The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-16
Representative Frear's Mi
nOrity Report on River
Bill Makes Charges
SPENDING MONEY,
COMMERCE DECREASES
No Comprehensive Policy of Economic
Management Attempted - Dredgers'
Association Assailed for Maintaining
A., o1,lr,

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-Charges
that half of the S3S,ooo,oo0 river and
h1rbor bin is pure "pork, represent
ing waste of government funds, are .
made in the minority report of Repre-
sentative Frcar.
Calling attention to the lack of a
plan of systematic waterway develop
meut, the Wisconsin member asserts
that the larger part Of 100000, 600
hitherto spent in river and haTbor i'm
provcmcnt has been wasted and that
commerce has Stca lilv declined on the,
waterways which have been lin
proved by government engineers. In
la statement explaining his report Mr..
Frcar says:
Z. Ggmmerce on the Mississippi. Ohio,
Missouri. Tennessee, Cumberland and
inland waters generally, excepting
deep waterways, has diminished ON the
different streams from 50 per cent tos9o
per cent during the past forty years,
according to the best information 10
hc had
during that period the. government
has appropriated. Sl59 600 for the
Mississippi. &60,000,0oO for the Ohio.
SO .o0. 900 for the Missouri and proper
. tiouatelv large amounts for other
streams. while this decrease in com
mcrce has steadily continued. Hum
dreds of small streams are being i'm
proved by the government with equal
/ ly disappointing results.
| Col. Townsend, one of the ahleSt
Of the army engineers, a present mem
/ bar Of the Missouri River commission,
has urged a stop in present waterway
I extravaganza until one or two projects
/ have been made commercially valuable
. no system of local contribution Is en-
forced as i'm foreign countries and no
comprehensive policy or economic man
agcmeut attempted.
LIT is a ease today of placing money
wherever the local demand is greatest
without reference to actual CONNER
eial needs. Railroads are permitted
through reduced rates to drive water
way commerce from rivers which re
main deserted, and vet the enormous
l sN2s1 fpfgEqa svery year.
- Practically one half of the SIS, 030, :
600 contained i'm the pending water
ways bin is wasted, according To this
report. includin" the greater part of
slN,00o,GoG given by the bill to eight
inland streams which are named. Army
engineers hove had full control in the
determination of navigation needs and
the amount OF appropriations.
Without business training, CONNER
cial knowledge or experience this policy
has resulted in wasteful projects main
tanned all over the country, including
those which are GOOD. bad and iuditfer-
emit. All Join together annually i'm
enormous omnibus bills. Not one prof
Get in four would pass congress if
standing in 4 separate bill. but omni
bus measures carry good. bad and in
different projects because OF the votes
assured by this method -
a feature of the minority report viii
be au attack on the dredgers associa
ton, which, according to Mr.. Frear
maintains a powerful and effective lob
By urging big appropriations for rive
and harbor Improvement, apportionins
{ dredging contracts among its members
j. to defeat competitive bidding and Oh
v tanning contracts for what arr declared
!, to he excessive rates.
). It's charged that the leader of tn
G drcdgcrs association also heads
!. hedging cArspauy which now holds con
y ttrasts callilEsfor the expenditure of UP
Z, iward Of Slo0O,00O annually, and tina
this company, through secret agree
ment, monopolizeS certain territory.
Criticising the Norfolk md Beaufor
waterway bin that carries 100000 i
the pending bill, the report SAYS tina
- the canal only accommodates abou
y. $4,000 tons of actual commerce, o
which more than $4,000 tons is Goa
Office and supervision expenditures o
this canal for two years. amounting t
nearly @2JO0o0 are condemned as IN
reasonable and eXtravagant. 4 recon
mendation by army engineers for 1854
4 600 with which to buy 500 acres q
marsh land for q right of way ON TIN
! canal IS also severely criticised.