Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-05-20
CITIZENS WILL Be
ASKED TOCO-OPERATE
IN CANAL PROJECT
Congress Committee Will Visit
Wilmington and Other Places
to This End.
OUTLOOK is ENCOURAGING
special Dispatch to Every Evening

special Dispatch to Every Evening
Washington. May 2O.-Expcrts from
the railroad administration committee
on inland waterways will shortly visit
Wilmington, New Castle and Delaware
CITY. 10 find out how much cooperation
NAV be expected from those mumclpau-
ties in putting through the government $
project Of great inland waterway route
from the Delaware rIvor to North Caro-
lima. In this route the Chesapeake d
Delaware canal Is one Of the most I'M
portant links.
Announcing this step today. General
William Nj. Black, chief Of engineers, | .
:. A.. who is chairman Of the inland water
wavs committee, told the Washington
representative Of Every Evening that the
practicabilitv of the inland waterway
route is assured. and expressed the earnest
hope that trade bodies in Wilmington
and other Delaware cities will cooperate
with the committee, so that no further
DELAYS will be experienced in putting the
plan through
General Black. who is in close touch
with Director-General of Railroads Nc
Adoo, said the acute congestion Of rail
traffic between Norfolk and the Delaware
river is holding up material destined for
the Delaware shipyards, and otherwise
hampering war efficiency. lie SAID that
without some such relief rs IS promised
bv the inland waterway route. both pro
duction and distribution will inevitably
suffer further curtailment as the needs of
war production become greater
WOULD UTILIZE BARGE LINES.
I'VE look to the utilization Of barge
lines on the inland waterway routes OF the
east rs the most practicahlc and logical
assistance now possible, said General
Black. I'VE are willing 70 do everything
We can Ia make this plan success but
the chief responsibility will rest with the
citizens of the municipalities along the
route To find out what corporation we
NAV EXPECT, we are now making arrange
ments to send agents of the committee 10
the principal cities concerned
REPRESENTATIVE Small Of North Caro-
lima. chairman Of the House committee
on rivers and harbors, who has always
been active IN forwarding inland water
way legislation, told Every Evening 5
correspondent, this morning, that full
data as TO the estimated volume and kind
of products which merchants would be
willing to ship over the canal route will
have 70 be put IN the hands OF General
Blacks committee before the project can
be gotten under way. lie added that
assurances must be gwen that there will
he sufficient cooperation on the part Of
trade bodies to insure full loads for barges
both southwark and northward bound.
APPEAL TO TRADE BODIES.
Following the conference between Mr.
Small and Representative Albert +. Polk
Of Delaware, Mr.. Polk, tins morning,
wrote to Mayor Lawson OF Wilmington,
the Wilmington Chamber OF Commerce,
the Manufacturers Association, and the
Rotary Club OF that city, telling Of the de-
cision Of General Black TO send hIs agents
70 the Delaware towns and asking the
trade bodies TO be prepared 70 cooperate
in putting through tins project by which
all Delaware would materially benefit.
Mr. Polk has made arrangements with
General Charles Keller, secretary oi the
inland waterways committee, whereby
Wilmington Will be notified Of the date
of arrival 81 the committed agents as
soon as their itinerary has been prepared,
The Delaware Congressman Is enthusi-
astic over this big step forward on the IN
land waterway project He has been an
earnest supporter Of this plan To promote
water transportation and believes q
UIAlct t~1hli4E9 WILL litsG ~ 4iiiA41RA4'4 Il
value To the State lie believes success is
now assured, provided the horne folks do
their duty. There is little likelihood a.
gress VIII fail 70 appropriate sufficient
fumes for barge and towb0at construction,
once the agents Of tue waterways com
nittee report the cities along the route are
behind the project
The system of inland navigation planned
by the railroad administration to alleviate
rail congestion and insure delivery
goods on which the railroads have been
forced To place an embargo is lron. the
Delaware llver through the Chesapeake
& Delaware canal; thence through Chesa
peake bay, through the Norfolk Beaufort
canal to Beaufort Inlet North Carulna,
and thence by coastwise navigation as far
south as jacksonville, Florida