The Sentinel=record., 1914-02-18
FIRST STEPS FOR FEDERAL CON, TROL OF NATURAL FACILl-
 TIES ARE TAKEN.
PRESIDENT MEETS CABINET
And Discusses Principles of Conserva- tion as Involved in the Matter of Waterepower-WilI Confer with Congress Later.

Washington, Feb. 17-First steps toward the formulation of the admin istration's policy to govern the de. velopment of waterpower projects on public lands and in navigable streams were taken by President Wilson and his cabinet today. Virtually the en. tire time of the cabinet meeting was devoted to discussion of the prin- cples of conservation involved and Secretaries Garrison and Lane of the war and interior departments, re- spectively, were unanimously support ed in their plans for meeting the prob lem.
 The secretaries will confer with members of congress soon and pre- sent rough drafts of legislation con. forming to their ideas. These bills will be administration measures. They have been only tentatively worked out.
 The chief idea thus far evolved con templates the making of arrange ments between the national govern ment and private capital by which the latter would construct and de- velop waterpower projects under a federal permit given for fixed period of years, after which the project would become the property of the m mi hn ,4 turn the projects over to the states, or might lease them to private con cerns, turning the funds over to the various states, these are some of the iedas discussed by the cabinet. Un- deriving them an is a desire for CO operation between the states and the federal government.
 The presidents reference to this in his first annual address to congress last December was pointed to today in this connection as expressing the administration viewpoint
 He said then:
 We msut use the resources of the country, not lock them up. There need be no conflict of jealously as be- tween state and federal authorities for there can be no essential differ. ance of purpose between them, The resources ill question must be used, but not destroyed or wasted; used but not monopolized upon any narrow idea of individual rights as against the abiding interests of the commun- tes That d policy can be worked out by conference winch will release these resources and yet not ieopardize or dissipate them, 1 for one have no doubt; and it can be doen on lines of regulation which need be no less ac. ceptable to the people and govern ments of the states concerened than to the people and government of the nation at large, whose heritage these resources are. We must bend our counsel to this end; a common pur- pose ought to make agreement easy"
 The process of common council will be begun by Secretary Garrison when Chairman Adamson of the house in- terstate commerce committee returns to Washington from the funeral of Senator Bacon in Georgia, and when Secretary Lane and members of the public lands committee in both houses of congress get together, probably within a few days.
 Cabinet officers are not certain that under the plans they are drafting private capital would be willing to enter into the arrangement, since the plants constructed would have to be given to the federal government at the end of certain period. An ef' fort will be made to sound out pub lie opinion and the views of business concerns engaged in construction work to learn the feasibility of the plan. That private concerns would be content with the profit growing ous of the use of the projects with per haps a privilege of obtaining subse' quent leases is the belief expressed by advocates of the scheme.