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Show WATERWAYS I MEN MEET I Washington, Dec. 4. When Sena- M tor-elect Joseph E Ransdell of Lou- fl isiana brought his gavel down today in formally opening the ninth annual B M convention of the National Rivers and tt Harbors congress, he faced more than '1 1,000 delegates from throughout the H United States and Canada. The con- fl grcss will be in session until Thurs- M H Taft Welcomes Delegates. H President Taft was the first speak- l er to formally welcome the cnthusi- nsts for waterways and harbor im- H provements Following him were the H Peruvian minister, Frederic Pozek, H and W. P. Anderson, Canadian minis- H ter for harbors and fisheries. M Woman's Address a Feature. A feature of the day was the ad- H dress of Mrs. A. Barton Miller of M Charleston, S. C, president of tho Women's National RiverB and Har- H bors congress. J Mayor Fitzgerald of Boston, Senator IH Townsend of Michigan and C. W. IH Hodgson of Portland, Oregon, supremo rH counselor of the United Commercial jH Travelers of America, also were to lH speak. jH Representative Rnnsdol, president M of the congress, in his address, charg- H cd that railroads monopolized river M terminals and destroyed the use of H them after improvements had been M made. "IKf H He quoted from Colonel Gocthals, in H charge of the construction of the Pan- IH ama canal, to the effect that threo IH times he had seen western rivers im IH proved, three times the boat lines es- HJ tabllshed as a result of Improvement, H while the waterway commerce increas- HJ cd by leaps and bounds and in every HJ case the lines had been bought by HJ railroads and dismantled. IH |