The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1938-08-25

ing ocean ports
of such inland cities as Duluth
Chicago, Detroit, Fort William.
Ont, Toledo, Cleveland and Buff
falo.
The deep waterway has been
officially defined as a waterway
with a channel at least 81 feet
deep to accommodate 80 per cent
of the vessels sailing the seven
seas. Anything shallower than 81
feet would choke out much ocean
freighter tonnage. :
There as two natural barriers
for most ocean tonnage between
the Great Lakes and the Atlantic
ocean.
One is the 3O-mile stretch of
roaring International Rapids on
the lower st. Lawrence river.
(The Canadians have built canals
and locks around the rapids. but
these works accommodate only
smaller vessels requiring IA feet
of water or less.)
The other hurdle is the 3O-mile
strip of land separating Lakes
Erie and Ontario, along which
runs the famous Niagara river,
That river drops several hundred
feet between the two lakes. Part
of the drop, incidentally, creates
the breath-taking beauty of Mia
CARA Falls. (The Canadians also
have built the Welland ship canal
around the falls, but its channel
is only rs feet deep.)
The Scheme
Here is the deep waterway
scheme itself:
First, dam up the st. Lawrence
river at one or two places along
the international Rapids, and
build locks to lift and lower ocean
vessels around the dams. The
channel would have to be dredged
in spots to 81 feet. -
Second the dams would supply
100000 horsepower of electric
power to be divided between the
United States and Canada - or
rather the countryside along the
river on both sides. :.
Third, the Welland Canal
around Niagara would be deepen
ed to .27 feet and Niagara Fails
would be beautified and improved
to deliver more electric power
than the private interests leasing
it from the two governments now
provide.
Fourth, Canada would be cred
tied with all the money she has
spent on the st. Lawrence water
way and Welland Canal so far,
and the United States would pay
the bill for creating the deep
channel along the rapids and
creating the power dam or dams
required. This cost would be close
to $30O.0OO,OOO.
The Arguments
Here are the main arguments
for the deep waterway:
Ninety percent of the worlds
ocean-going vessels could reach
the inland ports of America and
they would develop a new coast
line thousands of miles in length
Freight could be handled at a
fraction of the cost by rail, or
trans-Shipment through existing
canals and ports.
The power developed by a st.
Lawrence dam-or dams-would
create new industrial empires
along the shores of the st. Law
renee on both sides of the inter-
national border, opening up pos
sibilities for exploiting great min
eral wealth, especially iron ore in
upstate New York, because of
cheap transportation and power.
American and Canadian wheat
farmers could sell their wheat to
better advantage in the world
market because it would cost
them less to move the grain by
ocean vessels loading at inland
ports, than it does to use the rail-
roads or trans-ship through the
canals, a costly process.
~ -
The Rebuttal
The arguments against the wa
terway:
The railroads would be robbed
of their Observation-Disclosures
both sides of the border, and go
bankrupt.
The United States would be
spending money on a river that
flows into the sea in Canadian
territory. From the Canadian
point of view, there's something
strange about the United States
being so willing to pay the cost of
developing the st. Lawrence rap
ids. Instead, it is proposed that
all-American or all-Canadian
canals should be built along diff
ferent routes.
Several large ports, such as
Boston, New York, PHILADELPHIA.
Buffalo and Montreal would see
their big shipping industries 60
to inland ports.
And (from the Canadian point
of view the richer United States
could develop industries along the
st. Lawrence before the CORE
spending area on the Canadian
side could get under way, thereby
creating a new industrial menace
to Canadian industry.
=
Where 1t Stands
The present state of affairs:
President Roosevelt has lust
proposed TO Canada a rev treaty
to permit the United States to 90
ahead with a power dam and the
deep waterway along the st.
Lawrence, allowing Canada until
1949 to complete her part of the
system. This assumes Canada is