[Enclosure]
The Canadian Secretary of State for External
Affairs (Bennett) to the
American Minister (Robbins)
No. 34
Ottawa, April 20,
1934.
Sir: I have the honour to refer to
your note No. 193, dated the 15th March, 1934, and to make
further reference to my note No. 27, dated the 21st March,
1933,95a
concerning the operations which the War Department is conducting
in Canadian waters, in connection with the dredging of certain
shoal areas in the St. Clair River.
The first two conditions set forth in my note, to which reference
has been made, required that your Government, having decided
upon the extent of the proposed improvement, should, before
proceeding with the dredging and disposal of spoil material,
submit the results of their further studies to the engineers of
the Department of Public Works, and secure the concurrence of
the Canadian Government engineers therein, in order that the
maximum beneficial effect from the disposal of the waste
material should be obtained. They also provided that the
Canadian Government should be informed, in advance, of the
method to be followed in carrying out the work, and should be
provided with a programme of operations.
This course has been followed with respect to the proposed
methods submitted for the improvement of that section of the St.
Clair River Channel from the head of St. Clair Flats Canal
up-stream as far as Algonac, Michigan, which was approved by my
note No. 68, dated the 10th June, 1933.95b The
section of the improvement from Algonac, Michigan to Marysville,
Michigan, was dealt with in the same manner,
[Page 991]
and was approved by my notes No. 4
of the 10th January, 1934,95c and
No. 9 of the 2nd February, 1934.96
I understand that, pursuant to the conditions in the first of my
notes, to which reference has been made, the United States
Government engineers have submitted to District Engineer
Harcourt of the Canadian Department of Public Works, the method
and plans which are to be followed in carrying out the third
section of the work, which will be the final section in so far
as dredging improvements are concerned. This is the section from
up-stream of Marysville to opposite Port Huron, Michigan and
Sarnia, Ontario.
These methods and plans have been examined by Canadian engineers,
who have brought to the attention of the Government two points
that require special consideration. The Canadian engineers have
reported that the disposition of the material to be dredged
within the limits of the River, will fill the only remaining
deep holes, and they point out that the Canadian Department of
Public Works has on its programme for the coming year the
restoration of depth in the channel in Sarnia Bay leading to the
Sarnia Salt Company’s plant. It is estimated that the removal of
55,000 cubic yards, scow measurement, of material is involved in
this improvement, and it is suggested that a reservation be made
of sufficient space in the proposed disposal area, on the
Canadian side of the boundary, to receive this quantity of
material.
The Canadian engineers have also reported that, on the Canadian
side of the River, opposite Monument No. 50—where the River Road
turns, as indicated on Plan D. S. C. 17/69—there is a shoal
water area projecting into the channel beyond the general trend
of the river bank, and that the scheme of improvement which has
been submitted by the United States engineers does not
contemplate the entire removal of this projection. A similar
case occurs further up-stream, in front of the Imperial Oil
Company’s plant, and immediately above the upper disposal area,
shown on Plan D. S. C. 17/69. The Canadian engineers consider
that it is essential that the scheme of improvement should be
extended to include the removal of these submerged points.
Accordingly, I have been requested by the Minister of Public
Works to ask you to notify the United States authorities that
the work may be proceeded with in accordance with the scheme
submitted in Major Crawford’s letter to Mr. Harcourt, dated the
15th January, 1934, in so far as the section of the river
improvement under this portion of the proposal is concerned, and
in accordance with the conditions in my first note, to which
reference has been made; provided, however, that a reservation
be made to provide for the disposition of the 55,000 cubic
[Page 992]
yards of material
proposed to be excavated this season at Sarnia, and provided,
also, that the work be extended by the slight amount which is
necessary further to improve the channel at the two points
specifically mentioned above. It is understood, of course, that,
on completion of the work, the United States Engineer Officer in
charge will furnish to the District Engineers of the Department
of Public Works, at London, a statement with any necessary
illustrative plans indicating the condition of the work on
completion.
Accept [etc.]
