The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-10-20
WATERWAYS AND PORK.

L
railroad strike have served to center atten-
t;on more strongly than ever on the de-
ve1onrnent of our inland waterways faciil-
ties: the principal of which, as Adrnlrai
Benson said at the recent meeting OF the
Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association at
Philadelphia, are the Improvement OF the
Mississippi river and its tributaries, the I'M
provement of the Sacramento river, and the
completion of the inland waterways SO that
submarines NAV travel through the inner
massage from Boston to Key West, ready to
dart out at a moments notice at half
dozen places to strike the enemy lurking Oft
our coast.
Admiral Benson naturally spoke in mill
tary terms, but the inland waterway in ques-
ton would be primarily to secure cheapes
transportation, and more efficient trans
portation
In this connection, Senator Ransdell, OF
Louisiana, has delivered some very timely
remarks regarding the neurological pork
in the rivers and harbors appropriations.
When an Improvement on any river or
harbor is contemplated, the first step is to
secure an act of congress ordering that a
survey be made The local engineer
nearest the place-and he is man
with the rank of captain or major
in the United States Army, and
graduate of West Point-makes the prelinn-
mary survey, and submits his findings to
the division engineer, who forwards them to
the Board of Engineers for Rivers and
Harbors at Washington, with such addi-
tional information as he is able to secure. 1t
the Board approves, they submit their find
ings to the Chief of Engineers, and then
only is an order issued for final survey
granting of course the Chief thinks the pro-
iect a worthy one. This final survey is ex-
haustive; every fact in connection with the
proposed river or canal or harbor is ascer-
tanned; the cost the present commerce, the
prospective commerce, etc. This report
then goes to the same Board of Engineers,
which goes into the details even more fully
than before. Not until the project has re-
ceived the approval of these ten engineers
the local engineer, the division engineer,
and the seven engineers comprising the
Board, and the Chief Engineers it con-
sidered by Congress.
Chief Engineer Baker-to give only one
example-in submitting his report on the
last Rivers and Harbors Bill, which carried
ptSOOO,OOO, COIlSlueIeQs uIldI SOll,SUU, OF
about one and one-half per cent, was
economically indefensible, and he accord
ingly recommended that this doubtful
work be postponed: but the Chief Engi-
neer added that the suspension of all the
work, caused by the bills failure to pass,
would result in greater loss than the
value of the doubtful Improvement!
And yet this self-same bill was assailed
on all sides with the cry of pork"
Whom are we to believe-politician or
the Chief Engineer of the United States
army-a man with the rank of brigadier
general, one of the honor men of West
Point
The senators who are most earnest in
voting for harbor improvements are the
ones who bewail pork most bitterly in the
rivers appropriations. They represent rail
road interests. Harbors are adiuncts of
railroads.&c. terminals; but canals and
rivers are competitors.
We all know the difference in freight
rates when there is water competition
In addition we are confronted with the
problem of our freight not moving at all.
because of the enormous increase in bust
ness which is causing the worst car short
age in our history.
Inland waterways are the only solution