Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-30
PROVIDES s45,0OO,OO0
FOR MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Bill Recently Agreed To by Flood
Control Committee Is Re.
ported to House.
SPREAD THROUGH FIVE YEARS
Suggested That S3,OOO,O0O Annually
BE Spent for Revctment and
$O,OOO,O0O" Annually for Lcvee
Constructions.

WASHINGTON, April 29.-rhe bill
providing for a maximum appropria-
ton OF st5,o00.000 for the Mississippi
River, recently agreed to by the Flbod
Control Committee. was reported to the
House to-day by Chairman Humphreys.
of Mississippi
The appropria ton, which is not in
harmony with the flood control scheme
proposed by the cabinet committees is
proposed to be spread through "a period
OF five years. and is for both flood
control and general Improvement ot the
, river. The committees opinion. the re-
/; port says. is that 100000 annually
! should be spent for regiment. aud
! S6,000,000 annually for lcvfc construc-
! ton. To this total the committee adds
sl.o00.o00 annually as an emergency
! fund TO take care Of any campaign
against flood that might have TO be
made.
The report says that one of tho lower
river problems for many years has
been presented by the Atcha falaya out
| let, and that by divorcing it from the
Mississippi River approximately 1900
600 acres can be protected from the
mississippi River foods. but that this
viii ncccssitatc increasing the grade
and section Of the lcvc,. =, along tic Mis-
nut an additional burden upon tho lcvcc
districts affected. New Orleans always
has vigorously protested against this
procedure. and tho hood heights ,hcrc
would probably be elevated two feet by
tho closure OF tho Atchafalaya outlet"
The report points out that since 1852
the States and lowcrrivcr lcvce boards
have contributed $9o,o00.o0O for lcvce
construction. The commission csti-
mates. the report says, that 100000
will complete the levcc line to such
grade and section az will insure aEains.
foods in the future. and the bill pro-
poses that s3o,00o0NO or :hat amount
he contributed by the United states,
and that local interests in addition to
rights of way. damages. etc. contribute
SlO.OUO.OnO.
Tho committee report quotes FRESH
dents Wilson. Roosevelt and Taft as
favorinE Mississippi River improve
mcnts. and says that the total area
Of the alluvial dcltas which will lie
protected is about $4,000 square miles.
about tho combined area of Della
ware. Maryland, Connecticut Rhode
Island and Massa chusctts" II SAYS
that witnesses before the committee
estimated that "if i2.5o0.oo0 acres of
this territory. now unimrrovcd. wcro
planted TO cotton they could reasonably
he depended uprn 10 produce annually
SI0o.ooo.0o0 Of Bender cotton grown
nowhere else in tho world except in
the Nile Valley. from which 100000
pounds arc annually imported"
"lf We can hold our own in the mat
ter az our foreign commerce." the re-
port predicted, this ono ttcm would
turn the current of gold to the United
states in the balance OF world trade,
aud open an opportunity for 1000. 900
American farmers to become builders.
The report adds that property dc
struction by tho 1912 and 1913 floods
, reached the appalling total of $4,000.
600. II says the plan in tho hill does
not provide Tor reclamation of these