The Public Ledger

OHIO ENTITLED TO BARGE LINE APPORTIONMENT

Secretary of Rivers and Harbors Congress Traveling Through Ohio River Towns and Cities Urges Government Owned Barge Line.

"There is no reason why the Ohio River should not be included in the Government program of building boats and barges for freight lines to relieve the railroads in taking care of the increased freight tonnage created by the war"

This is the feeling of John H. Rohsenberger, Evansville, Ind., Field Secretary of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, with headquarters at Washington, D. C.

Mr. Rohsenberger is making a tour of Ohio Valley cities and towns, stirring up sentiment among officials and commercial organizations for a barge line.

"We should get $10,000,000 from the Government for this purpose," he said "The Lower Mississippi received $8,200,000, and the Upper Mississippi $3,800,000. The Ohio River tonnage is bigger than that of the Lower Mississippi River's tonnage. It has a longer boating stage than the Upper Mississippi."

Mr. Rohsenberger reports he had received favorable responses from many Chambers of Commerce in cities along the Ohio and its tributaries, and he felt hopeful of his plan to get a large representation from the entire valley at the next meeting of the Ohio Valley Improvement Association at Louisville, Ky., in October

This convention, he said, probably will impress on Secretary McAdoo the need of restoring tonnage carriers on the Ohio to replace the craft cut down and destroyed by ice last winter.