Evening star., 1932-04-10
LAYS WATERWAY
JUNK|NG TO HOOVER
Mas Makes Charge at Hear
ing on $500, 600,
Rivers Hearing.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
A Republican member of Congress,
Representative Mas of Minnesota
charged yesterday that the national in
land waterway program on which, he
said, President Hoover sold himself to
the electorate of the Midwest in 1928,
SENS to have been junked by him"
The accusation was made at a SEN
ate Commerce Subcommittee hearing on
the Shipstead-M bill for imme-
date prosecution of $500,000 900 river
and harbor program to be financed by
bond issue
1t brought from Senator Vandenberg,
Republican, of Michigan the curt advice
that Mas save political speeches for
the floor of the House. but the witness
was allowed to continue.
Rail Opposition Seen.
Strongly favoring the bill, Mas
charged opposition to it comes from the
railroads, the grain trade and concerns
with docks and terminal facilities and
from the Hoover administration.
The bond issue plan has been op-
posed in letters to the committee from
Secretaries Mills of the Treasury and
Hurley of the War Department.
Mas took the stand after Mai. Gen.
Lytle Brown, chief OF Army Engineers,
had testified in response to questions
that execution of S500,000, 900 program
within five years would be feasible from
an engineers standpoint.
The general declined to express an
opinion concerning the desirability of a
bond issue as proposed in the bills by
Senator Shipstead, Farmer -Laborite, of
Minnesota and Representative Mans
held, Democrat, Of Texas.
said.
He testified that the upper Missis-
sippi projects are on the FIRST priority"
list in the plans of the Army Engineers,
and accordingly would be tackled
promptly if the legislation were enacted
Gen. Brown said the work could be
done at comparatively low cost because
contractors are short of business and
prices are lower by comparison with
original estimates than at any time in
his experience.
He estimated that 80 to so per cent
of the money spent would go to labor,
directly or indirectly
When Senator Vandenberg objected
to having the bill apply to projects
which Congress with It's usual log
rolling methods has pushed through
without recommendation from the
Army engineers" Senator ShipStead
said he would agree to an amendment
providing that only projects approved
by the engineers be executed.
Surprised at Opposition.
In a prepared statement, Mas said
in part:
II cannot understand why there is
any opposition to this bill
HAS President Hoover abandoned
the waterways? The program for the
relief of the great Mississippi Valley
Basin through the construction of
national inland waterway system for
which President Hoover. as Secretary
of Commerce, Travelled the length and
breadth of the country and upon which
he sold himself to the electorate Of the
Midwest in 1928 seems to haM been
junked by him.
More than that, those who have
endeavored to carry out this program
have been hampered in every possible
way by representatives OF the admins
tration and President Hoover himself
has dealt most telling blow against
successful water-borne transportation
on the existing waterways when he per-
oOndly az IIie TcQu6SI OF railroad exeCu-
tives suspended cotton rates estab-
liShed by the Federal barge line in an
effort to aid the cotton FARMERS of the
South
Cites Hoover Addresses.
Citing Hoover addresses at Mime
apolis and Louisville in 1926 and 1929
favoring a Pittsburgn-Kansas City
waterway and completion OF the entire
Mississippi system within five years
from the latter date, he asked, What
has become of these noble promises?"
The rest of our cotinSry cannot long
continue to hope for prosperity if one
sec'tol-that great inland empire of
the Mississippi VALLEYS to be made
the goat forever
If we must sacrifice the Middle West
to the railroads, then that is an indi-
cation that there Is something wrong
with the railroads and that problem
should be dealt with separately as it
needs correction and assistance
Chairman Nye, Republican, of North
Dakota, adjourned the hearing subject
to his call.