711.42157Sa29/817
Press Release Issued by the Department of State, November 15, 1931
An exchange of views took place at Washington on November 14th between the Honourable W. D. Herridge, Canadian Minister to the United States, and the Honorable H. L. Stimsorn, United States Secretary of State, with respect to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Deep Waterway project. This conference marks the initiation of the discussions forecast in the announcement of the two Governments on October 8th last.
Following the conference at the State Department, it was announced that the discussions had been of a broad and general nature, confined to an exchange of views upon the more important phases of the problem [Page 894] facing the two Governments. The discussion dealt with the international section of the waterway; the development of the purely Canadian national section of the St. Lawrence was regarded as a matter of domestic concern for Canada. Consideration, however, was given to the work done or projected by both countries in their respective national sections which would serve as essential links in the development of a waterway from the head of the Lakes to tidewater.
Arrangements were made for the immediate reconvening of the Joint Engineering Board with a view to ensuring agreement upon the general form of development to be undertaken in the international section of the St. Lawrence River, as to which some divergence of views existed in the 1926 Report of the Board.
An exchange of views took place as to the allocation of works and division of costs in the work to be done in the international section. It was stated by the representatives of both countries that they proposed to keep in touch with the respective provincial and state authorities in the consideration of the power features of the development.