Show APPROVES L MEASURE Signs the Rivers and Harbor Bill Which Carries With It Appropriation SUBMITS MEMO OF EXPLANATION S Provides Provides for Many Improvements I Ion on Waterways of the I Country I It t WASHINGTON Juno 25 Tho rhe president this afternoon art signed tho thi th rivers and harbor bill After announcing that he hue had hind ap approved approved proved the bill tho the president says While I r have signed tho bill bBl I venture to submit a memorandum of oC explanation and comment The text of or the message then fol follows oh lows Iowa Features Feature of the Bill The bill is an important one anti and contains many man excellent mt features It provides for Cor the canalization of or the Ohio river to be bo prosecuted at a rate which will insure Its completion within twelve years ears the improve improvement ment of the thc Mississippi river between Carlo and the Gulf of Mexico to be he completed within twenty years of the Mississippi river between the mouth of the Missouri and the mouth of the Ohio river to be he completed within twelve years of or the hue Mississippi Mississippi ppl river between Minneapolis and the mouth month of ot the tho Missouri river to tobe tobe tobe be completed within twelve years of the Hudson river for the purpose of facilitating the use of the barge canal hi In the tho vicinity of Troy New NewYork NewYork I York of the Savannah river from rota I Augusta to the time sea with a view to its completion within four years e rs of or ofa a channel in the Delaware I river from Philadelphia to the Uie sea of ofa ofa ofa a channel to Norfolk Va of ofa o oa ofa a channel to Mobile Ala Aa of ofa ofa ofa a channel to Jacksonville I Fla of or a channel hannel to Oakland Cane Calif I I The The chief defect In Iii the tho bill is tIme lIlt large an e number of or projects appropriated ed for and the time uneconomical method of carrying on these projects by the time appropriation of sums Bums smaller in com corn comparison parison to the tIme amounts required to tol tolen en ct completion Time The Th figures establish halt lish the fact that this bill makes in inadequate Inadequate inadequate adequate provision for to many man pro projects projects projects Appropriation The total of the is not unduly largo large but the police of small email appropriations with a great reat many ninny different enterprises without provision for thou completion is un mu unwise unwise wise It tends to waste because thus constructed tho Ito projects arc likely to cost more than if thor they were wern left loft to contractors who wore authorized to complete compete the whole work within a short time Moreover the time of a v comparatively small sma sum for a doubt doubtful doubtful doubtful ful enterprise Is there after used by b bIts Its advocates ad to force further provi provision sion slon for it t from congress on the tho ground round that the investment made Is Isa Isa Isa a conclusive recognition of the wis wisdom dom dent of oi tho the project and Its continuo continuance anco ance becomes a necessity to save the lIh money mono already spent silent This has been called a piecemeal policy It is proposed to remedy this de do defect defeet feet feel by br an annual rivers and harbors bill hut but that hardly avoids the ob objections above aboe cited for such auch yearly year appropriations are likely to be af of affected by br the state and and aud political exigency Expenditure of ol Money The policy it seems to me mc meIs meIs Is to determine from rom the many pro projects proposed and recommend what are th important and then to proceed to complete them with lime due dispatch and then to tako take up tip others other antI and do the same things with them themI Thero There has haa been frequent discus I bion aba of late Inte years as to the proper course to lo bo be pursued In iii the develop development ment of our International and water vater wa ways s and md I think tho thin general senti senU sentiment ment has been that we wo should have n it comprehensive system agreed on by ur b some sonic competent body bod of or experts who pass on the relative merits of the tho various projects and recommend I the order ord r In which they the should bo ho begun and completed I Under the present system ever every een project is submitted to army arm engin engineers con who li pass on nit the tho question of oi I whether it ought to lie He adopted but hut Iwho who have bal no power to pass ass on tIme tho th relative importance of the tIme many man dif different dl ferent projects thor they approve or to toI businesslike order for their comple tion lIou Congress should refer the th old I pr to boards of oC army arm eagin eugin curs for further consideration recommendation This would enable us Un to know what of oC tho the old works ought to tu tobe tube tobe be abandoned Ten Days Day Consideration I have hae given to the consideration of this bill hill the tho full ten len days since IU It submission to me inc and aud sonic some time be lie before fore foro that The objections are to the tho system for fOl It may rim be bo conceded that the tho framers of the bill have made wade waden Jan an as n good a bill as they the could under the tho piecemeal policy I only reached tIme tho conclusion that It wa W my duty ditty to interpose a veto in order If possible lo to secure a change in the method of or framing these those bills hills Subsequent con consideration has altered my view as to tomy tomy my JD duty It la Itt now non three years yearn since a river anti and harbor bill was passed Tho The projects under way wa Vt are in ur urgent urgent gent need of further appropriation for and continuance and andS S Continued ou Ott oti Pace Pa c I I I I 1 I I i J j I I 1 I PRESIDENT APPROVES MEASURE Continued from Page Pa One there IB is l great and justified pressure for many of tho the now new projects pro provided provided provided vided for or by tho the bill billIt lilt It lit has hag been made mado clear to me that the failure of the bill thus lato late in ii l the session would seriously embarrass the constructing I dont think however the defects of thu bill which I have hav pointed out will justify the postponement of or all tho the proposed future yearly early bills congress should adopt the reform above sug suggested suggested suggested and that a failure to do so would justify withholding executive approval even cven though a rivers and anti harbors bill hill failed ailed Signed Signet WILLIAM WILLIA f H TAFT |