Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1914-07-24

ed to be reserved to the United
States is that at the end of the fiji
ty year period, it may take over the
dams and accessory works and trans
mission lines upon paying therefor
their full value. This means absolute
" nothing, for if under the Consti-
tuition, the United States would have
the right to purchase and operate
them, they could do SO under the
power of eminent domain.
electricity and hydro-electric pow
er is still in it's infancy. What the
public interest may require fifty
years hence, no man can tell The
slightest regard for the public inter
est would cause the insertion of a
provision in the bin to the effect that
at the end of the fifty year period,
the United States either through
Congress, or duly authorized officers,
would have the right to renew the
franchise upon new terms and condl-
tons, and that until such renewal
was had, the possession of the gran
tee of the franchise should be tenn
porarily only.
fUnder the present law if a dam
is erected across navigable stream,
any future expense in the interest of
navigation occasioned by the exist
ence of the dam, must be borne by
the grantee of the franchise, if the
Secretary of War and Chief of En-
gineers so stipulate in their approval
of the project All this is changed
in this bill by requiring the Secre-
tary of War and the Chief of Engi-
neers to designate in the beginning
upon the approval Of the project,
such locks, booms, sluices or other
structures as the grantee shall be
required to make. This means that
for all time to come the grantee can
be put to no expense in these mat
ters made necessary by the existence
of it's dam, unless it is forseen and
provided for in the beginning. It
means that the Government can be
put to millions Of dollars of expense
by reason of the construction of dams
across navigable waters, an expense
which should be borne by those who
made the expense necessary.
'The most vicious feature, next to
that of perpetual franchise is that
granting the use to water power com
panies Of all the lands of the United
States necessary for the construction
Of dams and accessory works, upon
an annual payment of five per cent
of the fair value Of the lands taken.
This fairly takes ones breath away,
1t is practically giving every water
power site in the country now part
of the public domain over to the wa
ter power trust.
"The bill pretends to give to the
Secretary of War, power over rates
and charges for electric current,
wherever the same enters into inter
state commerce, but by a cleverly
concealed joker in the prOvisO, this
power is Immediately taken away,
wherever there is a State Commits
sion with adequate power of regula-
ton of current to consumers in the
state, and there is no discrimination
between states. However, the state
will have no authority to regulate
charges when the business is inter
state; the power of the Secretary Of
War is taken away, and the result is
there will be no regulation over in
terstate rates at all.
For many years in every franchise
granted to any bridge or dam com
pany the right to alter, amend or re-
peal the act has been reserved This
bill provides that this can only be
done in case of violation of the char
ter by the dam company. SO for all
time to some the rights and priv
ileges of any water power company
coming under the bill are fixed, and
there can be no change of it's fran
chise or rights, but they go on ire
vocably and forever
''The act is made to apply to ex-
listing dams now in operation and
authorized This will give existing
dams the benefits of the bill to an
even greater extent than new enter
prises, for there will be no new ap-
prevail of their projects required, and
all stipulations in the original ap-
prevail and present law in the pub
lie interest are nullified and done
away with.
"This is a bill of the water power
interests, by the water power inter
ests, and for the water power inter