The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-09-14
BY WALKER STONE
Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON, Sept. IA. Are
the Great Lakes cities of Duluth,
Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland,
and Buffalo justified in cherishing
dreams of becoming great American
Seaports?
Will the Great Lakes-St. Law
renee waterway development, if and
when completed, enable them to
compete with such established
ports as New York, Baltimore,
Galveston, and San Francisco?
Can they look forward to the day
when the flags of all nations will
fly in their harbors, when their
docks will be laden with laces from
Belgium, nitrates from Chile, min
erals from South Africa, silks,
spices, and smells from the Orient,
brought in by vessels waiting to
carry out to the world grain, flour,
cereals and manufactures of the
American middlewest?
See Great Destiny
In the opinion of boosters of the
st. Lawrence sea passage, such is
the destiny of the Great Lakes
cities. But others who sprinkle salt
on the salt water ambitions of these
fresh-water ports say such glory
distinctly is not written in the stars.
Experts who have surveyed this
proposed passageway to the ocean
studied its economic and physical
aspects-are in sharp disagreement.
DR.. Harold G.. MQulton, economist
and author of book on the st.
Lawrence project, is emphatic in his
belief that first-class shipping YES
sells neither could nor would navi-
gate the proposed channel.
DR.. Moulton is president of the
Bookings institution, which is de-
voted to study of economic, govern
mental and international affairs.
Moulton Is SkepticaI
After three years of research on
the st. Lawrence project, DR.. Moul-
ton summarized in his book, pub
lished in 1929, as follows:
The investigation has shown that
a MISREPRESENTATION channel would
limit the use of the route to YES
sells of the type engaged in the
coast-wise trade and to smaller
trans-ocesnic freighters, chiefly
tramps and the war-built United
States shipping board boats.
"A depth of thirty-three, feet
would be necessary if the route were
to accommodate firSt-claSs steam
and motor driven cargo vessels of
the type which proponents of the
waterway ordinarily have assumed
would use it.
Our analysis of the Shipowners'
problem indicates that firSt-class
cargo liner service would not be es-
tablished between lake ports and
world markets, even if an adequate
depth of channel were provided.
This is primarily due to the diff
flculty that ocean vessels would en-
counter in finding remunerative en-
ployment during the five and one
half months that the st. Lawrence
route would be closed to navigation
each year.
Channel Held Inadequate
AT the most, we could not expect
coaStwise vessels and tramp steamers
to utilize the route and possibly a
second-class liner service to develop
between lake ports and Europe. Our
analysis of the character of traffic
available lends strong support to
this conclusion"
Concerning the adequacy of
twenty seven-foot channel, the
depth agreed to under terms of the
tentative treaty between the United
States and Canada, DR.. Moulton
found that such a channel would &C
commodate:
l. Practically none of the COM
bination passenger and cargo YES
sells now engaged in overseas trade
of the United States.