The Washington herald., 1922-01-12
WOULD MAKE US.
PAY LIONS SHARE
OF CANAL PROJECT
Commission Also Asks
America Share Cost
OF Welland.


and canalization OF the st. Law
renee waterway are contained In
the report of the international
joint commission, as submitted to
Secretary of State Hughes. it was
learned yesterday.
The text Of the report is being
kept secret. but it has been .u-
thoritatively established that two
big new features of the report are:
First, that the United States shall
share the. cost of the new welland
Canal as an integral part Of
the lakes-to-the-ocean development
scheme, despite the fact the canal
and locks are entirely in Canadian
territory.
Second. that the United States
shall bear the larger portion of the
entire cost Of deepening the 81
Lawrence and building the weiland
Canal, the propositions being based
on the amount of commerce con-
Quoted between American and Ca.
madam Great Lakes ports instead Of
on a fat $3.50 basis.
Expected $3.50 Basis.
Until yesterday it was believed
the United States and Canada would
carry on the development on an
even basis. 1t Is estimated that a
thirty-foot channel with locks TO
accommodate ships OF that draft
would cost a total of s270. 900. 900.
The new welland Canal will cost
approximately s12o.ooO.ooo. 1t will
take eight years to complete the
project.
Representative w. w. Chalmers,
Of Ohio. one OF the majority mem
bers of the House Rivers and Har-
bors Committee. yesterday intro
duced a bill to carry into effect
many OF the Recommendation
Representative Dempsey. OF New
York. chairman of the Rivers and
Harbors Committee, as well as all
the other New York members Of the
House are understood to be opposed
to the St Lawrence project. be-
lieving that freight from the Great
Lakes to the ocean should be car
ried through the New York State
Barge Canal.
Bond Tissue Proposed.
Mr.. Chalmers, in explaining the
features of his bill and telling how
1t differs from the outstanding rec
concentrations of the international
joint commissions report, said:
Instead of levying taxes on the
citizens of the United States and
the Dominion OF Canada for the
construction of the Great Lakes
st. Lawrence deep waterway and
the Welland Canal. my bill pro-
poses that the entire expense be
borne by a bond issue guaranteed
by the two governments, which
can be paid off by the returns
from the sale of hydro-electric
power, made available for COM
mercial use by the Improvement
In this particular, my bill diff
fers radically from the report of
the International Joint Commits
sion which. has been submitted to
the State Department and which
recommends that the project be
completed, but that the expense
be borne through taxation by the
two countries in proportion to the
benefits to be received.
Endorses welland Canal.
MY bill provides that the
United States and the Dominion of
Canada should go fifty-fifty on the
expense of constructing the st.
Lawrence waterway and the new
welland Canal which will pro-
vide a 30-foot channel from Lake
Erie to the sea and make the
Great Lakes region accessible to
ocean, going boats. 1t also pro-
vides that the benefits to be de-
rived in the way of hydro electric
energy be evenly divided between
the two countries.
1T follows the recommendation
of the International Joint Com
In including the new
Welland Canal as part of the pro-
ject. Work on this canal already
has been started by the Canadian
on its own initiative,
but the International Joint Com
has, recommended and /
am heartily in accord with it, that
the new Weliand Canal which
connects the Great Lakes and
Lake Ontario should be included
in the project which contemplates
the Great Lakes with
the sea-
The bill also provides for joint
commission of six. three, from the
United states. three from Canada,