Evening star., 1926-12-09
MONEY DECLARED
READY FOR SHOALS
Private Capital Willing to
Back Project, Rivers-Har-
hors Congress Is Told.

Private capital is ready to go ahead
with development in the Tennessee
Valley in and near Muscle Shoals on
a scale that will be felt not only local
1y but throughout the entire nation,
the twenty-second convention of the
National Rivers and Harbors Con-
gress at the Willard Hotel was told
today by Lieut.. Col. Harold c. Fiske,
Engineer Corps, L. $. A.
Applications now pending before
the Federal Power Commission from
interests willing to spend more than
100000 900 in developing power have
moro than justified the unprecedented
100000 congressional appropriation
for survey of the economic possibili-
ties of the Muscle Shoals project, ac-
cording to Lieut.. Col. Fiske.
Possibilities Cited.
The survey has already made it evil
dent, 1t was stated, that the possibility
of 9-foot navigation of the river, COM
bined with development of upward of
one and three-quarter million horse
power, will bring about a development
in industry favorably reacting upon
the entire nation.
In an address on 1.-The Business
Man and Water Transportation"
John II. Small of this city, former
president Of the congress, visualized
q development of interior waterways
and coastwise ship channels which,
by 1850, will allow inbound lake ports
TO carry on commerce direct with for
eign nations; give a continuous water
route by rivers and canals from the
region Of the Great Lakes entirely
around the Eastern coast to the Gulf
of Mexicao, and eventually to the Rio
Grande and place ports on the Missis-
sippi. st. Lawrence and the Great
Lakes in direct commercial competl-
tion with New York.
Others on Program.
Other speakers before the session
this morning were Thomas III. Ball,
Houston, Tex, counsel Of the Houston
Port District; J. Gordon Bohannan,
Petersburg, Va. chairman of the
State Port Authority Of Virginia: A.
II. Ferguson, New Bedford, Mass,
manager of the Bureau of Transpor-
tation OF the Board of Commerce, and
Joseph y. Teal, Portland, Greg.
The final session of the convention
IS being held this afternoon with re-
ports OF field secretaries to be received,
resolutions repo"ed on and adopted
and officers for the coming year
elected.
wants CnannelS DeepeneO.
The net result Of the changes made
In transportation by the war. throw
ing much Of the transportation bur-
den on the waterways, must be to
deepen water transportation channels
whether harbors, rivers or canals
Secretary of Commerce Hoover de-
clared in an address last night at
the annual banquet of the National
Rivers and Harbors Congress at the
New Willard Hotel.
Deeper ships, larger barges and
changes In waterway transportation
have kept pace with the enhanced
need of transportation facilities, Mr..
Hoover said. Our early recovery from
the effects of the war make us able
to pay for the needed river and har
Dor improvements Mr.. Hoover read
quotations from George Washington,
referring to the need of development
Of the vast country west of the Allie
ghany Mountains and urging develop.
ment of the waterways to bring the
future commerce Of that territory to
the seabOard.
Vice President Dawes presided at
tho banquet smoking his character
istic campaign p!ps between biting
references to tremendous deposits of
natural gas on Capitol Hill' and a
reference to former Representative
James Francis Burke of Pittsburgh
as an able speaker. 'but lacking in
terminal facilities
Mr.. Burke clsred that there
should be no end Of the transportation
roadway between the farm in the most
remote village and the sea, with its
broad lanes Of transportation. He
said the United States must have a
privately owned merchant marine and
must buLd protective canals linking
up the rivers with the great inland
waterways.
Mrs. Izetta Jewel Brown saw a
great spiritual future for the United
States in an address devoted to the
potency of the figure "13" in Ameri-
can history.
Senator Thomas J. Hefiin of Ala
hama declared that relief from Con-
cress is needed by the South to keep
cotton off the market when the price
J. low. Senator Heflin declared the
lSouthern farmer is in dire straits and
Saust learn diversified farming If he
Is to tide over a low cotton market
He pledged himself for completion of
the Great Lakes and Mississippi
waterways system 'and for develop
ment of as many rivers in Alabama
as you will help me get"