The Washington herald., 1918-06-14
WOULD BETTER
CANALSOF us.
Commerce Department Re
port Shows This Neces-
sity, Says Holland.

- AcH oAgS 8BO nAAIcT EAEhcAs wiz
u assistant to the Secretary of Com
merce. for. inland water transports
ton, reported to William c. Redfieid
recent Investigation and agitation re-
specting improvement Of inland wa
terways and especially inland water
ways terminal deveopment. On June
Mr.. Parker, writing as the general
manager Of the New Orleans Asso-
ciation Of Commerce, made an infor.
NAL report to William q. McAdoo, Di-
rector General of Railroads. In
this way two members of the admin
istration. both OF whom are known
to be greatly interested In the sub
ject ofinterna ! waterway improve
nent. have been informed respecting
the latest developments.
What Industrial canals and termi-
malls may accomplish for a community
or for q great district Is set forth
by the experience gained by the Man.
chester Ship Canal Company. OF Eng
land. This canal cost so. 0.0OO.0 900 and
the city OF Manchester was satisfied
that II would prove to be Of such i'm
portant advantage to the city that
the community would be justified in
providing SIS. 200, or one-fourth
Of the total cost On either side
Of this canal have been estab-
lished many Industries and a
hundred miles of belt railroad con-
meets all these industries. The canal
is in fact an Industrial basin OF mag
nitude and il is setting an example
which American communities are be-
ginning to follow. In fact New Or
leans has within a few days begun
the building OF an industrial canaf
which. when completed, will connect
Lake Ponchartrain with the Mississip-
Di at New Orleans and furnish there
by a great interior harbor as well
as fine facilities for Industrial plants.
In New Orleans-as in Manchester,
England. whose experience in con-
structins a s1oc 10000 canal was fol-
lowed by the establishment along It's
banks of great industries-great COM
mercial and Industrial development
will follow the building of this large
interior and terminal harbor.
Lake Washington Terminal.
In the Far Northwest and upon
the eastern limits of the City OF Sc
attic is Lake Washington. twenty
miles long and averaging about three
miles in width. A thirty-five foot
ship canal Is being cut from Puget
Sound to Lake Union and there is
. depth Of twenty-five fet from there
TO Lake Washington.
The Federal government was so
well satisfied that this Improvement
would justify itself that It co-operated
with King County. in the State OF
Washington. in the construction of
the canal. 1t is to cost the govern
ment s2.50o0O0 for the locks and its
share Of the expense entailed for
the excavation for the canal.
The government OF the United
states and the county of which Hous-
ton IL the capital have already CO.
operated in the construction Of a
canal recently. whereby deep-water
navigation from Galveston Bay to the
,herstofore inland city of Houston q
secured. Wharves. warehouses and
other facilities for industries and for
commerce are now in the course of
construction there and the city of
Houston purposes spending S5.C01.O,l
for perfect development OF this indus
trial terminal.
In New York City.
Within the boundaries of New,
Y Ork City there is to be constructed
at Jamaica Bay one of the largest
industrial basins in the world. 1t
will cost nearly $2O.OCJ.O0o and the
government is to cooperate with
the city and the State in this
enterprise. Los Angeles, San Fran
cisco and Chic@yo are nog PLAN
ming to build great industrial
terminals. and in fact have begun
the construction of some.
Secretary Redfield and Secretary
McAdoo as Director General of
Railroads were told in the reports
which were made by Mr.. Parker,
who Is assistant to the Secretary of
Commerce, that it was found that
interest in terminal facilities on
our inland waterways is now very
great. This interest has been slim
mated by very heavy congestion of
railroad traffic in the Eastern part
of the United States, for il is beliey-
ed to be certain that this conges-
tiOn would not have occurred had
there been adequate terminal faciIi-
ties on our inland waterways. The
government officers were informed
that the communities which line
both sides of the Ohio River from
Pittsburgh to Cairo are now agitat-
ing earnestly in favor OF such ac-
ton as will make 1t possible to re-
store the extensive use of their wa
terways. both for the movement
of domestic commerce throughout
the Mississippi Valley and further
more for the movement Of the grea |
body of import and export com
mcrce to and from the Gulf.
This also Is true of the populatiu-r