Evening star., 1928-11-03

ment of the laterals such as the upper
Mississippi connecting Minneapolis ano
ST. Paul. the upper Missouri connecting
Sioux City and beyond. as we'll as the
Cumberland the Tennessee the Arkan-
sas and the Red River and lesser
STREAMS. Which completed including
the st. Lawrence waterway. this entire
system will comprise 10000 miles oi
most essential transportation, connect
ing 20 States with the Gulf on one hand
and with the North Atlantic on the
other.
Under the direction of Midwest Sen
ators and Representatives and sup
ported ny great civic associations of the
Midwest and with the help given by
the departments of War and Commerce
that conception of our waterway system
has now been finally accepted by the
| country as a great program for national
development Congress has authorized
the completion of the system, except
| the ST. Lawrence. concerning which
negotiation with Canada is still pend
ing. We have already expended nearly
| $100,000,000 upon the new program. II
Is money well spent.
This comprehensive system will not
! reach full usefulness until it is COM
plete and interconnected And it is for
| that reason that l believe it should be
completed at tho earliest possible mo-
ment. When finished it will be a pow
/ erful stimulus to the industry Of this
great section.
Cheaper Raw Materials.
1t means cheaper raw materials; it
means cheaper access to the world
market for the Midwest: it means the
building of industry in the midst of
| agriculture: it means the improvement
! Of our whole national economy by
| bringing the consumer and producer
| closer together, and it means a vital
| contribution to the stability of both
industry and agriculture In measure
1t Will restore the field of our Midwest
merchants who suffer today by COM
petition throug the Panama Canal.
BY cheapening transportation it will
increase the price the farmer receives
for his products This increase consti~
tuteS most important element OF his
profits. He would obtain this increase
not alone upon the actual products that
may be transported by these water
Wavs but upon his whole crop The
reason is that the price the farmer re-
celveS for certain of his products is the
world market price, less the cost of
transportation; and when parts of his
crops can be exported at reduced cost
1t compels buyers to enhance the price
paid to him for his entire production.
even though most of it be for domestic
consumption.
Nor will this impair our magnificent
railway system. The growth of traffic
in our country will far outstrip the
volume which our waterways will carry.
Any engineer presented with the con-
elusive advantage of construction of a
great works and having the resources
with which it can be constructed has
only one conception of tits earliest
possible completion in order that the
returns of those works may be quickly
brought into being.
Mississippi Flood Control.
No one could have occupied the posi-
ton and responsibilities which we're
assigned to me during the great Mis-
SlSslppl Hood of Is months ago and not
nave become an advocate of adequate
hood control. rejoice at the enact
ment by Congress Of authority to con-
struct these works.
The safety of more than a million
and half of our people depends upon
them. We have already witnessed thA
temporary shock that came to the pros
perity of the whole Nation through that
great disaster. Here again is a neces-
Sity Tor all Of the energy which can be
applied without waste in order that we
snaH open It's wealth of production to
the future and that we shall at the
earliest moment remove fear from the
hearts of all of those that dwell in the
great lower valley. I am for its COM
| pletion at the earliest moment.
This administration has recognized
the public necessity of Federal Govern
ment contribution to the creation of a
! definite system of modern interstate
| highways. This program is far from
completion, and l stand for its continu-
ance
Congress has lately authorized a large
program OF much needed public build
lngs. And there are other important
public works Of less immediate interest
70 the Midwest to which I have re-
ferred upon other occasions. The whole
comprises the largest engineering con-
struction ever undertaken by any gov
ernment. It mears an expenditure of
nearly a billion dollars in the next four
years, or nearly four times the outlay
on the Panama Canal.
Projects Held Justified.
AS have said before, these undertak-
lngs are justified by the growth. the
need and the wealth of our country.
The organization and administration of
thlS construction Is a responsibility of
the first order. For it we must secure
the utmost economy honesty and skill.
These works, which will provide Jobs
for an army of men, should so far as
practicable, be adjusted to take up the
slack OF unemployment If it should
occur.
There has never been national CAM
palgn into which so large a discussion
OF the agricultural problem has entered
as in this campaign. That is as it
| should be. 1t is the most urgent eco
nonic problem in our Nation today.
1t must be solved if we are to bring
equality Of opportunity and assurance
OF complete stability of prosperity to all
Of our people
I have discussed elsewhere the causes
which have led to distress in agricul-
ture. Even before the war it was not
on satisfactory basis, and all discus
sion which deals with putting it, back
on a pre-War basis takes us nowhere.
There was then a fundamental diff
Guilty which still eXists-the undue eff
| feet of seasonal and periodic surpluses
upon the price.
The catastrophe def1ation of 1920
was added to by the fact that the I'm
| derwood tariff had removed protection
on practically all farm products In
| the year Of deflation-that is. the year
! before the Republican party came into
/ power and was able to give remedy
| agricultural products to the amount of
three billion dollars poured into the
country from abroad and helped break
prices already under strain from defla-
! ton.
Other Causes Stated.
There are many other causes-in-
! creased freight rates, increased produc-
ton abroad and changes in our produc-
tion methods at home. There has been
a most amazing growth in efficiency of
! the farmers themselves, who have with
in eight years increased our production
/ of all nm rnrncl11ntc oLn1,t % nor no,,t