The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-08
WARRIOR VICTORY FINAL

WARRIOR VICTORY FINAL
 The decision to proceed with the in dependent operation of the Warrior is a victory for the equal opportunity of Ala bama's seaport at Mobile. It is victory for the trade territory served by the Warrior, which is now assured more ade- quate equipment and a management pri- marily sympathetic with the success of the Warrior barge line. It is victory for the public interest against resolute effort, on the part of private interests seeking a special privilege, to bring about an opposite policy. It is vindica- ton of the judgment of the unpreju- diced experts who have had the barge lines given over to them as public trust to operate in such manner as to insure their success. It means the ultimate tri- umph of the governments experiment in inland waterway development.
 The firmness with which Colonel Ash burn adhered to the policy of indepen- dent operation of the Warrior service undoubtedly proceeded from his thor ough conviction as a trained engineer that such operation was greatly to be preferred to joint operation, with the dominent interest at New Orleans in- stead of at Mobile. His opinion was based neither on local sentiment nor on snap judgment. His opinion was the re- suit of long and careful study of the barge lines from the point of view of a, competent judge and administrator. Fur ther evidence of the sincerity of his be- lief is that he is in sense stalking his technical standing and reputation upon the new plan.
 One of the notable features of the Warrior discussion has been the avowed conversion of Secretary Weeks from a waterways -skeptic to a waterways en- thusiast. Mir. Weeks freely admits that in the beginning he did not favor the eovernment's experiment in inland waterway development and barge line operation. Now he unreservedly de- clares himself committed to the policy, being convinced that it is proper func- tion of government to foster such de- velopment in the light of the. benefit that will accrue to the territory served. This is presage of official opinion that the government would be justified in pro ceeding to extension of the experiment to inland streams that are located so as to serve rich producing areas.
 In Alabama there are several other streams that lend themselves to consid- eration in this regard. Most notable are the Alabama and the Coosa, which serve a noble basin, and which can without difficulty be made navigable for total distance of some six or eight hundred miles. The Coosa especially flows through a region that is potentially. rich but highly undeveloped because of lack of suitable transportation. There are several other streams in this state that need only certain unnavigable stretches removed to be of immediate service to their basins. These developments will undoubtedly come in time, but just now they are contingent upon the results ob- tained, from the operation of the War rior. Therefore, the entire people of Alabama are directly affected by the Warrior experiment, not only because of the general benefit that has already arisen from heightened transportation efficiency, but also because of the pros pect of an even more intimate benefit in the future.
 The government is, not concerned in permanent federal operation of barge lines, The avowed federal function is to demonstYate that the barge lines are a paying sproposition from an investment and operation standpoint, and then to turn them over to responsible private operating companies. The government will always retain jurisdiction over the waterways and the barge lines, insofar as is necessary to protect the public inter est and to make them serve the purpose for which they were designed, but the profits of.such operation will legitimately go to prlVaIe CransportaCloh CohpdLies' who assume the appropriate functions and pay a reasonable sum for the facil- ities.
 The Warrior is now endowed with a management committed to exclusive at- tention to it's welfare. All the agencies in control of the Warrior will be devoted to it's success. Their concern will be ap- piled not only to the actual operation of the barges and terminals, but will also be acutely directed to the influences that serve to keep business from the Warrior or divert business to the Warrior. Every effort will be made to conteract adverse rates, schedules and routing habits. The Warrior cannot help growing into it's or