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PRESEDENT JOSEPH" T. RAMSDELL HILE making' a trip of in- spection down the Ohio river in 1903 with the com- mittee on rivers and harbors of con- eress, Hon. fheo, Ey. Burton, then chairman of the committee, remarked upon the spirit of apathy which had grown up and was existing among the people in regard to our inland water- ways, especially our rivers, until the river and harbor bills passed by con- gress had become a national by-werd considered as a medium from which congressmen helped themselves. to benefit their respective localities and to secure the good will and votes of their constituents. Formation of National Body The situation was so distasteful to Mr. Burton and his fellow members of the committee that he earnestly suggested the formation of a large national body, for the purpose of cor- recting and changing the existing sen- timent, by calling attention to their commercial value and creating a live and active public interest in the de- velopment and improvement of our rivers, that they might be made a po- tential complementary system of transportation to carry its share of the rapidly increasing commerce of the country. Shortly after this, a number of representative business men from va- rious parts of the country each deep- ly impressed with the importance of the movement, met at Cincinnati for the purpose suggested by Mr. Bur- ton. At this meeting the National Rivers and Harbors Congress was organized, and its first annual meeting was. held at Washington in 1904, where its annual meetings have since been held each succeeding year. It was organized with a fixed pol- icy, to which it has strictly adhered. Its slogan has always been the devel- opment of water transportation and calling attention to the necessity for By Thomas Wilkinson and urging upon the general govern- ment the adoption of a broad and comprehensive plan of improvement of all of our navigable waters, with sufficient annual appropriations to carry on the work to completion in a businesslike way quick as possible. It favors no particular project,. treat- ing all alike as included. in .its gen- eral policy. Through its position of dignity as a national body its strength and influ- ence has increased from year to year. It has been the means of raising to a position ranking with that of any appropriations bills passed by con- egress the river and harbor bills car- tying increased that the improvement of our inland waterways is being rapidly carried on, and in a few years many of them will be completed. ; The splendid work it is doing mer- its the heartiest co-operation and fi- nancial support of every citizen. But this is not all. There are other things that are as fundamentally es- sential as the improvement of the 'channels that must go hand in hand with it for the development and growth of inland water-borne com- merce. Oe The general government having ex- pended vast amounts in good faith in the improvement of the waterways, in response to the public demand for their improvement, there is a moral 'obligation resting upon the people to niake proper use of them. Providing Facilities That our rivers, when improved for permanent navigation, may be used as carriers of freight in a measure commensurate with their possibilities and cost of their improvement, it will be absolutely necessary for the peo- ple themselves to provide the facili- ties therefor, which means in short: -1.--Modern freight carrying vessels of different types, adapted to the car- appropriations, so. SECRETARY.) i oA: THOMPSON riage of all classes of bulky and pack- age freight. 2.--Adequate port terminals, equip- ped with modern mechanical devices for quickly and economically loading, unloading and transferring freight of all kinds. These terminals to be constructed upon a uniform standard plan, designed by competent water terminal: engineers. 3.--Physical connection and co-op- eration with the railroads for free and easy interchange and pro-rating of traffic, so that freight can be moved to and from the waterway to and from interior points upon the. land. « The experience of other countries shows conclusively the wisdom of providing these transportation facili- ties, for thereby the commerce of their ports has been greatly increased and the general growth and prosper- ity of the communities largely aug- mented. cS Out-of-Date Methods The system in vogue of loading and unloading freight by manual labor on. the old fashioned levees or landings,. without any improvement since the first steamboats navigated our rivers,. is altogether out of date. It is so expensive and inconvenient that the shipping public will not patronize the river to any extent, preferring the easier and more convenient facilities. provided by the railroads, through which they have grown in popular favor until they have practically ab- sorbed all inland transportation. It must give way to new methods de- veloped along lines adapted to mod- ern requirements in order to secure trafic on the rivers in proportion to their capacities. It is equally essential that the port terminals and all of their functions. be owned and operated by the mu- . nicipalities free and open to all car- riers alike, whether by water or by rail, so 43. te preserve the public: ) ) |