The Washington herald., 1921-04-07
WANTS ALL-AMERIcAN WATER
WAY.

|
WANTS ALL-AMERIcAN WATER
WAY.
To the Editor, The washington Herald:
have been awaiting some an
swering comments upon the edi-
torial AN Undeveloped Resource"
presented in your issue Of April 2;
but. as none has yet appeared,
am moved to state the situation as
1t looks to a citizen Of the state
of New York. In general 1 agree
heartily with your position as to
enlarged use of our waterways. but
in one particular I think some re-
marks may interest Herald readers.
There seems to be abroad in the
United States a certain adverseness
to enterprises which have not orig
mated under Western. auspices, and
this sectional condition of the mind
appears to be especially noticeable
here.
New York Waterway.
The State of New York has ere
ated a free waterway for barges
Of 1000 tons. with a draft some
what exceeding ten feet. and. after
the expenditure Of $150,O00.o0o. 1t is
at the expense of maintenance with
out any contribution from the Fed
eral government or from the other
States which are served almost
equally with its own citizens
Owing to the fact 1t Is public-own-
ed, no extensive advertising cam
paiEn has been inaugurated. and no
trafic-connections turn the tide of
business its way.
Did this free waterway not exist.
| however, the railways would be
without the influential competition
of a free all-water route from the
Great Lakes to the sea-. and 1t is
! readily supposable that higher
freight rates would be enforced. to
the disadvantage OF the western
States as well as Of the State OF
New York.
Disposition to ignore.
| Be that as it may, the traffic has
not as yet increased in measure
| to anything like the capacity of
the service now offered to shippers
of goods between the Great Lakes
and tidewater; on the contrary,
there appears to be a disposition
to ignore or disparage the advan-
tages of the Erie Barge Canal
route, while strenuously insisting
upon the necessity Of going out
side Of the Federal jurisdiction to
build a competing waterway which
will switch" to Montreal and Que
/ bee the traffic which under normal
existing conditions land by rea-
son of the great financial outlay
for the construction and mainte.
nance Of the free barge canaD per-
tains to the State and port of New
York. When the Western shipper
has shown a disposition to utihze
to the utmost the means Of trans.
| portation thus placed at his dis.
posal, and when 1t plainly appears
either as to quality or extent OF
service-it would seem that ther
(and only them will we, as q peo.
pie, be in a position to seriously
consider any route which diverts
our domestic traffic to ports under
a foreign flag.
Divided AlIeEfsnee.
Have our Western Senators and
our other statesmen and the bust.
ness interests which so urgently
favor the st. Lawrence route taken
| into consideration the disadvantags &c
Of pursuing to completion course
which will entail a divided allie
glance upon, the management
| In case Of disagreement as to port
charges and other practical details
OF operation. shall, the wishes of the
American Republic or of the Do
mLnion Of ,Canada-not to mention
the imperial government Of Great
BPitain-prevaii?- Suppose it. Is
sought to bring pressure upon our
government In any particular. What
method so conve niently to hand a.
the meaps we have ourselves pro-
vided, Wig. to make diicuit the use
Of. the st. Lawrence lakes-to-ses
route until I'VE have. conceded thu
y point In dispute? 1t In an obvious
1eaanan lox-. nuch n raZknona. hn1