Show RAILROAD ABUSE 1 OF WATER ATER President Transmits Inland Commission Report With Pertinent Comments STAND AGAINST MONOPOLY Unregulated Competition De Destroys Destroys De- De Development of Transportation Facilities Washington Jie Feb 26 Roosevelt Roose in transmitting to toda today a preliminary report ort of the Irland Ir in inland Inland In- In land waterways s commission cause considerable le interest 1 by discussing z a at some SOnIC length the findings of the commission com corn commission mission and 1 by y giving his indIvidual s le on on the decadence of Inland wa wa- The President In his moi inos most emphatic way supported the statements statements state state- ments and suggestions of ot the committee commit commit- tee He Ho told congress that the re report report report re- re port represented the mature judgment of a bo body y of ot men exceptionally quail fled b by personal experience and know edge of conditions throughout th the United States to understand and discuss dIscuss dIs dIs- cu cuss s the great problem of how besto besto bes best to use waterways use In tho the interest of al althe althe aU aUthe the people The President ent then turned his at at- at to the part the railroads s have havi played I In the destruction of or river il traffic The commission he says find finds that it was unregulated railroad competition competition com com- petition which prevented or destroyed the development of commerce on our oui Inland waterways The Mississippi our ur greatest natural natu-al hJ highway hway is a aase a case ase in point At t one time the upon Lipon it was without a rival in an country The The report shows that commerce com corn nerce merce was driven en from tho the Mississippi by jy the railroads While production was vas limited the railroads with their thell terminals gave quicker and nd more satisfactory service than the water rater ways Later Lator they prevented he the restoration of ot river traffic by b- down their rates along the rivers Ivers recouping themselves by hIgher hIgher- elsewhere Killed C Competition ti on They also acquired wa wa cr or fronts r and nd terminals to an ext extent nt h made lado water comp competition In I h tt at the o t dl b At A. t c t ll l f waterways wat transportation tf js U largely in th their hands i hands This wa was nat hat iral and and doubtless inevitable un r rth r th lie he circumstances but it 1 t bt e PC allowed aU we to continue ur tHo tr i r careful government regulation After slating stating that the thc various Ut utej ua 8 ot f waterways are now deit deau with by bureaus scattered through lout fout i ledrat led fed deral d- d rat nil departments an and that i it im t Is Js nev nay possible to deal with a river ivel sy tem aa og a singH problem he takes es up p the suggestion of or the commission that hat congress should provide some a adr ad- ad co r machinery for Lating the work of oi the various depart- depart m so 60 far tar as It relates to water- water wa rays s Water Power I ower Monopolies Referring to the consolidation of ot water tater ater P tower power l' l companies the President says aye Airn k these monopolies as the lepolt o of ot the committee points out there here ino other which threatens or oras luis as ever evel threatened ned such intolerable with the dally daily life lire of or the eople people as th tb consolidation of compa compa- tIes controlling water waler power over ower The rhe l iu wy n r report port of or tho the committeE com com- was waa submitted by lye Burton of Ohio Senator N Newlands of f r Nevada of or Misouri MIs- MIs ouri Senator ad of or Alabama General Jeneral Alexander M K K Herbert Knox Smith louer t. 1 r of corporations corpora- corpora Ions and W. W J. J MC l and GIfford clifford PInchot S Sit It was i. o t bat at thero there arc re reon on n fl the mainland of tb the United States ome nie miles mUes of ot ria gated rivers an nd at nt least an equal amount which are re rc navigable or might b made so by Improvement there thele ar are t also some miles of navigable canals and andover ver over 2500 miles of sounds bays and bayous layous readily connectable by canal l less than 1000 miles In It to form Inn inner n t passages paral paral- cling the Atlantic Gulf Gult coasts coasts- hese these being additional a to some thou- thou ands of or miles between I ending ports of r regularly navigable le waters raters in lakes lak s and and land locked bays I These hese waterways He He In or along the Borders orders of two forty states while the ot of rivers for Irrigation tower lower and other purposes will wUl also ender render na certain v in Arizona Colorado Nevada New l co o Utah and Wyoming Principal Recommendations Tho principal lp recommendations of ot he the are arc areo Wp We o recommend that any plans for tor tho Inland waterways shall take ake account of or the present and pro pros pros- i relation elation of rail lines JInes to such and shall ascertain so far farIs faras as s Is may be whether such waterways when then Improved d will bo be effectively used In the tho face of railway competition ion tion and that the relations between railways and waterways be further examined w with h the thc purpose of levis levis- Ing ng og means of rendering the two systems ems complementary and harmonious and nd making such fair tall division of fie Ic that rates and management may maybe maye be e C co economically and with benefit to tho the country S We Yo recommend that hereafter any plans lans for tor the uso usa of or Inland In Ti n connection with state Inter com com- commerce merce nerce shall regard the streams of or tho the countr n as an asset of or the people and Continued on ln c Two Tn-o. S 5 1 S.- S. fl I RAILROAD ABUSE OF WATER TRAFFIC Continued from One shall look to 10 the of these 12 resources from monopoly and IU to 9 their clr administration fr in the interests of ot the people We recommend that congress be bo asked 16 tt make suitable provision for tor improving the Inland waterways of ot the uit United States at a rate commensurate with the needs of the people as determined determIne by competent authority and we suggest that such provision meet these requisites viz Expert framing of a definite policy certainty of or continuity an and ordination co-ordination of ot plan an and work s expert initiative In the choice of ot projects an and the succession of works free freedom om In selection of or proJects projects pro pro- in accordance with the terms of ot operation co-operation and tho the widest opportunity opportunity for applying modern business methods 1 I |