New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-20
Refuses to Drop Improve
ment Project Needed
for Defence.
COMMITTEE ADMITS
"TRADING" SCHEME
Struck Out 100000 Item to
Win Houses Consent to
Other New Items.

rom Inc lrlnuhs BUREAU
Washington, May l9.-By vote of
4s to IA the Senate refused to-day to
permit the East River TO be used by
tho Senate Commerce Committee for
PORK trading purposes. BY this vote
the Senate retained in the rivers and
harbors bill the appropriation Of $780,
600 FOR dredging on two reefs in the
East River this year and authorize
ton Of 100000 additional work in the
future.
How the committee had stricken out
the appropriation for New York Har-
Tor. despite its admitted worthiness,
as part of game 10 force the House
to agree TO some Of the pork desired by
Senators, was admitted frankly by
members of the committee in the
Senate.
The House had laid down the rule OF
no new projects. but in response to
plea from President Wilson and the
Secretary of the Navy that the New
York Harbor project was necessary as
a national defence measure, as well as
being most worthy from commercial
viewpoint, the House made this one
exception.
Senators on the Commerce Commit
tee decided that they wanted few
new projects. They put them In the
bill and struck out New York Harbor,
with the avowed intention of sending
the measure to conference where the
senate would yield on New York Har-
Dor in return for the House permit
ting the inclusion OF pork desired by
the Senators.
Backed by Committee.
or the fourteen Senators who voted
to-day for this piece Of logrolllng, nine
were members Of the Commerce Com
mittee- Messrs. Bankhead, CLARKE
Fletcher, Martin. Ransdell, Sheppard,
Simmons and Vardaman, Democrats
and Nelson. Republican. The other
Senator's voting against the East River
Improvement were Messrs. Broussard,
Myers, Shafroth, Swanson and stone.
Senator Wadsworth, of New York,
illustrated with q chart the channel
through the East River, drawing par
ticular attention to two sharp turns
which must be made by big ships. in
GLIDING dreadnoughts on their way for
repairs 10 the New York Navy Yard.
One OF these turns, he said, was made
bv the navigating officers getting a line
between o point on the shore and the
roof Of a hotel in Brooklyn. In foggy
weather it was sometimes Impossible
for the landmark to be seen, so that
extreme danger was constantly present
in navigation with big ships. Several
Jagged. rocky points rose near the
channel, he pointed out, and twice re-
Gently big dreadnoughts had grounded
on them.
out Of ss5O,OOO 900 which had been
appropriated for harbor improvements
since such work began, the Senator
said, only about 3 per cent had been
spent on the harbor Of New York. II
one Of the big battleships should be
disabled outside of New York Harbor
ard caused TO settle eighteen or twenty
inches il would be impossible TO get
her into the navy yard for repairs.
Important to Whole Country.
"This item" said Mr.. Wadsworth, dis
lust as important to the people OF the
Middle West as it is to the people Of
New York. and | am unwilling TO ap-
proach it upon the basis of trading.
IL should be dealt with upon its own
merits"
APART from its commercial impor-
lance. the project contemplated SAID
Senator O'Gorman, ais regarded by the
Navy Department as absolutely lmpera-
tive.
THE commerce OF the East River
amounted last year to 56,000,00O short
tons. valued at 81 800, 900, 600, and car
ried more than 100000 passengers.
Yet the Committee on Commerce, Tor
some reason, perhaps not stated before
the Senate, has seen TT TO strike out
this proposed appropriation, which was
INCORPORATED i'm the House bill in re
sponse to an appeal by the President OF
the United States and the Secretary OF
the Navy. The immediate approprla-
ton is only 100000, with an author
ization Of 100000 more.
There are only two points In the
East River where the depth IS les
than twenty-five feet. Diamond Reef
is one of these points, in close proX-
imity.to the most important navy yard
in tho United States. We are now
launching great dreadnoughts, some OF
them with a draft Of thirty or thlr-
tv-one feet. II is not only a COM
mercial necessity that there should be
provided a depth of thirty-five feet
hut from the standpoint OF prepared
ness ii is indispensable, yet the Senate
committee. Notwithstanding these rea-
sons, disregards this improvement
No Hostility to New York.
There is some force" replied Sena-
tor Clarke, ain what the Senator from
New York has said, and may say that
the committee was not actuated by any
hostility to-New York. In the first
Mace. the committee found that the
engineers were not agreed as 70 the
proper point TO improve the channel
Two surveys reached different conclu-
sions."
Senator Clarke described the Butter,
milk Channel project and its estimated
cost and a subsequent survey made un-
der the direction Of Colonel Black
which reported in favor OF the project
contemplated in the House bill.
Senator Clarke then said fatty that
the East River project had been
omitted for trading purposes with the
House, statement which was con
frmed by Senator Oliver. who added
that there had been no division Of opln-
ion in the committee as to the merits