Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-04-21
VALLEY PORT
PROJECT HITS
HOUSE FLOOR
Action Is Expected
Friday With Easy
Passage Seen
fsneciaI to The Herald.l

1ONr APAA O0A
rying an appropriation Of s~2,15s.oOc
for the Lower Rio Grande Valley
port project. and providing $780,
900 annually for maintenance, the
rivers and harbors bill was report
ed in the house today. Under the
terms of an agreement earlier in
the week it will be taken UP by the
house Friday, April Is.
Practically no opposition is ex-
pected in the house, but there will
be some controversy in the senate
over the proposed Great Lakes to
the Atlantic waterway projects,
Northwestern senators favoring the
St. Lawrence route and Eastern SEN
ators advocating the all-American
ate leaders assert they will not per-
ate leaders assert they vii not per-
NIT this controversy to jeopardize
the general bill, and that in the
event senatorial differences cannot
be composed the proposed water
way will be removed from the bill
and taken up in a separate meas
ure.
SO far as can be ascertained there
is 10 opposition in either the house
or senate to the Valley project. It
was among the first projects in
serted in the bill and received the
unanimous vote of the committee.
The Valley port appropriation Is
conditioned upon a contribution OF
S2.425, 900 and certain real estate
by the local interests. The bill
carries every proviso requested by
Congressman Garner and the
Brownsville and San Benito-Point
Isabel navigation districts, asSur-
ing no duplication in the cost OF
constructing the inner channel
from Brazos Santiago Pass to Long
Island, and granting the districts
permission to widen the inner
channels at their own expense, II
deemed necessary.
The Valley project, the largest In
the bill for the Gulf coast area,
ranks ninth among the $50 projects
for which specific appropriations are
made.
The bill carries authorization for
a survey Of a waterway from Har-
lingen, Texas. to the Gulf Of Mexico
BY way OF the Arroyo Colorado to the
Laguna Madre and cut across Padre
Island or such other route as may
be deemed advisable" The cost
Of this survey will be met from the
regular War Department appropria-
ton for this purpose.
Army engineers stated today that
no action had been taken on the
application of the Arroyo naviga-
ton district for permit to cut across
Padre Island opposite the mouth
OF the Arroyo Colorado and that
they are awaiting the final report
of Major Fox of Galveston who is
securing data on tides within the
Laguna Madre. 1t was stated that
the decision Of the engineers woulS
hinge upon the probably effect this
cut would have on the tidal flow
through the proposed ship channel
at Brazos Santiago.
The bill carries the following pro
visos which were inserted by un-
animous vote of the committee for
the purpose OF clearly interpreting
the governments requirements:
Provided, that no expense shall
be incurred for the acquiring OF
any lands required to be donated
to the United States for the pur-
pose OF TINS improvement or for
other purposes,
provided further. that the chan
mel from the inner side OF the Pass
70 Long Island and thence TO the
turning basin near Brownsville
shall be situated entirely within
what Is known as the Brownsville
navigation district. and shall take
the most direct practicable route
toward Brownsville: and
Provided further. That IL both
Brownsville and Point Isabel chan
nels and turning basins r. con-
structed the total amount to be
contributed in cash by local inter-
estS shall be in the sum OF S2.425, 900.
thus avoiding duplication OF the
expense or constructing the chan
mel from the inner side Of the Pass
10 Long Island, estimated at $780,
600: and
Provided further. that the width
or any or all inner channels may be
widened provided such proposed
widening meets the approval Of the
chief Of engineers and all expense
incident thereto is paid by the local
Interests"