Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28
GOODURGES INLAND
WATERWAY SYSTEM
Adequate Air Service Is
Asked by Bingham in
Radio Forum.
Continued From First PageD

-
one of the most important civil functions
of the War Department. His speech In
full follows:
In the brief time at my disposal
this evening it would impossible to dis
cuss in detail all the projects which
come under the War Departments
supervision In addition TO those dis
tinctly military functions which relate
to our national defense the War De-
partment has supervision over many
and varied civil activities which are of
high importance in the promotion OF
the welfare of our people and In the
DEVELOPMENT of our resources. Among
these activities are those which relate
to colonial government in the Philip
pine Islands and Porto Rico. exercised
through the Bureau Of InSular Affairs;
the maintenance and deveopment of the
communications system OF Alaska, the
maintenance of national cemeteries, ma
tional military parks and homes for
disabled soldiers and the prosecution OF
works for the development of our rivers
and harbors. Furthermore. the Secre-
tary of War is charged with the gen.
eral supervision of the administration
of the government of the Panama Canal
Zone, including the Panama Canal and
its subsidiaries. the Panama railroad
and steamship lines. The Secretary is
also chairman of the Federal Power
Commission, which has general admin
istrative control over all power sites on
navigable waters and over all power
projects on such sites. is president of
the National Forest Reservation Com
mission, which has as its main purpose
the acquisition of forest lands on the
headwaters of navigable rivers, and
&c al to-
ernmental commissions and committees.
Tells Of Wide Scope.
From the towering pines of our vast
Alaskan domain to the tropical verdure
of the Panama Canal Zone, from Porto
Rico in the Occident to the Philippine
Islands In the Orient, there is hardly
a single community which is not in
some manner influenced by the mill
tary, semi-military or civil activities
of the War Department The time al
lotted to me tonight will not permit
a full discussion of a single one of the
varied activities of the War Depart
ment, much less the discussion of the
various military and civil activities of
that department. Therefore, my re-
marks will be confined to a discussion
of some phases of departmental ac-
tivities which relate to the development
and maintenance of our waterways
Somewhat over a century and half
ago the Federal Government under
took the improvement of waterways
At that time the military engineers
comprised almost the only members of
the engineering profession available to
the Federal Government. Therefore, it
was natural that the pioneering work
In the development of our water trans
NV q IN oil 4AG l>N~ A.
that Army agency. Since that time ap-
proximately one and one-ouarter billions
Of dollars have been expended in first
cost and maintenance of the waterways
system. Nearly one-half billion dol
lars have been expended on the i'm
provement Of our ports and harbors on
the Atlantic. Pacific and Gulf Coasts.
close to two hundred millions have been
spent for the improvement of naviga-
ton on the Great Lakes and nearly
seven hundred millions for the deeping
and maintenance Of channels on inland
waterways. including projects for food
controi. This vast sum, almost in its
entirety, has been expended under the
supervision of the War Department
through the Corps of Engineers. TODAY
the Army Is charged with the creation
and upkeep of channels on some 125
salt water ports, 20 ports on the Great
Lakes. and with 800 projects for rivers
and other inland waterways having a
total length of some 10000 miles.
Aims OBJ Departure Given.
During recent years approximately
$50 900. 600 have been appropriated an
nually by Congress for the development
and maintenance of our rivers and har-
bors. Occasionally this sum has been
increased to allow for particular atten-
ton to some project upon which Con-
gress desired prompt development In
disbursing funds for waterway projects
the War Department has endeavored
to apportion to various projects on the
basis both Of navigation requirements
and the deSirability of making each
finished piece of work an integral part
OF complete system. At times. under
congressional direction. river improve
mentS were once undertaken as a local
development rather than as a part of
q unified system, and our task is to
bring these disiointed segments together
under complete unit, capable of per-
forming their most useful function in
river navigation. To make waterways
system most effective, 1t must be con-
sidered as an entity in order that there
may be Standardization of channels
locks and equipment including towing
and barge units. If in the past ex-
penditures have at times been scattered
over too many rivers. and upon streams
OF questionable value for navigation or
commerce. the policy at present is to
center our work on rivers of recognized
merit.
Conditions growing out Of the World
War have forced the utilization Of our
inland rivers for transportation purposes.
YVzfN a. 1Nat~T 49, 49,
war the cheapest ton rate from New
York TO San Francisco was $500 Now
It Is $3.50. or a reduction of 1924.
Before the war the cheapest ton rate
from Chicago TO San Francisco. a route
on which no water transportation is
available, was $26l0. Now 1t is $29.46,
or an increase of 1896. This tremen-
dous increase in freight rates on ship
ments from midcontinent is a heavy
tax en- industry, commerce and agri-
culture. and that burden can only be
lifted by the utilization OF our inland
rivers AID lakes for transportation pur-
poses.
Holds Time Now at Hand.
Until recently much time and effort
were required in urging reasons why our
principal rivers should be made naW-
gable for transportation purposes. We
have now reached the time when ma
tional vision can deScry and the nation
al leadership has the purpose to reach
out and secure the advantages that
can accrue from an adequate program
for the sound public improvement of
our navigable rivers
We are now entering upon very
important stage OF our waterway deyel-
opment. Work must be centered upon
the early completion Of projects COM
n1enced years ago and which are cap
able of producing a profitable COM
merce One Of the most important
links In this chain of inland waterway
developments demanding an early COM
pletion is the joint project Of the United
States and the State OF Illinois for the
improvement of the Illinois River by