Evening star., 1936-03-12
PRESIDENT Halls
ST. LAWRENCE JOB
Predicts Early Completion
OF Waterway Project
in Message. '
ny the Associated Press.

DETROIT, March 12.-Ohicials Of
the Detroit Seaway Conference hailed
President Roosevelt's prediction Of
early completion of the Great Lakes
st. Lawrence waterway today as
spur to renewed efforts for Senate
ratification of the 1882 treaty with
Canada
The President, expressing confidence
that mo insuperable difficulties"
block the path to agreement between
the two countries, notified the con-
ference that "a new approach to the
problems involved" is being sought.
His message was read to more than
200 advocates Of the 2,o00-mile chan
mel to bring ocean-going shipping to
Lake ports, by Senator Key Pittman,
Democrat, of Nevada, chairman of
the Senate Foreign Relations Com
nittee.
Senator Pittman, who he'd a three
weeks fight for the waterway treaty
in 1884, when it failed Of ratiflca-
tion by 13 votes, told the conference
that unity of waterway advocates
would result in success at the next
session Of Congress.
Mr.. Roosevelt's message was hailed
by Henry j. Allen, former Sen
ator from Kansas and president Of the
Great Lakes-Tidewater Association.
as an excellent presentation. full Of
common sense, sound argument and
good advice"
The text of President Roosevelt's
letter follows:
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Sea-
way and Power Conference at Detroit
is a welcome and significant event.
Farm and civic leaders from all Sec
tions and official representatives of
States and cities are assembling, for
a most practical purpose, on the bor-
der between Canada and the United
States.
The immediate objective of the
conference is the support of construc-
tive measures to utilize the natural
resource of the chain of inland seas
and connecting rivers which form
one of the great frontiers of the
world. It has been the historic policy
of the two nations to use this frontier
solely as an instrumentaiity of peace.
Comparable to Panama.
Under this policy, an opportunity
Is now presented to complete seaway
comparable in economic value to the
Panama Canal. The public develop
ment of St: Lawrence power is in
separately linked with the navigation
project.
The improvement of this great re-
source for the dual purposes of navi-
cation and power is an important
part of the program of the present
administration. It will enable us to
take the next step to extend to the
Northeast benefits already assured
from works completed or under con-
struction in the Tennessee Valley in
the Southeast, at Boulder Dam in the
Southwest, and on the Columbia River
In the Northwest.
I wish the conference at Detroit
10 be assured not only of continued
unremitting effort to complete the
seaway and power development, but
also of my strong conviction that re-
cent events have helped to clear the
way for action, upon the broadest
lines of public benefit.
Recalls Locks Suggestion.
In a message to the United States
Senate, I pointed out that the con-
struction of dams and locks in the
120-mile stretch of the st. Lawrence
River, between Lake Ontario and
Montreal, is virtually all that is re-
quired to complete the seaway from
the head of the lakes to salt water,
and that the same works will provide
an abundant supply of cheap power
in proximity to great industrial and
rural market.
Al that time, I stated the belief
that this improvement is without any
question going to be completed in the
near future and that it should be
carried forward by both nations in
stead Of by one. That is my view
today.
Such a development as we propose
to carry out in the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence Basin unquestionably will
result in greater activity for all ports
and transportation agencies. This
has been the history of all new navi-
cation projects and improvements
directed to better commercial COM
munication in this country and
throughout the world. The fear that
the seaway will result in injury on
the Lower Mississippi or to our
Atlantic ports is groundless.
Power Surplus Denied.
The use of electric energy is gain
ing so rapidly today that no sane
person would dare to assert that after
the seven years required for construc-
ton OF works, st. Lawrence power
would provide surplus above actual
needs. AS a matter of fact, careful
studies have shown that there will
be serious shortage of electric energy
In the Northeast before the project
can be completed.
The Tennessee Valley project DEM
onstrates the advantage of unified
planning to develop the resources of
q great river basin. If the whole of the
Great Lakes Basin were all In one
country, either in the United States or
In Canada, its development would
surely have been completed years ago.
The mere fact that this natural re-
source is shared by two countries
should not be allowed to hold back an
improvement promising the same
social and economic gains to both
countries.
To expedite action, it is necessary
and desirable to adapt existing plans
for the improvement of the Great
Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin to the mu-
tual interests and respective needs of
the two countries. This is obviously re-
CURED If we are to secure prompt rat
ifcation by both nations.
The Great Lakes-St. Laurence