ATLANTIC DEEPER WATERWAYS 



ASSOCIATION 



THE first annual convention of the brief period by reducing the charges 



Atlantic Deeper Waterways Asso- for the movement of commodities, 



ciation was held in Baltimore, Resolved, That the canals should be 



November ly to 19, 1908 a large at- digged in any case by the Federal Gov- 



tendance and intense interest marking ernment ; first, because the Government 



the gathering. Representatives were alone has authority over navigable 



present from all the Atlantic Coast water ; second, because all the canals 



states, as well as from a number of should be free, but chiefly because the 



the inland states. The old officers were enterprise, planned in the interest of 



reelected and strung resolutions were peace, will have incalculable value for 



adopted. The resolutions follow in the whole nation in case of war. 



full : Resolved, That in the opinion of this 



The Atlantic Deeper Waterways As- association Congress should deal with 



sociation, at Baltimore, assembled in its this problem as a permanent remu- 



first annual convention, November 17 nerative national investment, and not 



to 19, 1908, after full consideration and as a matter of making annual expendi- 



discussion of the relation of waterways tures, and in view of the need for the 



to domestic commerce, and particularly earliest relief from the impending con- 



of the requirements of the commerce of gestion of railroad transportation, the 



the 30,000,000 Americans living upon money required for deeper waterways 



the Atlantic seaboard, approves and should be met by an issue of bonds, 



adopts the following resolutions : Resolved, That this association 



Resolved, That the business interests warmly commends and asks the con- 



of the seaboard population directly, and tinuation and deepening of the water- 



of the entire nation indirectly, require way from Norfolk to Beaufort Inlet, 



the removal, at the earliest possible mo- N. C, now in process of construction 



ment, of the natural obstructions to a under an appropriation and project 



free interior deep water route from heretofore adopted by Congress ; it asks 



Massachusetts Bay to Key West along that Congress shall make the Delaware 



the lines indicated by existing canals and Chesapeake Canal the property of 



and by surveys already made under the the Federal Government and begin its 



auspices of the Government of the reconstruction in accordance with the 



United States. recommendation of the Agnus Com- 



Resohed, That in the judgment of mission ; that surveys shall be made for 



the members of this association, an<l a canal from Beaufort south and from 



of several of the foremost railway ex- the Delaware River to New York har- 



perts in the country, the construction of bor ; that the Hudson River shall be 



this water highway can alone give deepened so as to meet in its upper 



gravely necessary and permanent relief reaches the needs of the traffic upon 



to the business of transportation al- the improved Erie Canal ; and that all 



ready hampered by insufficient facilities necessary promotion shall be given to 



and threatened with more serious ob- the projects for opening a channel be- 



struction in the early future. tween Long Island Sound and Massa- 



Resolved, That the evidence is con- chusetts Bay. 



elusive that an interior deep water Resolved, That this association 



channel along the coast will be likely pledges itself finally and irrevocably to 



to repay even very large cost within a the Atlantic Deeper Waterways scheme 



64s 



