Evening star., 1927-12-07
SURVEY OF ALL
RIVERS IS URGED
MC0uffIe Would Seek Power
Possibilities of Every Stream
in Country.

Pointing to the ever increasing de-
mand for power in this country, Rep
resentative John McDuff1e of Alabama
today before the twenty.third con-
vention of the National Rivers and
Harbors Congress. opening at the
New Willard Hotel, urged that the
Army engineers make a careful sur
Vey of every stream in the country.
with a view to determining what
power it possesses. At the same time.
he disclaimed any idea of having the
Government go into the power pro-
ducing business, but said that it was
a proper function of the Federal Gov
ernment to take stock OF its re-
sources.
Secretary Davis of the War Depart
ment welcomed the delegates to the
convention and impaired the informa.
tion that the Army's flood control pro-
gram would go to the President this
afternoon. He also expressed himself
as in favor of the present method of
providing for river and harbor inn
provement by the provision of annual
appropriations for specific projects
so that the people in given com
munity could know what to look for
ward to.
II firmly believe" Secretary Davis
said, that we are entering into
period of greatly increa ased develop
ment of our water resources along The
broad lines laid down by the War De
partment which will bring added
wealth, progress and prosperity to the
whole Nation. In that development we
welcome your valuable support.
Progress Pointed Out.
"At YOUR last convention there was
outlined and discussed the War De-
partment plan for river and harhor
improvement which is properly CO.
ordinated with flood control, power
development, irrigation and reclama-
tion. Development under this plan
during the past year has been most
favorable. The authorized work Of inn
provement of our harbors and water.
ways, particularly on the OHIO River,
has progressed continuously with in
creased volume and smoothneSs. This
is in a large measure due to the policy
of a uniform annual appropriation.
which l am glad to say seems to be
now firmly established.
Adequate plans for future work
have been assured by the authorize
ton at the last session of Congress
of comprehensive surveys of most of
our important streams with view
to ascertaining the best plan for util-
tzing our water resources for all
purposes. Work on these surveys
will be expedited as soon as funds
are made available by the present
Congress. In the meantime, the
great flood of 1927 has drawn the at
tention of the Nation to the lower
Mississippi Valley and stressed the
importance of immediate and special
measures for flood control there.
while the topic of paramount in
terest to many Of us today is flood
control, we must not overlook the
development of our harbors and
waterways as fast as their CONNER
cial value will justify. 1 feel sure
that the National Rivers and Har-
bors Congress will bear this in
mind and that its accomplishment
in the aid of this great work will
be as outstanding in the future as
they have been in the past.
Mr.. McDuffie attacked the called
public works bill. which would take
from the Army Engineers the duty
of handling public improvements,
and took occasion to deliver a very
high tribute to the corps for its
work. He said the proposed meas
ure would provide another bureau
to the Government, a condition which
was alarming some people in the
country as it drifted toward govern
mental bureaus and commissions. He
said, that the Army Engineers were
not perfect. nor did they possess
monopoly on the engineering brains
Of the country. He challenged all
authority to find a better type of
man or officer than those found i'm
the Engineer Corps Of the United
States Army.
He characterized the measure as
the contractors relief bill, which came
to Congress when it seemed that al
most every one in the country needed
some kind of relief. He predicted that
such a measure would make it pOssi-
BILE for the contractors to get together
and fix prices, and added that while
the motives behind the bill may be
pure, it would set back the public
works of the country fully half a GEN.
tury, and would cost the taxpayers un-
told millions Of dollars in the long run.
Sufficient Funds Urged.
There are certain functions of the
Government, he said, which private
contractors could not carry on, and
he said that instead of passing such
measure, Congress should provide
funds in sufficient amount to tell the
Army Engineers to. go ahead and pro-
duce the very best inland waterway
system in the world.
A strong contrast between what the
Canadian government does for its
farmers to help them. and what the
United States Government does not
do, was pictured before the convention
by Mayor George +. Leach of Mime.
apolis.
The development of Great Lakes
ports as ocean ports was urged by
Harvey Campbell. vice president-sec.
retary of the Detroit Board of Com
merce. He urged repeal of the La
Toilette seamen's act as to its appli-
cation to the Great Lakes, because he
said it was great burden there. He
predicted a wonderful future for the
Great Lakes. particularly in connect
ing them with the Atlantic Ocean by
means of a deep waterway.
The lessons, he said, that may be
drawn from the opening of the
Panama Canal and the subsequent
development of an intercOastal bust
ness indicate clearly the benefit that
will accrue to the Great Lakes ports
when there is a deep waterway to
the sea.
Representative Riley J. Wilson Of
Louisiana, president Of the congress.
and S. A. Thompson of this city
secretary-treasurer, presented their
annual reports.
The meeting continues this after
noon and tomorrow, when there will
be A. special session given over en-
tirely to a discussion of flood control
in the Mississippi.