Evening star., 1939-06-08
Visit Of King George
May Serve as Key 10
Waterway Project
BerIe Slated to See
Premier Mackenzie Kinq,
With RoyoI Party
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated RreSs
King Georges visit to Washington
will give the Roosevelt administra-
ton chance to push for action on
the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence deep
waterway. This project would per-
NIT large ocean-going vessels from
Europe, Asia and South America to
reach inland ports like Cleveland,
Toronto, Detroit and Chicago.
Assistant Secretary of State Adolf
A. Berle, jr., expects to see Premier
Mackenzie King of Canada and urge
him to yet greater efforts to induce
Canada to sign a treaty. The
premier will be here as minister-in-
attendance to the King.
The administration effort to get a
waterways treaty is now just year
old. the State Department having
sent its draft treaty to Canada last
May %. Secretary Hull assured
Canada the United States was pre-
pared to finance the canal and works
necessary to carry sea-borne COM
merce past the international rapids
and to make possible power develop
ment from the rapids whenever de-
sired by either country. Canada's
expense was to be relatively only a
small fraction, since she was to Be
credited with the amount she had
already spent on such Great Lakes
developments as the Welland Canal,
Premier Meets Opposition.
Nevertheless no sign of great en-
thuSiaSm has come from Canada in
the last year. Premier Mackenzie
King is believed here to be whole
heartedly in favor of the project,
but he has had opposition from
various sources. Chief of these have
been the premier of Ontario,
Mitchell Hepburn, and the cities of
Quebec and Montreal (Which feel
they will lose something if ocean
liners now using them as terminal
points 60 on to other cities).
During the last year the State
Department has prodded Canada
automatically several times. Once
or twice there were indications that
favorable answer was about to be
made But the auspicious omens
always faded
The visit Of the British royal
couple may conceivably help Mr..
Mackenzie King put the project
across. The Premier has accom-
panied King George across the
breadth of Canada and has been
prominent in the royal spotlight.
Assuming that his nearness to the
King and Queen and the attendant
publicity have strengthened his
political hold in Canada, he may be
better able TO clinch the waterways
treaty.
Roosevelt Keen for Action.
| President Roosevelt is known to
be heartily in favor of the develop
ment. He would like to see the
treaty signed and ratified by both
countries before 1910 If he gets the
chance he may himself drop a word
to Mackenzie King during the
Canadians visit here.
That the administration harbors
definite hopes of an accord is seen by
! II AoSeiib event. AiiC liitCl
Boundary Commission. which comes
under the State Department budget,
reported to the Appropriation Sub
committee of the House of Repre-
| sentatives that it was trying to get
a triangulation along the United
States-Canadian water boundaries
into shape 80 that it can be used by
any agency on the development of
the st. Lawrence power project. -
The House approved the appropria-
tons requested by the committee.
The year that has passed has also
disclosed some opposition in the
| United States. This is similar-so
far as the deep waterways is con-
cerned-to the same arguments
made in Canada. Some ports like
New York City and New Orleans
fear they may lose portion of their
ocean traffic through the develop
ment of great inland ports. Even
II Canada signs. the consent of the
United States Congress is not ex-
pected to be obtained without a
struggle. Somewhat the same set
OF forces that defeated a similar
project before the Senate a few
years ago will again be marshalled.