The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-03-20

The National Ri yers aid Harbors
Congress assembled i'll the City Of
Washington at its Fourt .cnti Annual
Meeting and represented by delegates
from almost every section of the coun
try hereby submits the following
declaration of its policies and purpos-
es as adopted Feb 9TH. 1919:
THIS CONGRESS IS A NATION
AL ORGANIZATIONS
/ From its inception it has striven to
promote the Improvement of harbors
and interior waterways and for the
establishment and maintenance of
transportation thereon. AT each re-
curing convention and in the work
which has been prosecuted during the
interim it has held tenaciously to
these primary objects and has enter
ed no other field of activity unless
the same was closely related thereto.
The Congress, through its officers
and delegates. has not been actuated
ny SCiIiSll, SCltlolldl VI pdIl l1Sdl IilO-,
ties, but only sought to advance the
public welfare. The problem of trans.
portation is one of distribution and
affects every section of the country.
Industry and commerce wait upon
transportation and the more universal
the facilities, accompanied by cheap
ness and equality, the greater will be
our prosperity.
In effectuating. it's purposes the
Congress has sought to disseminate
information and to. advocate eco
nomic propositions which would inn
press the American people and the
Federal Congress- It's work has been
in the open. Its success demanded
publicity. 1t has endeavored to pro-
woke thought and to invite intelligent
criticism.
COORDINATION OF TRANS
PORTATION FACILITIES
Transportation is the servant of
the public. In every form it should
be coordinate and not competitive.
Each method should be unified and
co-ordinated one with the other.
While primarily this Congress seeks
to promote transportation by water.
yet it recognizes it's unity and sympa
thy with transportation by rail, by
highway and by air. We greet the
advent of the airplane and anticipate
such development in areonautics as
will constitute an important factor in
transportation.
ASYSTEM OF WATERWAYS
In so far as may be practicable and
feasible, we recommend that such 4
comprehensive system of waterway
Improvement and water transporta-
ton be devised as will most effectu-
ally serve the largest areas of the
country. Trunk or through lines of
waterway should be given preference
particularly where they intersect
feeders or branch lines, thus extend
ing the length of movement by boats
between distant termini without
breaking bulk As far as possible.
depths of channel should be stand.
ardied. The branch lines of CONF
munication may usually awai. the
Improvement of the through lines of
waterway. n
JURISDICTION OF NAvI-
GABLE WATERS
The United States has jurisdiction
of all navigable waterways. It is
1.-THE duty of the Federal Congress to
systematic and improve all naviea,
bic waterways upon which commerce
may be established Congress NAV
not escape this imperative duty,
which should be performed in such
manner as to serve the public interI
ests. If criticisms of the activities.
OF Congress in the discharge of this
duty have been made in the past or
shall be repeated in the future, such
criticisms do not affect its jurisdic.
ton or duty but the manner of it'd
performance.
THE USE OF IMPROVED
CHANNELS
We declare as our settled purpose
that we advocate only the improved
ment of such waterways as will be
utilized. Appropriations of the pub
lie revenues can only be justified up
on evidence affording a reasonable
assurance that channels so improved