Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-01
TO MAKE FIGHT ON
kE0KUK POWER co.
CONGRESSMAN RAlNEY, FROM
COAL DISTRICTS OF ILLINOIS,
BUCKS DAM CORPORATION.
[BY ELISHA IIANSON.1

| lb1 ELISHA ltANSON.l
! Washington, D. c., Dec. 30.-The
operation of the great Keokuk water
power dam is to be made the basis Of
the conservationists' fight in congress
this session.
! Charging that the Keokuk and Ham,
ilton Water Power Co. has in no way
| carried out it's obligations to the gov
eminent Representative Rainey of
Illinois, who led the fight against the
omnibus dam bills last congress, has
| introduced resolution calling upon
the house committee on Interstate
! and foreign commerce to investigate
the company, with view Of amending
its charter, or repeating it altogether.
Mr.. Rainey will have an investiga-
ton whether his resolution Is passed
or not for Chairman Adamson of the
interstate and foreign commerce COM
mittee is much interested In the Keo.
kuk dam and he will hold hearings on
the resolution If he thinks its introduc-
ton into the house will precipitate
too big a fight. These hearings alone
will develop all the facts in the case
and then the committee will make
whatever recommendations it sees
fit.
Mr.. Rainey has two propositions he
desires investigated.
The first is the method Of operation
of the power company, with particular
reference to its distribution of power
and the charges made for it.
Second Is the proposal of the Joy
interests" of Keokuk and Hamilton to
use the dam as part of a railroad
bridge connecting Keokuk and Hamil-
ton. The anti-Joy interests charge
that permission to do this would give
the water power company and it's
subsidiary concerns an absolute mon
opoly on the public utility rights of
Keokuk and the greater portion of
southeastern Iowa and northeastern
Missouri.
The government now draws no COM
pensation from the power company for
the use Of the Mississippi.
When application for the charter
was madeline power officials stated
that the benefits to the surrounding
community would be beyond magma
ton and that the government itself
would benefit by improved navigation
It offered to replace the three locks
with one lock which would do all the
necessary work, and also it stated that
the water which would back up for
sixty-five miles would prove ire
merdous benefit to the river shipping.
Representative Rainey now charges
that instead of improving navigation,
the power company has practically
killed it by it's control of the water
above the dam, by frequently not turn
ing enough water loose during the day
time to make it possible for steamers
to use the river below, and seldom If
ever turning enough loose at night,
when water is stored for the days
work.
Also, he charges that instead Of the
country around benefitting, 1t has un-
Willingly fallen into the hands of a
monopoly from which congress alone
can release 1t.
Mr. Rainey says: "Within a radius
of $50 miles of this power dam there
are twenty-five towns and cities with
a population exceeding 1000, besides
innumerable villages with a population
slightly under that. The portions of
Iowa, Illinois and Missouri within this
radius are among the most thickly
populated districts Of this country.
IT have good information that
through subsidiary companies, which
it either owns or controls, the power
company has tied a majority of these
towns and cities up to SO year con-
tracts which call for an increased cost |
for electricity, whereas the company
promised congress to reduce the price |
as part consideration for it's charter. |
BY it's having purchased or gained con- |
troll of the individual power plants in !
these cities and towns, the people have |
only one source Of relief and that is /
congress.
Il have also received complaints of
in the rates charged |
to the various consumers and I
propose to investigate those be-
fore appearing before the committee"
For the purposes of the fight, Mr..
Rainey has written everyone of the
256 mayors, presidents, or other heads
of the 252 towns cities and munich |