It is declared to be the policy of the Congress that water terminals are essential at all cities and towns located upon harbors or navigable waterways and that at least one public terminal should exist, constructed, owned, and regulated by the municipality or other public agency of the State and open to the use of all on equal terms. The Secretary of the Army, through the Chief of Engineers, shall give full publicity, as far as may be practicable, to this provision.
(Mar. 2, 1919, ch. 95, §1,
Section is from act Mar. 2, 1919, popularly known as the "Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1919".
The original text of said section 1 read as follows: "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress that water terminals are essential at all cities and towns located upon harbors or navigable waterways and that at least one public terminal should exist, constructed, owned, and regulated by the municipality, or other public agency of the State and open to the use of all on equal terms, and with the view of carrying out this policy to the fullest possible extent the Secretary of War is hereby vested with the discretion to withhold, unless the public interests would seriously suffer by delay, monies appropriated in this Act for new projects adopted herein, or for the further improvement of existing projects if, in his opinion, no water terminals exist adequate for the traffic and open to all on equal terms, or unless satisfactory assurances are received that local or other interests will provide such adequate terminal or terminals. The Secretary of War, through the Chief of Engineers, shall give full publicity, as far as may be practicable, to this provision."
Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II,