Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-28

hereafter indicated, it may not prove
disastrous.
This cannot be definitely deter
mined until the works now under con-
Struction have been completed and put
lii operation. When that happens, if it
De found that the falls have not Suf-
fcrcG serious damage, as Il scenic spec
tacie, it does not follow that additional
wat r nl:.y be diverted with impunity
Additional diversion would be an eX-
pertinent even more dangerous than
that now being tried and in our opin-
ion should not be permitted.
I'm return for the impairment of the
falls thus far authorized, the state of
New York will receive practically moth
ing for the 342, 600 horsepower author
lied on that side and the Queen Victo-
ria Niagara Falls park will receive an
annual rental of s270,OO0, or an aver
age of G5 cents per horsepower for the
413.G00 horsepower authorized on the
Canadian side. These figures do not in
c!uGe the 5000 horsepower being devel-
Oned by the electrical railway, nor the
power developed by the Hamilton COM
pany with water from the we'll and ca
nal.
The report closes with the following
summary:
The slory of Niagara Falls lies in
the volume of its water rather than in
| its height or the surrounding scenery.
improvements in the transmission
of electric power and increased de-
mdnd Will make a market for all tn :
power which can be developed at Nj
agarl Falls, and will cause q deStruc-
tiOn of the falls as a scenic spectacle if
the development be allowed to go on
| unchecked. Charters have been grant
ed 10 corporations which propose to di-
vert additional amounts in quantities
not now limited. The sums of money
converted or being invested in the
works now in operation or under con-
struction, and in the industries de-
pendent upon them, amount to many
millions of dollars. IT is probably not
cXptditnt to attempt the withdrawal of
the rights thus utilized. The CONNER
cial value oi the water power at Niaga-
III Fails is very great, but if COM
pared with values set aside by wealthy
communities elsewhere for park pur-
poses. this value is not too great to be
/ deN otrd to SIMILAR purposes. The place
is visited annuJlly by about 100000 peo-
/ pie.
"Tf the fails are to be preserved, it
must be by mutual agreement between
the two countries. AS IA step in that di-
rcction. we recommend that Legislation
be enacted which shall contain the fol-
lowing provisions, viz:
THE secretary of war to he author
iZe,! To grant permits for the diversion
OF $500 cubic fe,t per second, and no
more. from the waters naturally trib-
utary To Niagara Falls. distributed as
foIloAS: Niagara Falls Hydraulic Pow
er ana Manufacturing Co, $500; Mag
ara Fails Power CO.. 5000; Erie canal or
its tenants lin addition to lock ser
VicC) 400; Chicago drainage canal, TO-
0G0. All other diversion Of water which
is naturally tributary to Niagara Falls
to be ohibited. except such as may
be required for domestic use or for the
service Of locks in navigation canals.
Suitable penalties for violation Of the
law 10 he prescribed.
"The for, going prohibition to re-
main in force two years, and then be-
come the permanent law of the land.
If in the meantime the Canadian gov
ernment shall have enacted legislation