National Affairs: Big Ditch

Edwin L. Rice, 57, president of Rice Manufacturing and Aerial Transport Co. of Silver Spring, Md., has for 20 years devoted his spare time to submitting ideas to the U. S. Navy. Last week when the Senate Naval Affairs Committee, in its fourth week of hearings on Franklin Roosevelt's bill to spend $1,500,000,000, enlarging the U. S. Navy, was considering a provision to provide $15,000,000 "for development of ideas on national defense," Mr. Rice hastened to contribute. His idea: A canal across the U. S. to enable one navy to defend both coasts. His reasoning: A 360-mile ditch between the Missouri and Columbia Rivers in northern Montana would open a waterway at least six feet deep between New Orleans and Portland, Ore. (A 260-mile ditch between the Potomac and Ohio would open a waterway from Washington, D. C. to Cairo, Ill. on the Mississippi.)

Most remarkable feature of Mr. Rice's 20-year career as an idea man to the Navy is that the Navy has never adopted any of his ideas. Last week, after hearing his proposal, the Committee dropped the whole provision, sent the rest of the bill to the Senate recommending passage.