Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-07-30
~ .<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<$ =
\ OREGON WEATHER !
= Sunday fair: warmer Sunday; 4
= easterly winds.
AN ECONOMIC WASTE.

The area legitimately tributary
to the Crescent City harbor was the
most conspicuous. example of econ
omic waste in 10000 miles of ira
vel.' was the terse manner in which
Captain Wilson l. Davenny. field sec
retary OF the National Rivers and
Harbors congress. summed up his OBJ
servations after arriving in Grants
Pass from the coast Friday.
The captain had been making an
investigation Of the Crescent City
harbor and Of the reasons for its
development. He had come up the
coast from Eureka to Crescent City.
then overland to Grants Pass, and
all the time he was absorbing facts
and figures and impressions that
might have bearing upon the sue
cess OF the project. Uncle Sam is
more particular these days than he
was once upon a time. He wants to
know that there Is need for a new
harbor or an improved waterway be-
fore the hard-earned dollars OF his
nephews and nieces are paid out for
breakwaters and dredgings. The
mission Of the captain in his travels
about the country IS to assemble for
his organization this information.
and at the same time to build up
sentiment among the people toward
the establishment Of the commercial
value Of waterway improvement. The
congress believes that advance in the
development of the resources of the
nation can best follow the fostering
Of needed harbor and waterway pro-
jects.
That economic waste" OF which
the captain spoke most impressed it.
self upon him. he told the Courier. |
as he witnessed the hauling OF lum-
Der and ore from mill and mine to
the end OF the railroad at Waters
Creek, there for rail transportation
to the markets. Only the best of
ore and lumber Of the first quality
could stand that long and expensive
haul and yet return a profit to the
remarked the captain.
And in that he saw one of the chief
reasons for the building of a harbor
at Crescent City. Then, with rail
connection with the hinterland, this
economic waste" would disappear.
Ore would go to the coast. Lumber
and apples would be loaded upon
ships for cheap water transportation,
and there would be greater profit for
the producer and lowered cost for the
consumer. The economic waste"
would be thing of the past.
Captain Davenny left no doubt as
to his personal views concerning the
Crescent City harbor project. While |
insisting that he may not commit the
congress TO any expression regarding
the project, the captain told the
Courier that personally and unre-
servedly he could say that in his
opinion the project for creating a
harbor at Crescent City is one OF the
worthlest of government approval
that he has encountered on the three
Atlantic, the Gulf. or the
Pacific. "And the most Illuminating
two days travel that | have ever had
In the United States was that from
Crescent City to Grants Pass" con-
tinued the captain. He had come
from Crescent City Thursday through |
the great redwood forests, and at
Takllma he was handed over to the
guidance OF Dr. J. r. Reddy. There
he absorbed from the doctors great
fund Of information and got first
hand data regarding the copper and
ores being shipped. He said
that he needed no better evidence Of
the value OF the ores than the fact
that II was being hauled a3 miles by |.