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THE MARINE REVIEW : iy FIFTY MILLIONS FOR WATER WAYS. The executive committee of the National 'Rivers and Harbors Congress which met on Jan. '15 and 16 last at Washington has issued a circular setting forth briefly the work transacted by the congress. Delegates to the num- ber of 600, representing 110 commercial organizations and waterways associations and thirty-four states of the Union, attended the convention. It is the sense of the congress that $50,000,000 should be appropriated annually by the general government for the permanent improvement of navigable waterways and harbors of the country. Agriculture and commerce, from which is derived the 'entire revenue of the government, has for the past ten years received less than 3 per cent of the entire annual appropriations to improve the natural and economic high- ways, that is to say, the rivers and harbors. War and its rewards (army, navy and pensions) receive over 4o per cent of the entire revenue. In asking for $50,000,000 for the rivers and harbozs, less than 7 per cent is requested for the 'benefit of agricultural and commerical interests from which all the wealth of the nation is derived. Rivers and harbors bills in the past ten years have been passed every three years instead of annually and the average carried by such bills has only been $19,251,781 a-year. The National Rivers and Harbors 'Congress appointed an executive committee of fifteen members and charged them with the duty of actively prosecuting the work of securing a regular and increased annual appropriation for the improvements of rivers and harbors. The executive committee is as follows: Joseph E. Ransdell, chairman, Washington, D. C., Lake Providence, La.; Wm. H. Lincoln, Boston, Mass.; Robert Ramsay, Baltimore, Md.; :E..J.-Hale, Fayettesville, N..C.; M. J. Saunders, New Orleans, La.; S. W. Duncan, Dallas, Texas; John A. Fox, Blytheville, Ark.; W.'P. Kennett, St. Louis, Mo.; Albert Bettinger, Cincinnati, O.; W. B. Rod- gers, Pittsburg, Pa.; Henry T. Clarke, Omaha, Neb.; Wm. Lorimer, 'Chicago, Ill., Wm..J. Crosby, Detroit, Mich.; John W. Ferris, San Francisco, Cal.; A. H. Devere, Port- land, Oregon; J. F. Ellison, secretary and treasurer, Cin- cinnati, O. Resolutions were adopted as follows: "Whereas, There has existed in the past an unjust prej- udice against the appropriations recommended in Rivers and Harbors bills, in consequence of lack of information and failure to realize the enormous benefits these improve- ments confer upon the people of the whole country, re- ducing and regulating rates of freight for transportation and creating new and important channels for the con- veyance of the products of the forest, field, mine and factory; and "Whereas, The marvelous growth and development of the resources of our country and the increase of our com- merce, domestic and foreign, have been the surprise and envy all civilized nations, all to be enhanced by the com- pletion of the Panama Canal, and these demand for their successful and continuous and further extension a more liberal policy on the part of the Government, and "Whereas, The evolution of our transportation agencies has added to and emphasized the other reasons for river, harbor and waterways improvements, the cogent one that such improvements afford a natural, proper and permanent competitive effect on the cost of transportation, invaluable to our whole citizenship. "Therefore, Be it Resolved, That this Congress, rec- ognizing, appreciating, and commending the invaluable work of the Rivers and Harbors Committee of the house of Representatives, and of the Committee on Commerce of the Senate, aided by the Engineer Corps of the Army, deeply 'regrets the limitations resulting im appropriations so small as to seriously embarrass and defeat the proper development of their labors. aan "Resolved, That the National Government, having as- sumed the improvement and control of rivers, harbors and waterways of the country, has unequivocally bound itself to discharge these obligations promptly, by sound bus- iness methods; and instead of appropriating for the pur- pose at uncertain intervals of two or three years, should put river and harbor bills on a par with other great appro- priation bills by annual appropriations, and direct all such - work economically and continuously without the waste incident to intermittent effort. "Resolved, That in view of the large number of projects for the improvement of our harbors, rivers, waterways and canals that have been approved by the Engineers and the Committee, requiring the expenditure of large sums of money, we not only recommend but urge an annual ap- _propriation of at least fifty million dollars, confined to such works of development and improvement, and that until the accumulation has been cleared it is due the country that Congress take whatever steps may be required to provide the sums necessary to promptly, effectually, and -econom- ically complete accumulated worthy National projects, ap- proved, adopted and recommended by the constituted authorities, now delayed only by lack of available funds. "Resolved, That the Executive Committee appointed by this Congress be and is hereby directed to use all proper means to further the purposes of these resolutions, actively and in such manner as will assure the completion of these works of national development. To carry to successful completion the work outlined by the foregoing resolutions, viz: To arouse public interest to such an extent that a united demand, coming from all sections of the country for regular and adequate rivers and harbors appropriations, will induce Congress to provide an annual rivers and har- bors bill of $50,000,000.00." * That the Hon. T. E. Burton, chairman of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives is in thorough accord with the work of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress is shown by the following letter from Mr. Burton to Joseph E. Ransdell: "T regard the work of the Rivers and Harbors Congress as very helpful to the improvement of harbors and inland waterways. The work of the Executive Committee will be most helpful, if all its activity is exerted on behalf of general improvements. I sincerely hope that no special locality or project will receive special attention. I would repeat what I said in my address, that great good can be done by the diffusion of correct. information and the re- moval of popular misapprehensions. It would be well to set before the people in carefully prepared statements the comparatively small amounts appropriated for rivers and harbors; also the benefit conferred by these appropria- tions. If public sentiment can be awakened and the work of the congress and its committee thoroughly understood, it will be much easier to' obtain adequate appropriations for these purposes. It will be impossible to entirely ignore specific projects, though I trust the general question will be the one most considered. I should be glad to prepare for you some instances in which appropriations have been of very great benefit, if they will be of use to you." CONTRACT FOR ANOTHER 1907 STEAMER. The American Ship Building Co. has practically closed contract for another 7,500-ton steamer to be managed by Capt. D. Sullivan, of Chicago. She is a duplicate of the steamer recently ordered by Capt. Sullivan. This latest freighter which is to come out in the spring of 1907 will be named after the late W. E. Fitzgerald, of Milwaukee.