Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-30

tumwa, Iowa, under the Act OF 'CoH-
gress Of March 8, 1879.
FOREIGN representatives: Cone, Lor-
enzen & Woodman, Mallers Building.
Chicaxo: 225 Fifth Ave-, New York
City; Gumbel Bldg, Kansas City, MO.
THE LEGISLATURE AND RIVER
IMPROVEMENT QUESTION.
The Courier wishes to commen*
Senator Francis of Dickinson county
for bringing the Iowa river improve
ment question to the attention OF the
state legislature, even though nc
asked the legislature to take adverse
action on the only plan for river i'm
provement thus far suggested. Senator
Francis has presented resolution
asking the Iowa legislature to 60 on
record as disappearing the bill now
pending in congress which provides
that the Des Moines River Power co
be granted permission to construct
fourteen waterpower dams in the
Des Moines river and suitable
plants for the generation and
transmission of electric energy.
This bill was presented upon the filing
of a report of 40 printed pages by
government engineers who made an
examination of the river and who ap-
proved the water power proposition
as the first step In a general improve
ment of the river.
There has been an agitation for the
improvement Of the Iowa rivers, par
ticularly the Des Moines, for years.
Commercial associations and river i'm
provement advocates In the last two
years have been active in their de-
mand for legislation along this line.
The national government was interest
ed to the extent Of sending engineers
to make preliminary examination OF
the Des Moines, and 1t was upon the
report of these engineers that the
matter was brought before congress.
The Iowa Legislature now takes the
first notice Of this work, although the
Improvement Of Iowa rivers Is of pri-
mary importance to the state and
would be Of great benefit to the state
at large.
The point the Courier wishes to
make in this connection is that the
legislature should not }confine itself,
a. It is asked to do in the resolution
presented BY Senator Francis, to disap-
proving Of the bill now pending in con-
uess. The legislature should not take
wholly a negative position. There may
or may not be merit In the proposition
to permit the Des MONIES River Power
Co. to build fourteen dams in the river
at their own expense on what amounts
to 4 seventy-flve year franchise, the
property to revert to the government
1T the expiration of that time.
It may be "unw1se and injudicious to
grant rights which should be withheld
for tho benefit Of the people," as the
language Of the Francis resolution
states, but It is equally as unwise and
intudicious to refuse to consider legis-
lation that will give the people the
benefit of the water power that Is now
withheld.
Whether the legislature approves or
disapproves of the bill in congress is
immaterial. What is material is that
the legislature should either approve
some plan by private capital of per-
hitting the use Of. the water power
available In Iowa streams and now CO.
ing to waste every day, or see to 1t
that the work is done at federal or
state expense.
Two plans for the improvement of
the Des Moines were suggested in the
report of the army engineers. One
plan considers primarily the interests
Of navigation, with water power de-
velopment secondary. There would be
twenty-five or twenty-three dams be-
low Des Moines, a channel six feet
deep with water width of 100 feet,
and the bridges would require modifi-
cations to obtain required clearances
This plan contemplates cooperation
between the government and state,
the government to make the stream
navigable and the state to build
storage lakes by which sufficient
volume of water would be added to the
stream at low stage to develop con-
tiuous water power. The government
would hold the flowage rights and the
state would handle the power ques-
ton. g.
This plan was suggested, but not
recommended as practicable unless
made a part of general scheme of
internal waterway improvement. Thesj
war department then submitted the
other plan for the improvement of the
river by federal and private capital,
the state not being considered.
II the state legislature believes the !
state should not grant rights to private
capital, why should it not take up the
first plan and see what can be done in
the way of river Improvement by CO.
operation between the federal and !
state governments?
The cost OF the improvement by the
federal and state governments was !;
estimated at $12,595, 900. Of this the /,
governments share would be $10,875.
900 and the states share $1,72O,O00. |
The state would use this sum in !
lock sites and rights of way ;
and changing the bridges to admit !
Of the passage of boats. If the state
wished to build reservoirs for storage !
purposes to aid water power develop
ment the government estimates that six !
lakes with storage capacity of $1,000 !
acre feet could be provided at a cost |
Of $4,000. This would increase the ,
states share to $1.s40,000 Under the
second plan Of private operation of the
water power plants the goyernment's
share Of the cost is s7.225.0o0- The