Evening star., 1935-04-07
HARBORS MEASURE
READY FOR HOUSE
Debate on important 0mni.
bus Bill Due to Begin
Tomorrow.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,

bors bill in five years is to come up
in the House tomorrow. being sub
stituted for District day as the most
important measure ready for action
on the administration program. 1t
provides for the authorization of 204
projects, n of which are now under
way with funds provided from the
emergency appropriations. The other
127 projects have been recommended
by the CHIEF of engineers, but they
have not yet been authorized by Con-
gress.
The total estimated cost Of the
projects included Is 272,l32,l l72 10,
of which $58,067 .499.49 has already
been provided from public works
funds. The total estimated cost of
the projects for which public works
funds have been allocated is $685.
oil. .457.30.
Among the 127 new projects are
two for improvement, development
and Identification Of the water front
OF the National Capital. One of these
is for the north side Of Washington
Channel. The plan provides for a
yacht hsrbor, in four sections, on the
upstream half of the frontage above
the War College, with berthing space
for 286 boats; wharf for the joint
use of the harbor police and harbor
fire department: a new workhouse
pier on the downstream half. and
three new piers for commercial use.
The plans provide space for eventual
widening of Water street to 160 feet.
for a future park bridge at the head
OF the channel. and for the future
architectural treatment OF the new
structures.
To Cost SI,s50.00o.
The estimated cost is $3.50 900.
All property on this water front is
owned by the Federal Government.
The bill provides for a $3.50 division
of this cost, as recommended BY the
Board of Engineers for Rivers and
Harbors. although the engineer for
this district had recommended that
the District Of Columbia should pay
only the cost Of the wharves to be
constructed for District use. Repre-
Sentatives of the Washington Board
of Trade and other local organizations
urged the committee to follow that
recommendation.
The other local project for i'm
provement of Washington Harbor is
recommended to be paid for entirely
! from Federal funds as q navigation
I improvement.
The report made by Chairman
Mansfield says: The Potomac River
below Washington, ITO miles, has a
depth OF "a feet. The channels at
Washington-the Georgetown Chan
nei, the Washington Channel and
| the Anacostia River Channel-have
! project depths of 20 feet. The COM
! merce on these channels in 1888
amounted to l.827.l66 tons. To Sc
/ cure a full realization of the benefits
of the project in the lower river
the bill provides for securing a depth
of "a feet in the channels referred to,
also for a turning basin opposite the
navy yard The estimated cost is
S325. 900. with $4,000 annually for
maintenance Of the entire project"
/ The bill coming before the House
! tomorrow will authorize the under
taking of these projects as funds be-
come available. Since the current
War Department appropriation pro-
vides only the funds necessary for
maintenance and operation Of exist
ing projects. Chairman Mansfield ex-
plains, funds for the execution oi
projects in this bill must come from
emergency appropriations.
Needed Improvements.
The program. while not neglecting
inland waters, Chairman Mansfield
says, deals more with much
needed improvement In the port and
channel conditions on the Atlantic,
Pacific and Gulf Coasts. and on the
Great Lakes. With few exceptions
the major inland waterways included
are already under construction with
emergency funds. The House COM
mittee considers them meritorious
and recommends their completion.
Stressing the need for the passage
OF this bill. Chairman Mansfield eX-
plains that 1t will preserve the legal
status Of the projects initiated under
the emergency program and permit
them to be maintained in the future
from annual appropriations. There
has been no river and harbors bill
since July 5. 1880. a five-year period
which represents the greatest length
of time without the enactment of such
legislation since the Civil War.
During the past five years, in the
absence of river and harbor legisla-
ton, the development of United States
waterways has been dependent upon
the emergency appropriations and the
ALLEGATION Of funds by an emergency
agency. The undertaking of new
projects-such as the two under con-
sideration for the Washington water
front-has been dependent upon the
approval of that emergency agency.
The emergency public works construc-
tion has had as primary purpose the
meeting of needs for employment-the
selection Of projects has been governed
by considerations other than the needs
of navigation. Important projects badly
needed for commerce have not been
included in the relief program.
Two of the major projects in the
bill are:
Provision Of depths in the important
ports Of the Great Lakes, to correspond
with the depths provided in the con-
Meeting channels, which under the
rivers and harbors act Of five years
ago were authorized to be increased
from a depth of 81 feet to depths
suitable for vessels with a draft Of
"a feet.
Provision for deepening the New
York Barge Canal connecting Lake
Ontario with the Hudson River. The
barge canal, with an increasing COM
merce, is handicapped by the project
depth of II feet now available, as
compared to the 14-foot depth avail
able in the Canadian channels on the
st. Lawrence River.
RAIL WAGES IN 1884
LARGEST SINCE 1881
Attributed to Pay Restorations