Evening star., 1927-12-06
INLAND NAVIGATION.

The Congress in it's last session
authorized the general Improvements
necessary to provide the Mississippi
waterway system with better trans
nortation. StabiliZaion of the levels
of the Great Lakes and their opening
to the sea by an effective shipway
remain to be considered. Since the
last session the Board of Engineers
of the War Department has made a
renort on the proposal for canal
through the State Of New York, and
the Joint Board OF Engineers. repre-
senting Canada and the United
States. has finished a report on the
st, Lawrence River. Both of these
boards conclude that the st. Law
renee project is cheaper. affords a
more expeditious method Of placing
western products In European mar
kets. and will cost less to operate.
The State Department has requested
the Canadian Government TO nego-
tiate treaties necessary to provide for
this Improvement 1t will also he
necessary to secure an agreement
with Canada to put i'm works neces-
sarv to prevent huctuation in the
levels of the Great Lakes.
Iegisla ton is desirable for the con.
struction of dam at Boulder Canyon
on the Colorado River, primarily as
a method of food control and irrisa-
ton. A secondary result would be a
considera BILE power development and
source Of domestic water supply
for southern California. Flood con
troll is clearly national problem. and
water. supply is a Government prob.
lem. but every other possibility
should be exhausted before the Fed
eral Government becomes engaged in
the power business The States which
are interested ought to reach mutual
agreement This project is in reality
their work. IL they wish the Fed
eral Government to undertake it
they should not hesitate to make the
necessary concessions to each other.
This subject is fully discussed in the
annual report of the Secretary of
the Interior. The Columbia River
Basin project is being studied and
will he one to be considered at some
future time.
The Inland Waterways Corpora
tion is proving successful and espe-
ral1v beneficial sto agriculture. A
survey is being made to determine
it's future needs. IT has never heen
contemplated that IL inland rivers
were opened to naviga ton it would
then he necessary for the Federal
Government to provide the naviga-
ton. Such a request is very nearly
equivalent to a declaration that their
navigation is not profitable, that the
commodities which they are to carry
can be taken at a cheaper rate by
some other method. in which case
the hundreds OF millions of dollars
proposed to be expended for opening
rivers to navigation would he not
only wasted but would entail further
constant expenditures to carry the
commodities Of private persons for
less than cost.
The policy Is we'll established that
the Government should open public
highways on land and on water. but
for use OF the public in their private
capacity. 1t has put on some dem
onstration barge lines. but always
with the expectation that IL they
prove profitable they would pass into
private hands and if they do
not prove profitable they will he
withdra wn. The problems of trans
nortat ton over inland waterways
should be taken up by private enter
prise. so that the public will have
the advantage of competition in serv.
ice. 1t is expected that some of our
lines can be sold. some more demon
stra ton work done. and that with the
completion Of the Ohio project a pol
icy Of private operation can be fully
developed.