Presidential charge On March 14, 1907, President Roosevelt appointed the Inland Waterway Commissioners and charged them to prepare and report "a comprehensive plan for the improvement and control of the river systems of the United States."Instrument of the President, March 14, 1907. He was influenced  he said, by broad considerations of national policy, and the corresponding responsibilities and obligations, since the control of navigable waterways lies within the federal purview. He noted that while private sector energies had been directed largely toward industrial development in connection with field and forest, coal and iron, some of these material and power resources may already be largely depleted or abused. At the same time, the government's inland waterways have received scant attention as a whole, and it was becoming clear that the nation's streams should be considered and conserved as great natural resources. So far, works designed to control the waterways have usually been undertaken for a single purpose in mind, such as the improvement of navigation, the development of power, the irrigation of arid lands, the protection of lowlands from floods, or to supply water for domestic and manufacturing purposes. While the people's rights to these and similar water uses must be respected, the time had come  he said, for local projects and uses of the inland waters to be viewed in a more comprehensive plan, designed for the benefit of the entire country; such a plan should consider and include all the uses to which streams may be put, and should bring together and coordinate the points of view of all water users. While the task involved in the full and orderly development and control of the nation's river systems is a great one, it is certainly not too great for the government to approach, especially with results which seem to promise even greater returns.
Presidential charge On March 14, 1907, President Roosevelt appointed the Inland Waterway Commissioners and charged them to prepare and report "a comprehensive plan for the improvement and control of the river systems of the United States."Instrument of the President, March 14, 1907. He was influenced , he said, by broad considerations of national policy, and the corresponding responsibilities and obligations, since the control of navigable waterways lies within the federal purview. He noted that while private sector energies had been directed largely toward industrial development in connection with field and forest, coal and iron, some of these material and power resources may already be largely depleted or abused. At the same time, the government's inland waterways have received scant attention as a whole, and it was becoming clear that the nation's streams should be considered and conserved as great natural resources. So far, works designed to control the waterways have usually been undertaken for a single purpose in mind, such as the improvement of navigation, the development of power, the irrigation of arid lands, the protection of lowlands from floods, or to supply water for domestic and manufacturing purposes. While the people's rights to these and similar water uses must be respected, the time had come , he said, for local projects and uses of the inland waters to be viewed in a more comprehensive plan, designed for the benefit of the entire country; such a plan should consider and include all the uses to which streams may be put, and should bring together and coordinate the points of view of all water users. While the task involved in the full and orderly development and control of the nation's river systems is a great one, it is certainly not too great for the government to approach, especially with results which seem to promise even greater returns.
A
,
A
,