Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-14
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN,

"A rltofy adjacent thereto will
the Atlantic Ocean. Il dream
for many years. today gives
more promise of becoming a: accom-
pushed fact than ever before.
At the same time controversy ha:
arisen between the advocates OF two
projects for this ship canal that prom
1Ses to become as acute as that which
ragged years ago between the advocate
of the Nicarag qua and Panama routes
lor the present great interoceaniC
canal,
The projects whose merits are now
advanced by their respective support
ers are % Great Lakes st.
l'"Wrence River Canal and t2p an
Aii-American Canal" connecting
Lake Erie and Lake ontario and run
ming from oswego, y. Y. to the Hud-
son River near Albany ana down the
Hudson to New York and the ocean.
Arguments for The All-American
Canal were presented last Tuesday
before the War Department River
and iIarhor Board. Tomorrow the
hoard viii hear the statements Of the
- .. nrs of the Great LakeS-St
Lawrence River Canal in opposit ion
10 the All-AmCriCan Canal and in sup
port of their own project. 4 report
has already been made by the Army
Survey Board adverse to the All
American Canal on economic grounds
This report was attacked by Repre-
sentative :. Wallace Dempsey Of
New York. chairman of the House
committee on rivers and harbors. and
hv Col. Frederick s. Green. Superin-
PENDENT Of public works OF New York
state. whose recommendation that
the New York State Barge Canal be
presented to the Federal Government
Ia be used in constructing the ship
canal has been Endorsed by Gov. Al
Smith.
Needed for Defense.
Chairman Dempsey has made the
plea that the proposed All-American
Canal is essential for national de-
Tense He has presented to the War
Department River and Harbor Board
letters addressed to him by Secretary
Davis of the War Department and
Secretary Wilbur of the Navy De
nartmcnt. declaring that a waterway
Of the type proposed. TO be an asset
IF national defense, must lie entirely
within American territory. Mr..
Dempsey is banking heavily on the
rational defense argument.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
Tidewater Association. councli
representing IS States of the Mlddle
West and West. which has worked
hard 10 advance the St. Lawrence
shin Canal has been aroused by this
argument. and Charles L. Craig, its
evecutive director. has ridiculed the
succeStion Mr.. Craig called atten-
ton to the fact that thousands OF
miles of peaceful, unguarded bounoaf!
line between Canada and the United
states after more than century.
suddenly becomes Il menace TO peace.
lie said also that three adminlstra-
lions. including the Coolidge admin
stration. have approved the develop
rent of the ST. Lawrence for ocean
navigation as a, relief to the freight
congestion and high cost of trans.
narration for the North MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY: that the ST. Lawrence route
has been surveyed by the pest Army
Encineers, who have reported favor
ably thereon, and none has suggest
ad that the development was haZ-
ardous from national defense stahU-
point.
Nr Dempsey and his supporters.
however. insist that in time or war,
70 he of the greatest service, the
canal must he entirely within Amerl-
can territory. \ joint ownership ana
oneration with Canada. II the Chlted
States were at war with Il third coun-
+rv. might bring about developments
which would prevent the use OF tne
canal to meet all the needs OF TINS
country, they contend.
Demand Has Grown.
Ever since the World War the de
,,and for Il waterway capable OF
carrying ocean-goinS vessels ana
reaching from the Great Lakes to the
Atlantic Ocean has been an increas-
ing demand particularly on the part
IF the producers in the Middle est.
Freight rates and railroad labor costs
have mounted higher ana nlShef.
There is. il seems, no prospect OF a
lowering OF these rates. The farm
ars. particularly the wheat farmers,
who must sell their surplus crops Tor
export to Europe. have been among
those who have urged the conStruc'
zion of such a canal. Water trans
toortation would result In reducing TO
Il very great degree the carrying
charges on their manufactured prod
1lcts of these states as we'll as their
AGRICULTURAL products. With a ship
canal in use. the great cities Of Chi
raco, Detroit, Cleveland and many
others bordering the lakes would be
come, in effect, ocean ports. The
projected canals call for a depth Of
H5 feet, sufficient wafer TO accomo-
date seven out Of every eight of the
vessels which enter the ports of the
United States today. In the future
The canals could he deepened with
out great additional cost 70 80 feet.
according to the estimates.
New England. as we'll as the West
md New York. has a keen interest III
the proposed ship canal. The eNecu-
tive committee of the Associated In
dust ies of Massachusetts declared It
self in favor OF the Great I-akes-St.
Lawrence Canal in 1922. This commit
tee put out Il report AT that time eStl-
mating that the cost OF hauling a ton
pf freight from Chicago to Boston
would he cut enormously IL the ST
Lawrence waterway were constructed
t'he cost of tie haul by rail was given
ps s15.51. and the estimated cost by
water. S5.36. although the distance by
vail is 034 miles and the distance bN
The water route would be @,6S2 miles.
Particularly was TIE association inter
rsted in the development OF water
mower which would go hand in hand
with the construction of the snip
Canal. power which could be used with
great benefit by the industries and
Municipalities os the New England
States.
Two Surveys Made.
Surveys of the two routes proposed
for the ship canal nave been III
progress aneously--although
there have been earlier surveys and re-
ports upon both. In March, 1924,
president Coolidge appointed the "St.
Lawrence Commission" headed by
Secretary Hoover of the Department
of Commerce. 20 study the navigation
and power project. and at the same
time the Canadian government estab'
ljshed "Canada's National Advisory
commission" headed by Hon. George
T.. Graham, minister of railways and
canals. for the same purpose. The
two commissions have cooperated. and
l,cc,, h. oh