Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-03
DEVELOPMENT OF
OUR WATERWAYS
Local Interests TO be Represented
at a Conference in Washington
October IL.

Sps>-ial Dispatch From Every Evening
Washington Correspondent
Washington. Oct. "a feet of govern
nent-owned barges on the inland water
wavs from Trenton 20 Beaufort, \. g, is
among the possibilities of the not distant
future. II the present privately owned
cnlipmcnt shall not measure up 10 inc
traffic requirements OF the haiiroad
Adn,inist ration Ii is believed, however,
that government operation Will not nave
IN he r sorted to. if the boat owners ana
operators already doing business IN those
waters can bring themselves INTO CO.
oueratInn with the l. >. Railroad authoI-
ties and coordinate their effort IN inc
interest of greater etfclcncy OF operation.
The. boats now running III tins territory
are NOT performing to more ihan ~ PER
cont rapacitv. IL is SAID on authority.
The Railroad Administration hopes 10
br,ny obo,1t n considerable Improvement.
IL is for that purpose that the conference
has been called in Washington on October
II. 10 which boat owners. operators,
chambers OF commerce and shippers are
invited.
Water terminal facilities will be among
the topics discussed That this matter IS
regarded rs Of the utmost Importance was
indicated today by ono of the government
railroad chiefs, who sald Not enough
attention has been paid down on the
Atlantic Coast 10 the problem of loading
and unloading vessels Much time and
labor Is lost bv slow and inefficient meth
ODDS The Atlantic Coast shipping men
can we'll learn a lesson from the ports at
the Great Lakes. where for wears methods
far IN advance Of ANYTHING ever seen IN the
East have been common.
The, problem Of terminals has hccn in
part solved automatically by the taking
over hv the government OF the railroads.
which have in many cases, notably ~
Philadelphia, virtually dominated the
,.,r,ous mort facilities and 10 that extent
intcrCrrrrd with the proper development
Of water transportation The conflict OF
interest thus caused is now done away
With. and water transportation will become
s,Ipplcnlcntarv 10 rail carriage. rather than
a competitor.
Il was learned today that the Railroad
Administration fOr,SurS the advlSablhtN
Of system whereby commodity trClght'
from TIN, south Will hc carried by rail e
Norfolk and there transferred To water
for shipmcnt to New York or distribution
through the East When this system Is
installed. If il shall I've decided upon
tho necessity for government owned boats
Will immediately arse. unless, IN inc
meantime. private enterprise shall have
anticipated the situation and mot tht
demands for boats by nov construction
Following is list ~ the transportation
COMPANIES invited to attend the confer
cncc N the office Of g J. lomilnson
Director Of Inland Waterways. IN Wash
ington. October II Diamond Boat Linz
Inc Inland Transportation ~ Dempsey
& Son. Charles Grlng, Philadelphia Barge
Co. Southern Transportation Co. tallo-
we'll 4 Soudcr + W Mann, Coastwis'
shipping 4 Iightcragr Co, Philadelphia
Roanoke 4 Tar River Steamboat 90.
Williamson. y G.: MarvIl Package Go.
Laurel. Del Eastern Transportation 60.
Charles " HARRISON, Inc, J tranl
Thomson Co, Atlantic Transport Go.
II W Adams, Maryland Transportation
Co, Baltimore.
Invitations have been extended TO th'
following Chambers Of Commerce. Nor
folk. Va. Ncwbcrn, \ G, Macon. Ga
Miami. Fla, West Palm Beach, Fla,
Wilmington, y G., Wilmington, Del
Georgetown. : c. Dublin Ga Jackson
willie. Fla Columbia. ; G. Trenton \ J
Elizabeth. \ c. Augista, Ga Richmond
Va. Favcttcville \ e.. Philadelphia, Pa,
Baltimore. Md Fdcnton, y G.. Wash
ington, u g. Morhead City, \. {
Beaufort, \ G