Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26
HOOVER ASSERTS WATER
is OUR GREATEST ASSET
Points to Millions of Horsepower of Elec-
tricity Going to Waste and Potential
Shipways Along Rivers Lying Idle.

connecting links to the sea. so tina.
ocean vessels cannot penetrate to the
| lakes, The Mississippi system Is two
! thirds physically deepened, but III dis
| connected sections. so that modern
! barges cannot operate systematically
over it. AS transportation systems they
might be compared with the great rail-
way system which has occasional
stretches of naTow-gauge tracks In
such a case the volume Of goods that
! could be handled would diminish to tie
! capacity Of the weakest link, and the
/ cost Of transportation would be enor-
mouSly enhanced"
/ The modcrniZed segrHnt Of the Mis-
1 Sissippi system, from ST. Louis TO New
/ orleans. today is transporting grain and
/ other goods profltahlv rs rates equal to
| pre-War railway rates,
Railways Safeguarhed.
The railways need have no fear Of
the wat lWayS. Hoover contends. He
points out that quarter of a century
hence America will have 10000, 900 more
people Our railways and their termi-
mails will have to be greatly expanded
10 care for the future Americans. The
welfare Of the railroads mast be safe
guarded. he states, because they are the
Nations primary circulating system
The three great waterway units of the
West have been given careful thought
by Secretary Hoover during his admin
iStration Of the Department of Com
rae~ce. As an adopted son Of California
he has quite naturally shown a personal
interest III the plans for Harvesting the
power and controlling the irrigation
possibilities of the Colorado, Sacramento
and San Joaquin Rivers.
I1K-
Of the Colorado River Hoover foreSees
the addition of 100000 acres of irri-
gated land TO the productive fields of
the Far West and the creation of a re-
serve Of 100000 horsepower Bound
up in this problem also are questions of
domestic water supply and flood control
Hoover was one of the earliest advo-
Gates of great dam at Boulder Canyon
with subsidiary works He has declared
such project to be clearly an urgent
and immediate necessity" and one OF
the major water developments before
US. He believes the entire outlay Tor
such a dam would be recovered from
the sale of power and water
In the Sacramento and San Joaquin
Valleys there are about $4,000, 900 acres
Of arabic land. of which only 1000 900
acres are under irrigation. OF the
100000 acres can be brought into
intensive cultivation The project
would require erection of great storage
basins III the Great Central Valley.
from which could be obtained hydro
electric power.
The Columbia River system should
be included in any national program
Of major water improvements. Hoover
holds. The Columbia River is one of
Americas most important drainage
basins, rich in possibilities for naviga-
ton, irrigation and power. he claims.
Approximately $500 900 horsepower are
going to waste there. The future ex-
pansion Of Oregon, Washington and
Idaho are involved in the project.
which Hoover predicts would double
the population and wealth OF those
States.
Development of intercoastal water
ways and canals is linked with i'm
provement of rivers and lakes, and
Hoover has advocated a complete pro
tecteG" waterway from Boston TO Flor
ida and across the latter State to New
Orleans and Galveston. This would
provide for barge routes from the Cape
Cod Canal and New York through the
harbors on Delaware and Chesapeake
bays to Norfolk. Savannah and Jack
sonyille. Corresponding channels would
connect Mobile, New Orleans, Calves
ton and the Gulf ports.
Hoover Epitomizes Views.
Hoover has summed up his views on
waterways. as follows:
New transportation facilities create
business. 1t is well proved by our
highways. AT one time in our history
We practically abandoned the highways
and waterways for railways. The in
vention Of the gasoline engine has re-
stored our highways and multiplied
their traffic ten thousandfoid. Yet the
total mileage of passengers and goods
on our railways has never been so
great as now. In the same way. with
greater DEPTHS and with improvement
Of our craft, 1t is possible TO restore our
waterways
Water is today our greatest unde-
veloped resource. Our streams and
rivers offer Ills a possible total of 55,-
000, 900 horsepower, and OF this less
than II .0G0, coo has been developed. OF
our $4,000 miles Of possible inland
waterways probably less than 1000 are
really undermined
True conservation of water Is not
the prevention of use.
Every drop Of water that runs to
the sea without yielding its full COM
nerc!al return to the Nation is an eco
nomic loss. and that loss In all its
economic complications can be COM
puted in billions Of dollars"