Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-16
WATERWAYS IN
WASHINGTON
Congress Slow to Realize the
Military and Commercial I'M
portance of Inland
Channels

choppy legislative seas The opposition to
the bill has come principally from inland
States having few, II any, waterways. But.
surprising as It may seem, eastern repre-
sentatlves have also fought appropriations
for inland waterway with great persist
ency. Chairman Small. of the Rivers and
Harbors Committee, was handicapped at
the beginning by a minority report signed
by Democrats and Republicans alike IN
cluding three Atlantic coast members OF
the committee. one Of these halls from
Massachusetts, which has appropriations in
the bill and two others, one a Democrat
and the other a Republican come from
New Jersey. which is provided for by ap-
propriations affecting almost every county
in the State.
Western Opposition Analysed
II is not difficult 70 anayze western op-
position to the bill. The Mississippi BOOM
ers have been cared for by a S6OOOO,OOO
iood-control bill, and they have been under
written for a $4,000 900 appropriation this
year in the sundry civil bill. Moreover,
States like Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas
have little to ask for waterways and can,
therefore easily criticize appropriations
going to other States. Attacks upon the
bill came chiefly from Chicago members
Of the House who, despite the Mississippi
appropriations and other Government i'm
provements, contended that Illinois had
spent its own money to build a drainage
canal They were in no mood to encourage
inland waterways along the coasts. At
times the western argument revealed a dis
position to ignore the coast lines altogether
and to direct international shipments from
the Mississippi by way Of the Great Lakes
and the Gulf of Mexico. As one representa-
tive from Missouri said in his speech, "The
movement Of industry tomorrow will be
north and south in this country rather than
east and west and the man who gets in line
now with the movement for carrying
freight up and down the great river rather
than crosswise, as we have always been
doing, will be in lire with the prophet who
has a vision Of the greater and larger day"
Although every Atlantic coast state re-
ceiveS some recognition in the bill, the in
difference Of eastern Representatives in
supporting IL was marked. The eastern
Representatives who spoke against the bill
followed the usual practice, denounClng II
as a "porll-barrel' measure notwithstand-
ing the benefits to be derived by their own
States. The fact that some southern river
without much commerce was to DO i'm
proved or cleaned out for navigation pur-
poses invited instant criticism, and so far
as the opponents of the bill were concerned
It was vain to argue that the railroads
were overloaded and that increased trans
portation facilities were necessary to move
the freight to the coasts. These opponents
seemed to be satisfied to let the rivers and
and TO wait until the railroads were able to
catch up with the business Of the country.
It did not weigh with them that the
transportation committee OF the Council OF
National Defense, headed by Mr. Willard,
president of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road Company. had announced its desire for
waterway cooperation and had urged the
formation Of an advisory committee to for
mulate plans for the utilization of inland
waterways. The opposition seemingly did
not want river and harbor bill this ses-
sion. i
Attack on Chesapeake and Delaware
The attack on the Chesapeake and Della
ware Canal proposition was at times
vicious The merits of this waterway con-
Meeting the North and the South along the
Atlantic coast did not appeal to its western
antagonists at all. All they seemed to
care about was that there was once an
overissue of bonds and they charged that
somebody was trying TO unload" a worth
less property on the Government. That
the canal carries n million tons Of com.
morce year. even in its antiquated state,
and that opened up by the Government and
made free to the people It would carry more
tonnage perhaps than passes through the
Panama Canal did not appeal to these gen.
tlemen. The argument that merchants and
shippers were suffering for lack of trans
portaton facilities along the Atlantic sea-
been withdrawn to engage in the foreign
trade also fell on dull ears. II was shown
that large cities like New York. Philadel-
phia and Baltimore needed additional
transportation facilities; hut the answer
was that these cities had the advantage Of
the open sea. One western debater actually
contended that the eastern inland passages
were too full Of fog TO be Of service.
Wartime Freight
Supporting the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal improvement were statements by the
Secretary of War, the Secretary of the
Navy and the Secretary of Commerce, all
Of whom at one time or another have urged
the taking over of this important connecting
link between the Chesapeake and Delaware
Bays. The expert opinions of General
Black, chief of the United States army en-
gineers, and of Admiral Benson, whose
knowledge Of coastal conditions has made
him 90 important a factor in our present
naval arrangements were also quoted. All
these on the war side of the problem. But
the commercial side was presented as
equally urgent Business men wrote that
the railroad embargoes and the transfer
Of coastwise steamships to the foreign trade
made it almost impossible 10 get certain
shipments through along the Atlantic sea-
board. 1t was stated that coastwise ves-
sells, which might ordinarily be satisfied
with ninety-siX cents barrel on oil, were
now aDle 10 get as nlBn as slt per Ddflel
freight from New York to Genoa. Condi-
tions In the lumber trade were said to he
especially serious, in that lumber from
Mobile to Philadelphia, for instance, now
costs about sl6 per 1000 feet as against
normal freight rates of $3.50. One Phila-
delphia lumber dealer, who declared that
the failure to pass a river and harbor
bin, including tho Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal would be a crime, said he was now
awaiting a carload of cypress from Florida,
ordered last December but not shipped until
recently because OF the railroad embargo.
II had now been three weeks en- route,
Waterways Men Conferring
Apart from the general agitation, there
were several waterways conferences in
Washington this week. The waterways ad-
yisory committee of the Council of Ma
tionaI Defense. of which George f. Bar
tol, of Philadelphia, is member. talked
over plans for relieving railroad congestion
by water traffic. Most of the discussion
hinged on the utilization of the Mississippi
River, since the committee in addition to
Mr. Bartol and General Black, chief of
engineers, is made up OF representatives
from New Orleans, Cincinnati, st. Louis,
| Kansas City and Chicago. The Atlantic
| Deeper Waterways Association also as
sembled its war board and laid plans for
carrying on its fight in Congress and in
the Miami convention which is to take