The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-04-17
PRESERVATION OF
OUR WATT RPOWER
PRESIDENT VEToEs DAM BILL
AND SOUNDS WARNING TO
THE CONGRESS.
CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES
They Should Never Be oona'eo'
But Legislation 70 Curb Mo
nopoly Urged.


nopoly Urged.
WASHINGTON. April 13.-ln spe-
cial message today vetoing a dam Dill
President Roosevelt warned Congress
that there are pending in this session
bills which propose 10 give away with
ont urice sire ans rights capable OF
developing 1890. 600 horse power
whose PRODUCTION would cost annually
$4,000 goo tons Of coal. urged in Wig
orous terms the establishment Of a
poIicy such as the hlibustering minori-
" in the House demands, which was
to safeguard the granting Of bridge
and dam privileges and require the
guarantee to pay for them: and den
nitely announced a future policy on
his part with regard 10 prompt utili-
cation and construction privileges by
refusing his signature 10 a bill giving
an additional three years to the Rainy
River improvement Company within
which to build a dam in the Rainy
River.
I do not believe" SAYS the Presi-
dent. that natural resources should
be granted and held in an undeveloped
condition either for speculative or
other reasons. So far as I am aware,
there are no assurances that the gran
tees lin this case) are in any better
condition promptly and properly to
utilize this opportunity than they were
at the time of the original act grant
ing the privilege) ten years ago."
What Must Be Done.
Discussing broadly the Federal pol
icy. the President says:
Every permit to construct a dam
on a navigable stream should spe-
cifically recognize the right OF the
Government to fix a term for its dura-
ton and to impose such charge or
charges as may be deemed necessary
to protect the present and future In
terests Of the United States in accord
ance with the act OF June 81. 1900.
THE provisions for charge is OF
vital Importance. The navigability OF
every inland waterway and Of all con-
nected or connectable inland water
WAYS as a whole should be improved
for the purpose of interstate and for
eign commerce upon consistent and
unified plan by which each part
should be made to help every other
part. y =
"The income derived from this
would materially aid in the complete
Improvement of our navigable waters,
for which there is now such crying
need. The Chief of Engineers of the
Army reports that the bills now pend
ing at this session of Congress permits
the construction of dams in navigable
streams capable Of developing over
/ 100000 horse power. These rivers
run every hour in the day and every
day in the year. To develop this
amount of power would under average
conditions require about 25,000,0OO
tons of medium quality coal every
year. This natural wealth is the heri-
tage of the people. l see no reason
for giving it away. Though there is
every reason for not imposing condi-
tons so burdensome as to prevent the
utilization of the power.
Threatened Monopoly.
1--WE are now at the beginning OF a
great development in water power.
Its use through electricaktransmission
is entering more and more largely into
every element of the daily life of the
people. Already the evils of monop-
oily are becoming manifest; already
the experience of the past shows the
necessity of caution in making I'M
restricted grants of this great power.
''The present policy pursued in max |
ing these grants is unwise in give
away the property of the people in
the flowing waters to individuals or
practically unknown and
granting in perpetuity these valuable
rrivileges in advance of the formation
of definite plans as to their use In
some cases the grantees apparently
have little or no financial or other
ability to utilize the gift and have
sought 1t merely because it could be
had for the asking.