Evening star., 1914-12-10
SAYS WATERWAYS
MUST AID ROADS
Speaker Clark Believes Heavy
Freight Will Be Carried
by Slower Method.
IMPROVEMENT, HE SAYS,
WOULD REGULATE RATES
Addresses Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress, While Others Also
Speak.

Champ Clark, Speaker of the House
of Representatives.. declared today that
either the railroads of the country
must soon double-track or quadruple-
track their lines, if there is to be a
continuation of the carrying of freight,
growing so rapidly in volume in the
United States, or else the rivers and
other waterways of the country must
be improved, so that they may carry
their share of the burden.
Mr.. Clark spoke before the convention
of the national rivers and harbors
congress. in session at the New Will
lard Hotel, and was one of many prom
inent men to bring to the convention
their influence in support of the idea of
the congress-"a policy. not project
1T would be cheaper to improve the
rivers" Mr.. Clark said. 1T is a
profitable investment to improve them.
1t would be profitable. in fact, if
never another passenger or pound of
freight were carried on the rivers, for
if they were improved the mere i'm
provement would do the regulating of
freight rates in this country, SO far
as the railroads are concerned. Heavy
freight and unperishable freight will
eventually all be carried over the
waterways of the country. anyhow,
leaving perishable freight and pas
senger traffic to the railroads"
Others Make Addresses.
Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas
told THE Truth About the Trinity
River" Senator Weeks Of Massachu-
setts advocated the appropriation of a
lump sum for waterway Improvement
to be expended under the direction of
a commission composed largely if not
entirely of army engineers. Other
speakers today were Senator Sauls-
bury of Delaware. Senator William Al
den Smith of Michigan. Representative
Raker of California, B. F. Cresson, jr.,
engineer of the New Jersey harbor
commission; Andrew B. Sutherland,
member of the Massachusetts state
Merrimack river waterway commits
sion. and Perry A. Randall, president
of the Erie and Michigan Deep Water
way Association.
The Woman's National Rivers and
Harbors Congress also met in conven-
tion this morning, in the cabinet room
of the New Willard Hotel, hearing an
address by Prof. E. B. Phelps on "The
Sanitary Aspect of Stream Pollution"
Deplores Polluted Streams.
THE use of a stream" DIR. Phelps said,
an extent that the stream itself becomes
totally unfit as source of water supply,
or Tor purposes of boating, bathing and
other pleasurable exercises destroys
natural resource and works an economic
injury entirely incommensurate with the
meager economies involved. 1t is the dis
tinction between the limit of permissible
pollution and ideal purity which has fire.
quently obscured or distorted our views.
Because clean streets are desirable it
does not follow that they must be as
clean as our homes
The women's rivers and harbors con-
vention met and will meet in joint ses-
sion with the main organization during
the afternoon and evening. Addresses
were delivered by Mrs. William Cum
ming Story. president general of the
Daughters of the American Revolution:
Mrs. John Dickinson Sherman, chair
man of the conservation committee,
General Federation Women's Clubs;
Mrs. Sarah Willard Strout and others.