Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-30
WATERWAYS FOR WAR
AND PEACE

THE war emphasizes the necessity and
- value of an inland waterway system
from New England to Florida more point
edly and substantially than all the argu'
ments and orations at the eleventh annual
convention of the Atlantic Deeper Water
ways Association now in session at
Miami Convincing and eloquent as
these pleas surely are. they simply sup
port the movement which it's founder,
Congressman ]. Hampton Moore, and his
colleagues have been prosecuting in Con-
gress and out since 1907, when the asso.
citation was organize j in this city. 1t is
no dispara cement to say that war with
the smashing logic OF military necessity
is arguing more forcbly and effectively
for their project than all the advocates
together since the beginning.
Congressmen who supported the pro-
posals for an inter and intra-coastal thor
oughfafe along the Atlantic seaboard find
tIeiUStlNSS NlHulCdltu III lIllS llpul Va
national urgency and pressure on all ave-
nues of transportation; Congressman who
opposed appropriations realize the folly
of their opposition now in a crisis when
the authorities might have been relieving
railroad congestion by the use of supple
mentary waterways.
But it is useless to hold an inquest over
lack of preparedness. The Importance
now is to recognize that preparedness"
in it's recent sense. is current word ex-
pressing energy and action that are con.
stantly going on. We must realize that
It is never too late to prepare TO be pre-.
pared means bucklng down to imme.
diately and imperatively demanded
achievement in making operative the
inland waterway system. Its completion
is emnenty desirable before the end OF
the war If engineering and labor prob
lens make that unfeasble, completion OF
one link after another will more than pay
al Ndiuc iNtuA lltu loi the IIlDiltN tNpelutt.
Just now the Atlantic waterway Is
outstanding as a war necessity. But it
is one of those military works which will
be of utmost national utility after the
war. A great burden of taxation has
already been laid on this generation.
Financing waterways is one part of
financing the war. No generation builds
for itself alone. Those that succeed us will
help defray this bill from the revenues
Of commercial enterprise as intrinsi.
cally valuable as the Panama Canal.
Stock taking of what has been done
shows the Cape Cod unit already in oper-
alton under private ownership; the Nor.
! folk.to-Beaufort, y. c., unit provided for,
eliminating the ocean menaces of Cape
Hatteras and waterways from George
town. S. c., to Key West opened UP.
Congress has authorized condemnation
proceedings for the Delaware and Chesa-
peake Canal. Thus at least one.thrd of
tic dSbuai u4SSIIS ltluISllc mas Deen Ell
fected. The trans-Jersey cut of thirty.
three miles linking Philadelphia and New
York is the most important unit for i'm.
mediate use.
The old idea that it was proposed to dig
an ls00-mile trench along the coast at
enormous expense no longer deludes any
one with its error. 1t is not amss, how
ever, to point out that the l31 miles to be
dug will connect the 14O navigable miles
Of the Delaware, the 200 miles of the
Chesapeake Bay. the stretch of Long
Island Sound and other practicable water
avenues. The cost is estimated at less
than s50.00O.O0O. The cost of the Jersey
cut would be less than half Of one day s
current war expenditure of $40, ,0OO, 900.
The Atlantic Deeper Waterways AS.
sociation has accomplished notable work
q IN the face of jeers and indifference. The
United States in war for victory Is now
enforcing it's arguments. 1t should clinch
them to speedy achievement at the
coming session of Congress.