Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-25
DELAWARE RIVER
INTERESTS URGE
CANAL PURCHASE
Seek Immediate Action on Acqui-
sition Of c. & d. Water
Route.
WOULD AID RAILROADS

Government ownership of the Ches-
sncake and Delaware canal is step near
er as a result of a conference held IN the
assembly room of the Finance Committee
of Council of Philadelphia yesterday
afternoon, when Congressman and repre-
sentative business men of Philadelphia and
cities along the Delaware river met In
conference. Whether the canal is pur-
chased by Uncle Sam practically at once
as "A war measure that rs needed imper-
ativclv. depends on the energies of the
industries represented along the Del
aware river At least that rs the way
John II. Small of North Carolina, chair
man of the Rivers and Harbors Committee
of Congress, put II
Resolutions calling upon the Attorney
General of the United States to hasten
the legal proceedings necessary for the
government TO acquire the canal were
passed. also resolutions calling upon all
cities along the river to hold meetings
IN the interest of the movement, and reso-
lutions calling for stronger cooperation
on the part of business interests with the
Deepcr Waterways Association were all
passed unanimously.
Apparently the ncarneSs OF the German
JT-boat. to this shore and their recent
activities had much To do with the temper
of the audience. and practically all suggcs-
tions looking To remedy by means ot
inland waterway routes were enthusiastic
ally received At the close OF the meeting
Congressman Small suggested that the
interests along the Delaware get together
and visit the President rs one unit de
mandinp the purchase of the Chesapeake
md Delaware canal This suggestion
was considered good one and committee
that it had previously agreed to have
Congressman ] Hampton Moore, who
presided 1T the meeting, appoint Will
arrange for such conference IT It is
deemed expedient
The resolutions passed calling upon
the Attorney General of the United States
to hasten action on the canal condem-
nation and purchase follow:
Whereas. the attacks by enemy sub
MARINES on shipping along a busy section
of our Atlantic Coast line has strongly
emphasized and confirmed the need Tor
better facilities for water transportation
along the protected inside waterways, and
Whereas the growing freight conges-
tlon on the already ovcr-hurdened rali
ways in the Eastern States has neCcSSi-
tsted frequent local and general cmbargocs
and at times seriously intcrfcrcd with de
hvcrics Of goods both for home consump
ton and for the supply Of our forces nj the
battlefront, and
Whereas in the present emergency II is
evident that all available lines ot trans
portation should be utilized and the need
Is shown By recent development Of freight
shipment by electric railway and motor
truck, and
hWhereas material relief is anticipated
through government operation OF trans
portation lines between the Great Lakes
and the seaboard by way Of the New York
Barge Canal, and similar relief might be
obtained through extension of trafhC
facilities along the coasta! waterways,
notably for the northward movement of
southern lumber for shiph,iilding and
housing requirement and the northward
movement OF PENNSYLVANIA coal for New
York and New England consumption, and
Whereas the development Of chain
of modern inside waterways extending
from New England 10 Florida has been
consistently advocated by the Atlantic
Deeper Waterways Association, the plans
prepared and favorablv recommended by
the Engineer Corps of the | nted States
Army and in part already adopted and
put under way by action Of Congress,
therefore be II
Resolved, That the continuation Of
the improvement advocated by the
Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association
and the betternent OF traffic facilities
over the existing waterways be hereby
endorsed and favorable action thereon by
The appropriate Committees Of Congress,
OF the War and Navy Departments,
and the United States Railroad Admins
tration III the fullest possible measure be
respectfully requested and urged as of
hi gh Importance in the present emergency
Resolved, That the Attorney General
Of the United States be respectfully urged
to hasten the legal proceedings necessary
for tho condemnation of the Chesapeake
and Delaware Canal to connect up the
Chesapeake and Delaware BAYS in
acoordance with the River and Iiarbor
act of August &, 1917
Congressman Smah was perhaps the
most distinguished visitor present and
while ms address was educational and
instructive, II remained for Congressman
Moore who spoke first to arouse the IN
terest Of the meeting TO the highest point.
MOORE ARoUsEs INTEREST.
Mr. Moore after Edward James
Cattell, had welcomed the visitors to the
meetiue on behalf of Mayor Smith of
Philadelphia, who was called out OF the
city. told the visitors the purposes OF the
meeting. The first one was 10 aid the
Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association
by putting new strength into the organ
zat1on and the second issue was the
uni6cation Of all of the river and sea-
board cities in this section
He recited the eleven years OF existence
of the Association aud what a battle it
had been to keep the spirit OF the move
ment alive. How IL times Of peace it
was explained what might happen in
times Of war and that these things had
occurred just as it had been predicted
they would
He referred to the coal shortage last
winter and Of how this could have been
avoided if IN times of peace and plenty
the government had exploited inland
waterways.
''Our Navy cannot locate the sub
marines that recently raided this coast p
he continued, "and every collier that
leaves an Atlantic port bound for the sea
Is IN danger from this menace" He went
ON 10 show that the coal shortage Of last
winter was likely to be repeated this year
but that through the aid of the canal, it
would not matter about shipments along
the coast. He told of the suffering about
the Capitol last winter and of the demand