Evening star., 1935-04-30
.HARBOR PROJECTS
GROUP WILL PASS
ON D. c. PROPOSALS
Committee Meets to Study
Plans and Report to
Full Congress.
WORK-RELIEF FUNDS
ENCOURAGE LEADERS
Deepening Channels and Provid-
ing New Piers Urged for Water
Improvement Here.

Facing a docket Of more than 100
proposed undertakings, the Projects
Committee of the National Rivers and
Harbor Congress opened sessions at
the Hotel Mayflower this morning for
the thirtieth annual convention.
About 100 were in attendance, heart
ened by administration plans to
spend billions on public works.
Considering the projects in the
order of their original filing with the
Congress. the committee listed two
District of Columbia proposals about
halfway down their calendar. Both
of these, one calling for the deepening
of all channels in Washington harbor
and the other providing for construc-
ton of five new piers and four yacht
basins, are included in the omnibus
rivers and harbors bill which already
has passed the House and is now
awaiting approval Of the Commerce
Committee OF the Senate.
Although they we're not expected
to appear before this afternoon, two
spokeSmen for the District projects
we're on hand when the committee
convened this morning. These were
F. z. Smith, representing the Rivers
and Harbors Committee of the Board
of Trade, and Clifford White, bridge
engineer, representing the District
government.
To Review Projects.
Since briefs supporting the two
projects already have been filed with
the Congress, the spokesmen at the
committee meeting said they expected
only to review the projects briefly and
urge that the Congress indorse them
and recommend to the United States
Congress their ultimate approval.
The channel project, Smith said,
called for deepening to "a feet Of all
waterways into the harbor. the prin-
cipal benefit anticipated being a saw
ing to oil companies and other con-
Germs bringing material into the Dis
trict by water. The project would
cost about 1926. 900, he said.
The second proposal calls for con-
Struction of three new commercial
piers, two District piers and four
yacht basins, together with bulkheadS,
retaining walls and other necessary
features. These Improvements. Smith
explained, should bring to Washing
ton a greater volume of commercial
shipping and should aid materially in
developing the city as a recreation
center for yachtsmen. With the esti-
mated cost set at $3.50. 900, it is
believed that a return of 3 per cent
annually on the investment would be
assured by the increased traffic. Both
projects have been approved by Army
engineers and civic groups.
The first projects to be considered
this morning were the Trinity River
Canal project in Texas and the Bar
celona Harbor project in New York
State. Representative Summers,
Democrat, of Texas appeared on be-
half OF the former and Representa-
tive Reed, Republican, of New York
spoke in favor of the latter.
Report to Congress.
After two days of consideration OF
the list before them, the Projects
Committee will prepare a report to
the convention proper, which is sched-
uled to get under way on Thursday
In this report the committee will
recommend that the Congress approve
certain projects, the action by the full
group then to be submitted to the
United States Congress, to President
Roosevelt, to Army engineers and to
proper officials handling public works
Of that type.
The Projects Committee is under
the Craftsmanship Of Senator Bennett
Clark, Democrat, of Missouri, and
includes one representative from each
of 10 districts into which the country
has been divided by the Congress. H.
H. Buckman, consulting engineer, OF
Jacksonville. Fla. is representing the
South Atlantic Division, in which
Washington Is included.