Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-02-05
Cooperation on Harbor Projects

There is apparently widespread opinion, and es-
pecially in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, that The fed
eral government will construct 9 port whenever re-
quested to do 50. providing sufficient actual Of poten-
tial tonnage is assured. In other words, they take the
view that having shown sufficient tonnage all that is
necessary Is TO tell the government engineers a port is
desired by that community or section and the federal
government will obligingly produce the necessary
funds and order the work to get under way.
The government is not constructing ports upon
that basis. 1t requires more than a mere formal pro-
nouneement that a port is necessary. The section to
be served must indicate its willingness to cooperate,
and in order to secure this cooperation the federal gov
eminent imposes certain conditions which local inter-
ests must meet.
Major General Edwin Jadwin, chief Of the army
engineers. in g recent issue of the World Port Month
ly Bulletin outlines briefly the cooperation the gov
eminent expects from the local interests. He says:
1T is necessary that there be adequate terminals
properly designed and located, with suitable approach
s. connecting them with the main channel 1t is neg
essary that there be adequate railroad and highway
connections, warehouses and other apparatus Of a sue
cessful port. And it is necessary that these elements
be properly coordinated, and that terminal and trans
fer charges, switching arrangements, interchange IA
cilities and the like be such as to encourage the move
ment Of commerce in an economical manner"
In his article Gen. al Jadwin cites the Corpus
Christi port as an illustration Of the almost perfect
cooperation which it is possible to attain between the
federal government and the local interests. The gov
eminent constructed the channel from the gulf TO the
turning basin at a cost of S~2,1o000o. Local interests
invested So, SOC, 600 in the excavation Of the turning
basin, the construction of wharves, warehouses and
other port facilities. All work was under the direction
of the army engineers -yho coordinated all factors and
produced a port ranking among the finest on the gulf
coast
II the Lower Rio Grande Valley is to secure deep
water at Point Isabel, Valley interests must first sig
Nifty they are sufficiently interested and will extend
such cooperation as the government may require. This
will necessitate organization Of a navigation district,
creation Of an official board which will have full
authority to represent the Valleys interests and which
can assure financing Of such cooperation as the gov
eminent will require.
The mere fact that the Valley could produce al
most unlimited tonnage and that a port is essential 70
DEVELOPMENT Of this tonnage will not be sufficient TO
assure extensive expenditures by the government on a
mort project. The government will require terminals,
warehouses and other facilities, and possibly participa-
ton in the dredging of channels and turning basln'
and in view of the immense benefits which will accrue
to the Valley there is no logical reason why the Valley
should not be unanimous in voting the organization OF
a navigation district and supplying such funds as will
be required.
The Valley this year will lose hunrdeds OF thous-
ands. and possibly millions, of dollars which would
60 into the bank accounts Of the growers and bust
ness interests If the harbor were constructed and low
water rates available. Every interest of the Valley
demands deep water. Development has reached the
point where profit from agricultural production is Sc
riously curtailed owing to the limiting of the Valleys
markets as the result of high freight rates.
What is the Valley going to do about it? Are the
people content to "let things slide" or are they will
ling to take action which will assure the emancipation
Of the Valley from prohibitive rates and make this
section what Nature intended it should be-the most
productive and prosperous region in the world?