The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-06
LAKES OUTLET
HELD PRESSING
NATIONAL. NEED
Reps. Nelson and Chal.
mers Declare Further
Neglect Crime.

adequate transportation facilities
at reasonable cost to the producer
and consumer is Americas greatest
economic problem. and continued
neglect in developing the st. Law
renee water route through the
Great Lakes to the sea is a national
crime"
Thus spoke Representatives A. p.
Nelson. of Wisconsin. and w. W.
Chalmers. OF New York, replying in
the House yesterday to Gov. Miller.
of New York. and other opponents
of the project. While Americas in
land sea is bottled up. said Nelson.
the narrow and provincial argument
Is advanced that the New York
barge canal can take care of the
enormous export business. Itw would
be like feeding a giant through a
straw, he said. Chalmers declared
that comple,so of the waterway
would turn the Great Lakes into a
Baltic and bring the Atlantic Ocean
within 100 miles Of the center of
population OF the United States.
Three Hours Debate.
The House had resolved itself
into committee of the whole to
hear the discussions, which lasted
for three hours. New York Repre-
sentattves opposing the plan con-
tended that il would make Montreal
the export port for American sihp-
ping, with foreign control. and that
since New York state built its own
barge canal the sections of the coun-
try seeking benefit from the Great
Lakes project should built theirs
without Federal aid. Both Reprer
sentatives Nelson and Chalmers
pointed to the fact that the benefiss
were nationwide and the new cham
mel was not intended to oTtrival the
barge canal
Eighteen States belonging to the
Great LakesSt. Lawrence Tide
water Association contend that no
one State or seaport should. by
mere local selfish interests. stand
in the way Of the entire nations de-
velopment, Nelson declared The
st. Lawrence channel is not COM
peting with the New York barge
canal, but is cooperative route
between the East and the West.
'In the Western States is pro-
duced the larger proportion of the
foodstuffs entering into our for
ign trade" he said. We produce
75 per cent of the wheat; 65 per
cont of the corn; 100 per cent of
the fax: S. per cent of the iron: 35
per cent of the copper: "a per cent
of the zinc: and 46 per cent of the
lead of the entire country. BY rea-
son of the availability of the vast
stores Of raw materials, we have
been able to establish upon the
shores of the Great Lakes and at
other favorable locations industries
producing annually billions of dol
lars worth Of manufactured goods
Have Vast Imports.
"In connection with these manu-
factures we import vast quantities
of raw material from foreign lands,
and in our domestic life we con-
sumo about 40 per cent of the food
and manufactured products import
ed into the country from other ma
tions. Situated. as we are. 900 to
1,5OO miles from the ocean we are
compelled to pay transportation
costs amounting in the aggregate to
many millions of dollars annually
In excess Of the costs which are
paid by producers and consumers
located along the seaboard. In view
of our important contribution TO
the commerce of the country and
of the heavy transportation taxes
which VIC are compelled to bear, we
feel that we have a right to dema nd
from the national government ade-
quate action designed 20 foster and
protect the development of our
commerce and to advance our in
terests IN world trade.
"The United States has never had
a transportation system devised In
the interests of the people as a
whole and co-ordinating our rail
and water facilities" said Repre-
sentative Nelson. in the early
history of the country ports were
established along the Atlantic coast
and rail lines were extended West
ro,t;,ued ON Pane TtreIgs