The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-22
NEW ENCL. AND
 WILL BE AIDED
 BY BARGE CANAL.
Mrs. Henry Tells What I'm proved Waterways Mean
 to Nation.

Mrs. Mauds wood HenEys field sec retary of the National Rivers and Hapbors Congress Of the United States is fn Bridg eport in the interests Of this organization.
 She has been in touch during the last few days with the various trade bodies with a view to enlisting their interest and support to the great wa terway movement represented by this Congress.
 she has the distinction of being it's only woman officer.
 livery river and harbor in the Uni ted States that has been improved of late years is under obligations to the National Rivers and Harbors Con gress,'' said Mrs. Henry in an inter view today Prior to it's organiza- ton the FsederaI government paid scant attention to waterways, passing bill only once in three to i've years 100000.
 And the opprobrious epithet pork barrep' attached to these bills took from them whatever virtue they might otherwise have possessed
 Until comparatively recently the railroads have had everythfng their own way and our rivers, once potent factors in this country, declined to a 1 point of degredation- Steadily and in- l sidiousiy the railroads put them out of business, got control of the docks l and water fronts and assumed the major rights of transportation- But I powerful and superb as were these l great carriers. the country with its giant strides in population and pro- l duction has outdistanced them. They cansno longer take care of the nations $ l business unafded. As James J. Hill says, We have again come to a point in our history when we must resort | kT> zS.. I pend of the people. The railroads are short nearly 9.000.ooo 2, 000-nirls I bi1lions-think of that! and even i, they had that amount of money fol new equipment, terminals and track Eage1 Gan amount which they can neith-
 CT earn nor borrow. MT. Hills says, they could not get the necessary ter
 nnfna1 facilities, terminals being tl1s
 stumbling block over which the rail
 roads cannot pass
 Il "A doubling of the business of thu
 country means duplication of ever,
 terminal in the country.
 Tn June, 1907, Martin Knapp. tE1e1
 head of the Interstate Commerce com
 mission, reported that in period 6
 seven years, 1900-19o7, the conmerc,
 Of the country has increased uor,
 than 100 per cent as opposed to les than 26 per cent increase in trans portation facilities and added that ur f. would again double in the next sever years
 .AThe railroads demonstrated thei total inability to cope with productiol
 during 19O5-6 and part of the pani year of 1907 which came as relic } to railroads and shippers alike. has been estimated that the losses sus tained by shippers during this perio' ! would have paid for the entire pro posed waterway system for the Unite, States.
 ! @The National Rivers and Harbor z Congress believes that some Of tn greatest evils of our transportatiol system can be obviated by means of competitive waterways system. s.It advocates 8 comprehensive ant [ business-hke policy of waterway i'm fprovement with tffe view of standard 3 tizing and connecting our natural wat erways into trunk line system, jus 3 as the railroads are connected an, standardized and which makes then / efficient. as carriers.
 saIt Is the hope of this Congres ithat a. modern barge load of frefgh may one day in the near future star : at almost any given point east of tn Rockies and without breaking bull 3 arrive at it's destination at any othe l given point in this area
 ssT1le campaign of education carrie lon by this Congress since 1906 ha
 aroused the country and revolution fixed the old system of water appro priatfons. From struggling bills c
 less than $20. 100000 annual average : enacted not oftener than once in thre : Iyears, these bills are now produce lvearly and are closely approximatin