Evening star., 1936-05-26
LAKES WATERWAY
URGED ON SENATE
Former House Member Now
Here to Press for Pact
? Ratification.

The outlook for the realization of q
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River
waterway is brighter now than ever
before, J. Adam Bede, former mem.
Der Of Congress from Minnesota. who
is representing Middle Western inter-
ests here. said today. as he prepared to
poll Senate sentiment on ratification
Of the necessary treaty with Canada.
He made it clear that the people
Of the Middle West are not seeking to
load their ships with produce to be
sent to foreign ports, but want to
share In domestic commerce, which Is
95 per cent of the total
Construction of the remaining links
in the seaway. Bede declared, would
mean the building up Of a real Amer
ican merchant marine. as no foreign
ships can enter into coastwise trade.
Fostering sentiment for the enter
prise, meeting open to the public.
will be held on Thursday evening in
the new House Once Building, in the
Rivers and Harbors Committee room.
1t will be addressed by Senator La
Toilette, Progressive of Wisconsin and
Chairman Key Pittman, Democrat, of
the Senate Foreign Relations Commit
| tee The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
| Tidewater Association. of which O. A.
Moreaux is now acting head; the Great
Lakes Harbor Association, of which
Mayor Daniel Hoan OF Milwaukee is
president; the National Grange and
the Farm Bureau Federation will be
represented at the gathering.
1884 Report Recalled.
Bede recalled that two years ago
an interdepartmental committee OF
experts that electricity could be pro-
duced at the international section, be-
| tween New York and Ontario, and
transmitted some 800 miles southward
into New York State for half O cent
per kilowatt hour.
Emphasizing the urgent need for
such a development. Mr.. Bede asserted
| that -four could be shipped from
Seattle to New York by water for less
than it goes by rail from Minneapolis
to New York.
! If the project is realized, 100000
horsepower could be developed. OF
this 100000 would 60 exclusively to
the Province of Quebec, a little over
| 1000, 900 to New York State and
| l,000,000 TO Ontario. The United
States Federal Government would do
the work. and New York State would
pay some $4,000 900; Ontario would
pay its proportionate share for her
side Of the development, and Quebec
owns all the necessary facilities in that
section.
Won't Come Up This Session.
Premier Mackenzie King of Canad1
is represented as being favorable -
the treaty, and he now has two
thirds majority in his Parliament
| Bede is canvassing sentiment he"
now, and while he does not expec.
that the treaty will come before the
Senate at the present session, he
thinks he has gained several votes.
More may be gained in the forth
coming election, he believes. Seven
new Senators have succeeded friends
/ Of the treaty since the March, 1884,
test. when it was beaten by l3 votes
Nine Senators have succeeded op-
ponents, Bede says.
Bede said that the people Of the
Middle West helped to build up the
harbors Of the Atlantic seaboard and
elsewhere through their taxes, as well
as the Panama Canal, and feel that
they are entitled now to the Great
Lakes-St. Lawrence project. When
| he voted for the Panama Canal, he
said, he was told that the st. Lawrence
waterway would follow.