Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-07

It's hard to keep good issue down,
even if it be not mentioned in either
the Democratic or Republican plat
forms Possibly that non mention
makes it all the easier for the Demo-
cratic candidate to adopt 1t. mo
pent-up Utica" is his platform. So
one of the great issues thrown into
this national campaign. according to
the New York Times. is whether the
St. Lawrence Ship Canal shall be built
around the rapids. and thereby ocean,
going vessels shall penetrate to Chicago
and Duluth and save 10 cents bushel
freight charges on Northwestern grain,
or barge canal from Niagara to AL
bany shall cross Gov Smiths State
and enable New York to advertise
itself as Greater New York" Accord
ing to Julius Barnes, that saving To
grain raisers alone would be 1885,
100000 a year.
In support of the local New York
project is the argument of Engineer
DIN Landreth, who calls attention to
the claim that most of the Great
Lakes traffic is domestic. rather than
foreign, American rather than Cana
dian" From this ne concludes that
only the domestic needs should be con-
sidered. Yet II domestic needs alone
are counted, why should there be any
canal? The products of the great
West can reach Buffalo by water
already, and railroad competition is
what outbid the barge canal across
the State of New York. Gov. Smith,
IN message of 1925. stated that
already S225. 0OO, 900 has been invested
in the barge canal, upon the expecta-
ton that traffic would run up to
&C, 000.00 tons year. but up TO 1925
the Smaximum had been 100000 No
traffic except domestic can use the
barge canal: 1t has no ocean con-
nections. hence 100000 tons may be
its maximum. Gov. Smith hoped that
the. Federal Government might take
over that local ditch and improve it.
or that some canal authority" would
amorti2ed out of the future earnings.
w. C. Redfield. Secretary of Com
merce under President Wilson. and
later Member of Congress. and forever
a regular Democrat" of New York,
testified in 1920 concerning the ST.
Lawrence Ship Canal:
AS a citizen OF this State I quite
fail to understand the opposition to
this project on what seemed 10 me,
win say frankly. provincial or
parochial grounds. can imagine that
1t would be of great advantage to
the City of Buffalo to be made q sea-
port to which vessels can come from
all over the world. The city limits of
Rochester already reach 70 Lake On
tario, and / can conceive that. rs other
cities have done, it might be of the
greatest advantage to Syracuse ii It
could have its own Seaboard, or II 1t
might possibly extend itself into inn
mediate touch with the sea. To my
mind the development Of 100000. or
thereabouts. kilowatts of energy right
at the border of our State. which can
be distributed throughout the state,
substantially. by we'll Known methods,
can only be beneficial to the State
of New York. relieving its railways from
the unnecessary obligation of carrying
coal, and providing Just so much clear
movement for its other transportation;
can conceive that New England
itself would gain very largely from
the same ability 10 get power and
stopping thereby the congestion of the
New England lines with coal"
NJ u y
The st. Lawrence Ship Canal alone
barge canal across New York viii pro-
duce no power. and In fact the grave
question Is how Ii can be supplied with
water sufficient for transportation,
The Welland Canal around Niagara
Falls is wholly i'll Canadian territory,
1t will be completed in 1929 but that
can have no possible connection with
the New York Barge Canal. Another
canal around Niagara would have To be
built, at All estimated cost OF $3.50 ,ooo,~
600 That would let traffic down some
80 feet from Lake Erie to the level
of the terminus of the barge canal,
and then the barge canal would have ,
to "sten up" 500 feet 10 get over the
height of land. then descend TO The
level of the Hudson River at Albany,
all the water supply would
have to come from the Adirondack
Mountains, there would be no surplus
for power. IT, indeed, u sufficient guam
tity for transportation over channel |
81 or 30 feet deep,
=
IT In of paramount interest to note !
what Herbert Hoover said of the re- !
specttye merits of the two canal prof. !
ects In i920,-~years before he became /
a nominee for the presidency. He was !
as an engineer. not as a I
politician. II Is of special interest o. |
note his concern In the prosperity or !
agriculture |
MIR. Hoover said
AT our present rate OF ratio OF IN /
creased population TO productivity Of
our farms, We will arrive within an |
other 10 years at point where We viii /
not be exporting food products from /
the United States II We arrive at
that point. New York has lost nothing
through the transportation of grain