Evening star., 1915-12-08
RIVER AND HARbOR
CONVENTION IS ON
Secretary RedfieId Declares
"Pork" Joke Is Injurious
to Movement.
GERMANY is CITED
AS MODEL FOR THE U. S.
Senator Ransdell Would Balk Rail
roads From Undermining Water
Transportation Rates.

A1dHSpoi itdtloH Ndtes.
Success will meet the advo-
Gates of rivers and harbors inn
provement only when the pork
joke is taken wholly out of the
movement, Secretary Redheld
told the delegates at the opening
of the twelfth annual convention
OF the National Rivers and Har-
bors Congress at the New Willard
today. He told them that they
had national project, and they
should take the parochial idea out
of it.
Senator Joseph E. Ransdell of Louis
lana, president of the Congress, opened
the convention at 1890 o'clock. He
was presented with a silver-mounted
gavel. which Mrs. Ransdell had made
for him from cedar taken from the
yard of their home in Louisiana.
The speakers today pointed to Ger
many as a model for developing water
transportation. Senator Ransdel an
nounced his purpose to have the IN
terstate commerce act amended to pre-
vent railroads from undermining water
transportation rates.
Points Cut 'Weak Link -
Habitua1 use of the work pork" in
relation to rivers and harbors work
has been the weak link in the efforts
to get such improvements. Secretary
William c. Redfield of the Department
of Commerce told the rivers and har-
bors delegates in opening their con-
vention today. He said the rivers and
harbors development had gotten away
beyond the parochial stage.
Secretary Redfield spoke frankly to
the delegates. pointing out the PIT
falls, explained the relation of water
ways to the improvement of com
merce, secuted the idea that the
railroads were retarding river and
harbor work and said that natural va
terways must be improved and artih-
cial ones built in order to be ready Tor
the commerce which is sure to come.
You are now" he said. '.at the very
height of the peculiar fitness of your
cause. The vessels are ready. the
motor is ready, the commerce IS ready
All that is needed is a place to moye.
The weakness of your cause lies in
the habitual, though untruthful, use of
the word pork There is no cause to
Joke You cannot get anything until
it has outgrown the joking stage. We
in America will have our laugh, no
matter what it holds back. Many good
causes have been held back because
of the American desire for laugh.
Bigger Than Any District.
Your cause is bigger than any dis
trict 1t is larger in scope than any
one stream or harbor. 1t is of self-in-
terest as whole to national people
He is an enemy of national commerce
who would seek to do it in a parochial
way.
THE act. purpose and spirit of local
pork should be separated from such
great and honorable cause as yours
Secretary Redfield said the best ar
against the charge that the
railroads were retarding waterway de-
velopment was the Hudson river. with
a large fleet of daily boats. although
Ranked on one side bv a four-track
system and on the other one of two
tracks.
Where there is direct water trans
between two places it is
cheaper and quicker than railroads.
the head of navigation of the Hud-
son because he could put machine
A board one evening and have il in New
York city the next day. as against
three days on the railroad.
Example Set by Corn Boys.
Saving that the country was more or
less in the position of an unbalanced
factory. he added that if the fathers
l,- lab oh, aptt1
lake up the work of their sons and
make it the universal habit there is
NOT a railroad in the country that
would be equal to the task of handling
The fraight There would not be enough
.ars to handle the business.
..The r.ilroad and the waterway each
has it's proper place in relation one to
he other. Without both the nation
would not get along at all.
I'VE should improve the natural
streams and create artificial ones where
conditions require. SO that We Will be
sanely ready to keep our own factory
going"
Talks of Railway Development.
DEVELOPMENT of the railroad-has served
% retard waterways development in this
country, according to Col. c. McD. Town
send Engineer Corps, u. S. A. While
he water ways TeilldiH uiiueNSiopcu, TdtI-
-oads grew up and factories were placed
,ear the railroad tracks, until now trans
,ortation in this country by water means
expensive preliminary handling by wagon,
.ruck and human laboE. IN Germany the
waterways We're developed Tirst, and fac
ories were placed along the river banks.
Conditions on the great lakes, where fac
.ories have been built largely on the
water front, is an indication OF what can
De done, said Col Townsend.
Division of freight into classes so that
The railroads should carry the high grade
'reight and the boats lower grade is the
,nly proper economic solution of the
problem, according to Paul
w. Brown, editor of the st. Louis Re-
public If waterways are used only as
club over railroads, he asserted. either
Interior points are forced to make up
'or the new low rates given TO river ports
,r the railroads become unproductive
property. Calling attention to the fact
hat the railroads employ 100000 men
md have funded debt of $11 200, 900, 900,
lie said that '.the idea that any concession
'orced from the railroads is clear gain
s erroneous and should be dropped He
Predicted that the America of the future
would use water transportation.
Municipalities Held Responsible.
Failure of the development of the
,ayieable streams of the country today
vas placed squarely on the shoulders of
by former Gov A. o. Eber-