The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-16


 Washington, December 15.--A deh- nite and comprehensive water power policy for streams upon the public do- main and navigable streams not on the public domain is urged by the Sec retary of the Inetrior Walter L. Fish CT as the most important subject pending before Congress and the eoun- try in his annual report submitted to- day to President Taft
 other legislation which Secretary Fisher recommends as important to the welfare of the country embodies an en- larged application of the leasing prin- ciple as applied to the public domain in general; a comprehensive leasing law for coal, oil and other mineral lands. and laws providing for the classitica
 tion of public lands according to their | respective characteristic and appropri-
 ate uses and administration in accord , ance therewith. Secretary Fisher also
 declares in favor of legislation for the
 development of the transportation fa-
 cilities and the coal lands of Alaska. and for the withdrawal from entry Of public lands in the west needed to con | serve the water supply at the sources | of streams He recommends the re- tirement and pensioning of the civil employees of the government, Most of
 his recommendations are ill renewal and emphasis of those made in his pre- vious annual report.
 As to water power policy he says that 1t must be made certain that | those who receive special privileges connected with water power develop ment shall in fact proceed by appro- priate degrees and within appropriate times to develop the available water power to It's highest capacity. having due regard 10 the possibilities of mar keting the product"
 We must make certain he con tinues. that the electric energy thus crea ted shall be made available to the community in appropriate ways at ap- propriate prices. If 1t Is not to be used for the benefit of the community, but Is to be devoted directly to the pri- vate purposes and personal advantage of the permittee. some method must be found by which the public will re- celve it's share of the profits which the permittee may make over and above that which is necessary and reason able inducement for his investment"
 The present law, he asserts. neither promotes development nor protects the public interest in an effective manner and he attributes this principally to the fact that a permit Is "revocable at any time and without specific reason He calls 1t serious and unjustifiable obstacle to the development and util- izatlon of one of the nations greatest natural resources" He declares that conditions and limitations should be de- fined by statute on which permits should be issued and only for breach of which they should be cancelled.
 As to federal as against state con- trol of water power concessions oh streams which are not navigable. the secretary says: "The suggestion is made frequently by those who are in one way or another representing eith- CT present or future investment in wa ter power development that such power sites and their control should be turned over to the respective states in which they are locaetd. II Is in teresting to note. however. that the or dinary citizens of these states are not at all concerned over federal usurpation or unjust treatment.
 "rhey suspect that the real purpose of those who urge the turning over of the federal domain to the states is that they may escape the longer and the stronger arm of the federal govern ment and may take advantage of tfe more limited resources and govern mental facilities of the individual states.
 While some states undoubtedly have wisely conserved certain of the lands and natural resources turned over to them by the nation. the story has too often been the acquisition of these lands and resources by special interests or individuals without adequate recog- milton of the public interest. There Is no policy which 1t would be wise for any state to adopt with respect to these matters n the adoption and enforce ment of which 1t cannot be supple mented and assisted rather than re- tarded by the retention in federal lands of the powers and the property now held by the nation. It is precisely this policy of practical cooperation which should be put into effect There is no real conflict between the nation and the states upon the subject.
 "In general all of the streams which are susceptible of water power devel- opment are also of great importance for domestic use, for irrigation and for navigation. All of them depend to some degree upon protection and aid of some kind and form some source for one or more of these uses. Increas- f..e hot t, tsx t~