The Bismarck tribune., 1931-12-08
Making Progress

Making Progress
New interest was centered in the
proposed Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
deep waterway last week when the
association promoting it met at Chi
cago.
The advantages of the project to
the middle west were again outlined
and new emphasis was placed upon
the benefit which would accrue to
the farmer by placing him $500 miles
nearer the sea.
Chief interest at the meeting CEN
tered on the treaty between the
United States and Canada governing
international reaches of the st. Law
renee river which, the middle west
devoutly hopes, soon will become a
reality. There are many things to
be considered in the internal policies
of both the United States and Can
ada before the pact will be signed,
but indications now are that the pres
sure has become so great on both
sides Of the international line that
action with relative speed is inev-
liable.
The interests of two great cities
may be adversely affected by the inn
provement. just as completion of
the Panama canal wrought an indi-
rect hardship on the central west by
reducing the railroad traffic and
thereby creating rate problems which
might otherwise not have presented
themselves, SO will New York in the
United States and Montreal in Can
ada suffer reduced business when the
seaway is completed.
Items for export, instead of going
to the port at the base of the Hud-
son river or other eastern ports, will
be loaded on boats at Duluth, Mil
waukee, Chicago, Detroit or Cleve-
land and sent direct to Liverpool.
Millions of tons are sent by water
now, but since the waterway is not
deep enough for ,ocean-going vessels,
most Of this material has been trans
shipped at Montreal. When the sea-
way Is finished, ocean-going ships will
stop there only briefly. It will be
way station instead Of terminus.
But, even as the negotiations for
the treaty plod their tortuous way.
the work Of improving the river and
getting it ready for the great day
continue and each little forward step
is important, for it reduces the
amount Of work which will remain
to be done when the treaty is signed.
Only recently the war department
allotted $50 900 for completing chan
mel through the thousand islands
section Of the st. Lawrence river. It
will be ~ feet deep and $50 feet wide.
Canada already has finished her part
of the work In that section Of the
stream.
This means the close of the current
year will see completion Of first
class ocean-ship channel in the first
81 miles Of the St. Lawrence from the
foot Of Lake Ontario to Ogdensburg,
New York and Prescott, Ontario.
This completed section Of the sea-
way will extend the radius of Great
Lakes ships $50 miles farther east
ward through the new Welland ship
canal. across Lake Ontario and down
the st. Lawrence to Ogdensburg-
Prescott to within 120 miles
of the ocean at Montreal.
The first 48 miles of this 12O-mile
stretch, like the first 81 miles of the
: river, is international and is called
the International Rapids Section. Un-
der the exchange Of correspondence
between the two countries it is a
task assigned to the United States
to carry out the necessary improve
ment. But, the nature Of the plans
calls for a treaty.
1t is that treaty which now is be-
ing formulated.
Beyond the International Rapids
section the river waters are solely
Canadian and 1t is Canadas task to
provide the necessary works. The
job Is under way in one section. the
Beauharuois project which In con-
junction with power development win
provide , N-foot ocean-ship chan
nel around the soulanges Rapids.
oauadaa ether job lies in the Lachine
section, leading into Montreal har-
bor. At present there is no actual
construction under way here. but
Canada win have it ready by the time
the United States completes the In
ternational Rapids section.
Because Of its imperative need and