survey of municipal
expenditures, | need only refer to the
new Catskill aqueduct, which is only
second In magnitude to the Panama
undertaking. Including all the trails
ed" vouchers and increased contracts,
the Ashokan-very appropriate world
Dam and its conduit has cost
1892, 600, 900. Filter plants for the pres
ent Croton system and other necessary
devices for distributing the water will
bring the total cost to $500 900, 900.
This does not include 500, 0O0, 600 recent
ly expended in protecting" the old
Croton watershed.
The new subway system of Greater
New York will cost fully $500, 900. 900
when completed, for all of which the
city is obligated. Then take the three
new bridges spanning East River.
The Williamsburg cost $23, 100, 900; the
greensboro structure ST., 260, 900; the
Manhattan yet unfinished, over
sec, 600 900! The new Public Library
cost the city $40, OO0, 0O0,in addition to
private requests. The Municipal
Building has cost $500, 600 to date,
and isn't ready for complete occupancy.
Without any can of accurately
estimating the expenditures of all the
States of the Union, the Empire State
has put about $I1S, DOC, 900 into its i'm
provements of the Erie and Champlain
canals. How much of this large
amount has gone to political "~grafters"
will soon be known. In the same
manner as the Aqueduct Board was
supposed to look after the interests of
the taxpayers, the Canal Board, ex-offi-
clio and otherwise, are alleged to have
connived at graft" of the most I'M
blushing kind. OF the Highway Com
mission the least said by me at this
time the better; its members are likely
to be before the bar of justice within a
few days. Mr.. Kennedy has taken
"the shortest way outn by killing him.
self; like many another personally
honest man, he had allowed himself
to be "used'' by the System that has
been conducting a ''get-rich-quick"
business In this State for many years.
Twenty-eight other States are spend
ing money lavishly to improve their
highways; in many of them, doubtless,
the system of graft or population, Is
organized for the benefit OF politicians
who have no other visible means of
support.
In addition to the Panama Canal,
the general Government is spending
an average of a million and a half a
month in Western irrigation schemes.
Plans already made will result in re-
claiming so, 900, 900 acres Of desert or
alkaline lands, which, at $50 per acre,
will be worth to the nation a quarter
billion dollars! The improvement of
Ambrose Channel at a cost of So, 0OO, 600
gives a safe waterway from the bar to
the upper bay for vessels drawing 40
feet of water. New York is now ready
to receive the 1000 foot steamships!
Herein I have only mentioned a few
of the largest expenditures that Uncle
Sam is making for the general improve
ment of the country. When the irrIga-
ton dams are all completed, there will
~ Rnrroa fcr en- O0n fou,fffao u.L-..