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'TAE Marine REVIEW IMPROVING THE MISSOURI RIVER. Four members of the rivers and harbors committee of the house of representatives, who were visitors to Kansas City last week, turned the tables on their enter- tainers and took the mass meeting arranged in honor of their coming practically into their own hands. The committee of the Commercial club, which had prepared a program for the visit of the congressional delegates, had expected it would be their purpose to learn about the Missouri river and why money should be expended by the government in its improvement. Preparations had been made to make a showing in that direction, but it devel- oped early in the day that this purpose, if it existed at all, was far from being the primary object of the visit of the congressmen to Kansas City. Instead of asking questions the congressmen talked, urging upon their hearers their desire that a strong public sentiment be created all over the country' in "tavor of liberal appropriations for improvement of river and har- bors. The keynote is an annual appropriation of $50,- 000,000 for this purpose, as against the present average of about $19,500,000, and it seems to be assumed by the visiting representatives that of this increased amount the Missouri river might expect a considerable share. Congressman Ellis proposed at a meeting at the Com- mercial club rooms that an organization be formed, to be known as the Missouri Valley Waterway Association, the object of which. should be the collection, preparation and presentation to congress of such statistics and other information, bearing 'upon the nature, extent, -- necessities and possibilities of the Missouri valley..commerce and navigation as will tend to influence action for the. perma- nent improvement of the Missouri river and its tribu- taries. The membership of this association, as proposed by Mr. Ellis, should consist of individuals, corporations, coni+ mercial bodies, cities, incorporated towns and _ villages. The by-laws, drawn by Mr. Ellis, provide for a set of officers and an executive finance committee, the latter to conduct the business of the association in the interim between conventions. . Congressman Ellis warmly advocated such an organi- zation and was seconded 'by Congressman Ransdell, of 'Louisiana, who is chairman of the executive committee of the national rivers and harbors congress, an association formed in Washington, D. C., last January for the pur- pose of encouraging a favorable sentiment on behalf of more liberal river and harbor appropriations. No action was taken on the proposition last night, it being suggested that the matter be referred to a subsequent meeting, when all interested commercial bodies should be asked to be represented. Congressman Ellis, in urging the action proposed by him, declared it would be necessary to expend money in furtherance of the proposed river improvement. "I want to see Kansas City and the towns up the river, and down, spend money on this proposition in three ways," he said. "In the first place I want to see every or- ganization of business men, every industrial organization of this city, made a member of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, paying the initial fee for membership in that organization and helping its work in every possible Way. "Another way is the organization of a Missouri Valley Waterway Development Association, which should in- clude this city, Kansas City, Kan.,'and the towns up and down the river. It ought to have a large membership of individuals and corporations, of cities and towns, making up an influential constituency to take care of our partic- ular project. The national rivers and harbors congress 4 31 is too general in its scope to give any special attention to the Missouri river and its particular needs. "The third way I would have money spent in the devel- opment of the Missouri river is for the. people of Kansas City to invest in the proposed barge line proposition." _ RANSDELL AGREES WITH ELLIS. ee __ Congressman Ransdell agreed heartily with Mr. Ellis. By. all means have a Missouri river association," he said, "T will illustrate what I mean by referring to the work of the great Ohio River Improvement Association. When they want to reach congress they do it largely through. their association. They raised $30,000 in cash to. carry on their campaign of education. They invited the rivers and harbors congress to pay a visit to that valley. They took us from Pittsburg to Cairo, a distance of 1,000 miles, on a most palatial steamer, and if ever a fine showing of a body of men was made, it was by this association. We were entertained in royal style and, better than that, we were met at the different.towns by the best business men, who 'came and explained to us the needs of their respective localities. Furthermore there is not a session of congress that they do not have special representatives - in Washington explaining to us what they need. "Another instance, I live in the great overflow belt of the Mississippi river. We cannot live in that country without levees and it is necessary to have considerable aid from congress to improve our levees. About eighteen or twenty years ago we found it necessary to reach congress and in order to do it properly we organized every friend of the levee between Cairo and the mouth of the river into the Interstate Mississippi River Levee Association. There were twenty-five or so local levee organizations and we assessed each of these from $50 to $750 according to the importance of the various bodies and the districts they represented. "With that money we have conducted a campaign of education in regard to levees. We have published two large volumes on the subject. .We have maintained in the city of Washington for fourteen years one of the brightest of men, who works in season and out, looking after the interests of the levee system. : "You have a tremendous problem here if you are going to improve this river. It is going to cost, in my judgment, many millions of dollars, and you cannot do better than take the suggestion made here by Mr. Ellis to organize a Missouri river improvement association. "You must do that in addition to what I want you to do, in furtherance of the work of the National Rivers and ' Harbors Congress. 'The Missouri river is your local pro- ject, but if you want to succeed with your local project, you must also take up and support the national pro- ject. "You must first get a sentiment worked up through- out the length and breadth of this land for plenty of money for the improvement of rivers and harbors. If you do not succeed in doing this, you are not going to get money for the improvement of the Missouri river." It was nine o'clock when the evening meeting at the Commercial club rooms was called to order by Chairman Parker. He introduced Mayor Rose, of Kansas City, Kan., who spoke briefly, instancing the fact that the Kaw valley drainage district had voted a debt of $525,000 for the improvement of the Kaw river and said this evidenced the sincerity of the people of Kansas in urging river im- provements. J. S. Silvey, secretary of the Mercantile club, of Kansas City, Kan., said the congressional visitors could rest as- sured the business interests on the Kansas side of the line would do all that could be expected of them in furtherance of the improvement fostered by the national rivers and harbors congress.