The Washington herald., 1906-11-27

ttllts LOT the ulliiEdllON "a Atlc WdASlS VI
Niagara Falls for the creation Of power
and for the transmission Of power in in
dustrial pursuits.
! This was the decision reached by Sec
retary of War Taft yesterday afternoon
after devoting an entire dag 70 hearing
arguments for and against the further
diversion Of the waters of Niagara.
| The American Civic Association. of Phil
adelphia. in the main. opposed the issu-
ancc Of any further permits. holding that
recent legislation en- the subject was not
mandatory but that il merely vested In
the Secretary of War discretionary powers
10 accept or reject applications for per-
mits. It's plea was the preservation Of
Niagara
Commercial bodies froIn upper New
York State and corporations having large
interests on the American and Canadian
side Of the Fails, presented facts In sup
port OF their contention that the waters OF
Niagara could be further diverted with
out injury, and that the refusal 10 issue
further permits would cause heavy finan-
cial loss directly TO a number Of corpora
tlOns and indirectly 10 the people OF
Buffalo and contiguous territory.
Permits VIII BE Granted.
Secretary TAFT, in announcing that to-
days session would begin at 10 O'Clock,
said that the question would be discuss
ed on the basis that the permit would be
granted, and that the matter 10 be deter
mined would be solely as to the amount
Of water 10 be allowed to be taken by
each company
At yesterdays session " c. Ely, Of
Buffalo, speaking for the chamber of
commerce and commercial interests gen
orally OF the entire frontier along the
Niagara River, and r. L. Ststsou, counsel
for the Niagara Fails Power Company
and for the Canadian Niagara Company,
contended for the issuance Of further per
mits. Gen. Francis Y. Greene insisted
that the purpose of the law was 20 insure
that an equal amount of water should be
taken from each side, and that the former
plan provided for the erection Of plants
that would produce 60l eco horsepower on
each side. and that il was this status quo
which should be maintained.
The American Civic Association, through
that il he could be satisfied that the de-
pletion of the water passing over the
Falls would not exceed that amount, and
that there would be no further inroads
than those contemplated by the present
existing companies. he would rot raise Il
word of protest This concluded the ses-
sion.
Mr.. Mcfarland attempted to criticise
the methods that Capt. KutZ had employ
ed Ia ascertainiHg his information. deciar-
ing that be had made his inquiries of the
corporations interested. Secretary Taft
shut him OF short on this point and de-
claFed with emphasis thaJ he would not
permit any reflection to be cast upon
members of the Corps of Engineers. and
that Capt Kutz followed the Instructions
given him by the War Department
Taft's Mother Appeals for Falls.
Mr. Mcfarland mentioned the thou
sands Of appeals which had been made by
high-minded people for the preservation
of the falls
yes" replied Secretary Taft. "the Of
flee Of the Chief Of Engineers is filed
with them, and among them are letters
from my own mother and from an aunt.
imploring me t. protect Niagara Falls.
but these tons Of letters and postcards
will not assist me in determining the in
tent and limitations Of the act Of Con
gress."
Mr.. Mcfarland was also taken to task
for his statement that the amount of
water which il would be necessary 10 di-
vert from Niagara 10 generate $4,000
horse power would equal the volume of
water at the mouths of the Hudson. the
Potomac, and the Delaware rivers. Pc
qualified his statement. which he declared
had been made upon the information of a
prominent engineer.
Arguments along similar lines were also
made by Judge J. X Potter. one Of the
commissioners Of the Niagara Falls Park
reservation. Prof. Clark the State geole-
gist, and C. r. Woodruff secretary of
the Civic Association
Mr.. Ely declared that the refusal TO
grant permits for the importation of
power from Canada would be construed
as an affront to the Canadian govern
ment from which the companies had OBJ
tanned their right TO utilize the waters
Of the river. and from which the Cana
dian government derived a revenue. Be
sides ne said the companies that had
spent S25.G10000 in developing power in
power into the United States. develop d
market for the power in Canada which
would operate greatly to the detriment
Of interests i'm New York.
Says Mcfarland NisrepFeSented.
Mr. Stetson took Mr Mcfarland Sc
vereIy to task for his "senumentauty,"
and TO the appeals that he had made 10
the public without proper knowledge Of
The facts and conditions.
AIr. Stetsou denied Mr.. Netherlands
statement that the Canadian companies
We're seeking to form a monopoly. which
would control all the power generated on
the ether side, and to demand high prices.
He asserted that the companies were
fighting each other
No international agreement for the pres
ervation of the falls could be reached
he declared, By our action in indirectly
seeking 10 control the Canadian side OF
the river by prohibiting the importation
of power Such an attempt, he said.
would be resented by the Canadian gov
ernment, which derived a revenue from
the power companies for its grant
Mr.. Stetson asserted that if the inpor-
tatiOn of power were refused, that. with
the aid of the Canadian government, in
dustries would be developed across the
border which would utilize the power
The companies were confident that if
shut out of the American market. that
the Canadian government would take up
the matter, and that it would result in
the use Of electricity instead Of steam on
the Canadian railroads.
Raising Funds for NeErO COIIovo
W. Bishop Johnson, president of the
Clayton Williams Academy. at Baltimore.
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