Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-12
WATERWAY FIGHT
BY RAILS CHARGED
'Oragnized Opposition to In
land Development Told at
Mississippi Meeting.

ST. LOUIS, November 12.-The at
titIICe of railroads toward inland water
WAYS was condemned by three speakers
on the program of the convention OF
the Mississippi Valley Association here
yesterday.
President William r. Dawes of Chi
cago warned the association that the
railroads were organizing their OPPOSE
ticn toward inland waterways develop
ment. Representative Homer Hoch OF
Kansas accused the railroads OF at
tempting a number of ways to block
the development of waterways, and
Representative E. E. Denison OF Illinois
asserted the railroads had organized a
campaign of propaganda against the eX-
penditure of any more money by the
Government on waterways. President
Dawes predicted that showdown be-
tween enemies of waterways and water
way advocates was imminent.
1T is true" he said, that never be-
fore have the forces arrayed against
the program for the development OF
inland waterways in the West been
more grimly determined.
Task Of Legislation.
1--WE are still faced with the task of
securing necessary legislation and we
will find a we'll organized opposition
strongly entrenched and intent upon
securing major benefits from the use OF
waterways transportation for them
selves, even though 1t may be at the
expense of industry and agriculture in
the Middle West 1t will take hard,
united work on the part of the valley
to overcome this opposition"
Representative Denison, long water
way advocate, said he would introduce
legislation in Congress at the next SeS-
sion to prevent the railroads from re-
ducing rates in barge line territory to
compete with barge lines.
He asserted that railroads years ago
put steamboats, and packets out of bus
ness by charging low freight rates along
navigahle rivers and making up their
losses by hiking the rates elsewhere.
The Illinois Representative claimed at
tempts were being made by the same
tactics today in an effort to hinder
barge shipping
Control Of Joint Rates.
Gov. Bibb Graves of Alabama, an
other speaker, said the solution of the
difficulties between the railroads and
the barge lines lay in adequate control
of joint water and rail rates by the
Federal Government.
Hundreds of shippers by water from
virtually every State of the Mississippi
Valley gathered for the convention. The
delegations included every element in
terested In improvement of rivers and
intracostal canals. President Hoover
sent message of greeting.
The Presidents waterway utterances
in Louisville were touched upon in near
~ every address of the day.
His promise of Federal support for
early completion of the Mississippi sys-
tenn was seen by the ma ority of speak
rT-c zFAaN Rsr1ar se&s e.
the developments of waterways.
Oh: :rman Makes Forecast.
The development of a joint rail-and-
water freight rate structure to give
interior shippers and producers the ad-
vantages of inland waterways trans
portation was forecast today by Mai
Gen. T. o. Ashburn, chairman of the
board of the executive Inland Water
ways Corporation.
THE most essential condition for the
success of a common carrier by water, -
he told the Mississippi Valley Associa-
ton, lis hearty cooperation between
rail lines and water lines, free inter-
change Of freight between rail and
water, with a division of accruing
revenue for a joint haul such that
both rail and water lines may receive
living revenue.
What we are steadily working for
ward to is structure of joint rates
giving to every one in the interior the
same savings in cents per 100 pounds
freight carried, as is enjoyed by those
cities of communities fortunately To-
Gated on a water right of way Until
the rate structure of the United States
is so adjusted, the people who have
been taxed to create these navigable
streams will continue to suffer under
widely divergent freight rates"