The Washington herald., 1922-03-02
Allen, of Kansas, Favofs
Plan in Debate With
Miller, of N. Y. ,sss
wESTERNER SHOWS
RAILROAD TRAGEDY
Asks if Empire State
Fears Seaway Because
1t Will Work. = "

| Inc Sreat l<akes-St. LaWronet
waterway project was the subjecr
Of debate between Gov. Henry 4
Allen. of Kansas. and Gov Nachsh
L. Miller. of New York. at the after
noon session OF the National River
and Harbors Congress yesterday.
Advocating the recommendation
of the joint International comnIs-
sion to build the proposed ST. Law
renee River Canal. Gov. Allen de-
clared that this inland waterway
would supply the Middle Western
| states with transportation facilities
for the largest agricultural section
| OF the United state InabglS.-- :.
get rail trsnspertatiol for crops
| raised IN ta.s section. ne dec.-..
has resulted in rotting millions of
dollars worth OF wheat and corn.
weuId Open VAST Areas. r
The plan Of the InternatIonzi
Commission. Gov. Allen said, would
not only solve the transportation
problem Of the Middle West. but
would open vast areas Of agrfcuf-
tural lands in Canada 70 prospective
farmers. who would not cultivata
land there without means Of mar
keting their crops
| would enable II
merchant and passenger vessels i
from the leading ports Of the world l
To penetrate to the middle Of the '
American continent via the Great
| Lakes, Gov. Allen said. The plan
was recommended by the Joint In
ternational Commission. consisting
1 OF engineers Of the Canadian and
United states governments.--
Points to ProauetIs..
Gov. Allen demanded to know Of
Gov Miller whether he Is opposfnS
the st. Lawrence seaway because he
thinks IL won't work, or because he
thinks IL will work"
Our eighteen States Of the Mid
west" said Gov. Allen, Constitute
the surplus food producing area OF
the United States. Seventy per cent
Of all the wheat produced in the
United States, 60 per cent Of all tb<
corn so per cent Of all the oats.
20 per cent OF the barley are pro-
duced in the Mississippi Valley and
contiguous States We have had
present before us always the
tragedy Of transportation. while the
i others of you have been thinking
of transportation in terms Of river.
and oceans and coming here for your
annual appropriations. which we
have come TO term good naturedly
pork barrel appropriations
Paid for Own Funeral
Never have we raised a vcsce
against any appropriations for a
waterway, although never have we
had any advantage of a waterway.
Even has II come to the point in the
past that we have discriminatory
freight rates charged by the ran
ways to make up the deficit thev
have been allowed TO create in favor
lof some theoretical water competing
point. They-have created a dekhH
for the purpose Of stamping oU
competition, and tSey know tfret
have come to the Middle West and
to the areas that are far fronn~srY
benefits of water competition. nNd
they have made us pay for our oNi
funeral" -
Pictures Tragedy Of west..x,.s
Describing lack of transportstldn
facilities for the Middle West, Goa.
Allen said, Il am only here to say
that the tragedy of transportation
as Il grips the Middle West is 4
real tragedy. And when you present
to us the idea that we may bnfnS
the Middle West / zoo miles nearer
the sea coast than il now is. withg
out any intention of injurinC New
York, We would like 20 have H."
In answer to the objection thar
the canal, IL built. would he closcd
with ice five months of the Nesr.
Gov. Allen said, We all know Nast
this is a superficial objection 7be-
cause the New York barge canal A.
CLOSED exactly the same months) z
the Montreal hsrbor. The fact that
the New York harbor is oprn the
year around does not protect the
short season Of the New York barre
canal, but j am proud of the cour-
age with which New York has buhd-
ed the barge canal. With all my
heart I wish II well. but there g.
nothing In the barge canal that
ccmpetes with our project"
Not Enough Box Cars,
Declaring that the Middle West
has the poorest rail transportation
OF any important agricultural sec
tion OF the world Gov. Allen said.
Our surplus must die in the field
of Its production while waiting for
transportation facilities. and then
come only into the possibility OF
distribution when the world has
bought it's surplus elsewhere. We
have fallen far behind In ytbs race
Of development because we have moi
solved our transportation problem.
The difhoulty Of transportation
as We confront IL In the Middle West
Is that there are not enough box
cars when We need them. Investiga.
tions would show the box cars tied
up at the ports of New York, G1i-
weston and elsewhere. Why. said a
nan TO me. when you start car
load Of grain from Chicseo to New
York, when l. has reached Trenton.
Z Is only half way 30 far as
time In concerned and not hallway
~ - far as future expense Is COM
cerned.' So when they bring to us
the attractive idea that we NAV
horton our rail haul by having
ocean boats at Chicago. we say &c
II can be done. we want Il.
| Changes On Kansas.
1 In Kansas. In ten years we have
seen the evolution Of Western KAN
sas from a livestock country "a .
4 farming country. We have merely
chanEed the surface OF the possl-
bIlities Of production. and into this
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