The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-02-04

the st. Lawrence are used by United I
States and Canadian vessels on equal
terms. Ships of the United States I
have exactly the same rights in the I
st. Lawrence river from the inter- =
national boundary to its mouth as are {
possessed by Canadian ships. But
from the international boundary on
to the sea, the shores and bottom of
the st. Lawrence river belong to
Canada. So while we have a perfect 3
right to navigate the st. Lawrence, a
perpetual right granted by treaty in
1872, we must, if we are to undertake
jointly with Canada in opening the
st. Lawrence to ocean going vessels,
have a treaty with Canada stating
the terms and conditions under which
the work shall be done.
Negotiations for such a treaty are
now under way. AS far back as
1920, United States and Canadian en-
gineers were instructed by their re-
spective governments to make sur
veys of the st. Lawrence river and
plans of the necessary dams, locks
and ship channels. Ait the same
time an international joint commits
sion, created under the treaty of 1909
and having wide powers in all matters
concerning our international boun-
diaries, held hearings throughout the
United States and Canada asking for
information as to the need of such
an improvement of the st. Lawrence
river. The answer was that the ex-
banding business of the middle-west
most emphatically demanded the st.
Lawrence ship channel. On the
American side 81 states have created
the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Tide
water association to represent them
: and to urge their case before the
American people, and the American
congress and administration. That
association, which has prepared this
e series of articles as a statement Of
S the needs and purposes of the Great
S Lakes-St. Lawrence ship channel, has
: made a careful study of the economic
needs of 40 million people in the ma
rOOned interior Of the United States
and it has made equally careful study
of the benefits that bringing the At
%lantic into the Great Lakes would
ie confer. These studies of needs and
( benefits have been placed before the
IS administration and are entered as a
ID part of the record of the economic
N study which the administration
i through the st. Lawrence commission
e, of the United States is now making,
al The joint report of the army engin-
GERS has again been checked up by
boards Of engineers representing the
United States and Canada separately
of in order that no error of engineering
- fact or of economic need may be per,
mitted in the final estimates Of cost
s. and of disable value.
While the cost figures of these re
ports are not available when this il
written, it is certain that the cost es
6 Inmates already made by the engi
neers viii not be exceeded in the fin
al review estimates which are 500,
to be made public-that in fact, ma,
be public property before this ap
%pears.
The treaty-making steps still neces
sary for the two governments, afte
they have agreed upon the engineer
ing needs are to determine how tn
2 costs Of construction and operatio
9 shall be apportioned and when th
time is opportune, so far as eac
government is concerned, to procee
z with the work. After that has bee
done the writing Of the actual tex
2 Of the treaty is a simple matter.
We are at a point where such fin,
determination viii be made. Is Il
United States ready? Are the pc,
pie Of the marooned interior ready
Do they want the Atlantic moved il
land Or do they want to continue f,
an indefinite time to come to pay Il
tolls which the business and financi
interests Of New York have exacts
and are continuing to exact?
IF the people Of the MiddIe-We
are ready, they can make their read