Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-07-15
SHOULD USE
STREAM ENERGY
Secretary Mice Says North
west Could Obviate
Use of Fuel

| Va CAU5OtAg N6SAlAne5lOA 10alO
ought not to burn solitary pound of
coal in the development of power. No,
sir; not one pound to turn the wheels
of industry and commerce, to light the
streets and homes, to run street cars
and operate factories"
The above is the rather novel and
startling statement made to a Port
land Telegram reported by w. J. Nc
Gee, secretary of the United States
inland waterways commission, now in
the city as a member of the Secretary
Garfield party, as touching upon the
marvellous waste Of energy that is GO
ing on In the Northwest, and as indi-
eating safe solution of the acute fuel
famine that harnesses this portion of
the country each year.
THE Inland Waterways commission
is new thing, an executive body Gre
ated last spring because Of the de-
plorable transportation congestion and
car shortage chiefly through the Mid
die West" continued Mr.. MCGEE.
1--WE contemplate as the chief OBJ
ject of our visit to Portland to deter
mine the advisability and the best
means Of Harvesting the Columbia riv-
er and its tributaries for purposes of
navigation and creation of water pow
er jointly. If we haven't time on this
| trip to make as thorough an investiga-
ton on this point as we deem neces-
sary, one or more members of the
commission will return here later in
the summer, so that we will be ready
to make complete report to Presi-
dent Roosevelt in the fall.
Develop Water Power.
| "Our plan contemplates the con-
struction of a series Of lock dams to be
located wherever needed in order to
regulate the current of streams for
navigation and to develop water pow
er. You can readily see the twofold
object that would be accomplished If
this plan can be carried out. 1t would
| minimize the congestion of traffic by
| increasing transportation facilities
over water courses. and would reduce
danger from fuel famine by develop
ment of electrical power to be used in
the industries instead Of coal"
In explaining the reasons leading up
to the creation Of this vastly impor-
tant commission. Mr.. MCGEE con-
tinued
lowing men: Congressman Theodore
e. Burton, chairman; Senator New
lands of Nevada, vice chairman; Sem
ator Warner of Missouri, Senator
Bankhead of Alabama, General Alex
ander Mckenzie. chief of engineers of
the United States army; H. Knox
Smith of the bureau of corporations,
Clifford Pinchot. United States fores-
ter; F. H. Newell, director of the rec
lamation service and myself, as sec
rotary
THE presidents purpose in creating
this body was to devise the best ways
and means of utilizing the living wa
ter of the country as a resource and
as four-fold resource.
First, for transportation purposes.
Second, for power.
Third. for irrigation.
Fourth, for consumption.
The most urgent of these purposes
is the first. People of the Northwest
and in fact of the whole country, have
no conception of the value of living
water as resource. The crying need
for more adequate transportation ia
cilities is shown in the fact that the
portion of the United States between
the Rockies and the Alleghenies and
north of the Ohio river has increased
in productiveness 100 per cent in the
past 10 years, while the transportation
facilities have increased not over 10
or IL per cent. Similar conditions,
though not so acute, have arisen in
other sections, and the government
has taken up the matter for the pur-
pose of trying to arrive at a remedy.
Aid for Transportation.
The first step will probably be the
Transformation of the Mississippi river
into seaboard practically dividing
the country into two divisions from a
transportation standpoint, by the dig
cling Of a ship canal from the Great
Lakes to the Gulf. This will enable
all cars that are in service east of the
Mississippi to remain on the east side
and all cars on the west side to remain
on that side.
"The Northwest, while 1t Is suffer-
ing keenly from car shortage and traf-
fic congestion, is not In as bad a way
as the Middle West But we are going
to investigate conditions mt harn
thoroughly and we viii make recon-
mendations accordingly.
I'VE must educate the people up to a
better realization of the value of Iiv-
ing water as a resource. Take It in
Spokane, for instance. The people
there are won't to indulge themseI ives |
in the boast that Spokane is the grea.
Power City That is true but on in
vestigation we have found that not