Evening star., 1941-03-21
By JOHN C. HENRY.

President Roosevelt transmitted to
Congress today the text of an agree
ment between the United States and
Canada for joint development Of
the st. Lawrence seaway and power
project, informing the legislators he
would ask mplementation of the
agreement in due course.
Estimated to cost this Government
at least S266,000,000, the project as
now envisioned is regarded by the
State Department "as directly asso-
clated with both the power supply
and shipbuilding phases of our ma
t1onal defense program, including
the plan for defense of the Western
Hemisphere and the determination
to supply all possible aid to Great
Britain, the members of the British
commonwealth and their allies"
Deep-sea navigation between the
Great Lakes and the Atlantic and
provision for 100000 new hydro
electric horsepower for the two
countries are contemplated.
The agreement, closely resembling
treaty which the United States
Senate failed to ratify by the neces-
sary two-thirds vote in 1884, is sub
Ject to approval by Congress and the
Canadian Parliament. Only ma
jority vote would be required this
time in Congress.
Signed Wednesday.
The agreement was signed by
representatives of both governments
in Ottawa on Wednesday.
In his brief messats of Transmits
| tai today. the President told Con-
gress that the project calls for the
construction of dams and power
work in the International Rapids
section of the st. Lawrence River,
and providing for completion of the
essential links in the Great Lakes
st. Lawrence Deep Waterway when
the governments of the United
States and Canada agree that cir
cumstances require it.
THE terms of the agreement con-
template that it shall be made ef-
fective by concurrent legislation Of
the Canadian Parliament and of the
Congress of the United States.
Il expect to request introduction,
in due course, of legislation designed
to make this agreement effective"
BY terms of the agreement, the
two governments will establish and
maintain a Great Lakes-St. Law
renee Basin Commission. consisting
OF not more than 10 members and
with each government equally rep
resented. This commission in turn
will plan and supervise actual con-
| struction work in the International
| Rapids section.
Completion by 1948.
For its part. the Canadian gov
ernment agrees to undertake a por-
ton of the work as designated by
the commission and to complete by
December 81, 1948, the essential Ca
madam links in the deep waterway.
The United States Government will
abide by a similar apportionment
of responsibility, and in addition,
will finance enerely the Interna-
tional Rapids part of the work.
From this cost will be deducted that
OF machinery and equipment for de-
velopment of power on the Canadian
side of the boundary.
This assumption of extra cost by
this Government is designed to bal
ance expenditures already made by
Canada on the Welland Canal link
in the waterway.
Article w of the agreement pro-
vides that each government may in
stall productive equipment for de-
velopment of powers with each en-
titled to utilize one-half of the nat
ural flow of water available for
power purposes in the International
Rapids section. The Canadian gov
ernment is permitted an exception
for the diversion of certain
amount of waterflow from the Albany
Watershed into the Great Lakes
(See ST. LAWRENCE, Page A-l7J