East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-08-25

power of rate or other regulation?
What supervisory control was reserv-
ed or what subsequently was accom-
plished without exhausting all the
remedies known to law What right
Of forfeiture for conditions broken
exists that have not required an ap-
peal to congress or to the courts for
construction or relief2 .tot only is
the government shown no fayors for
its great generosity, but in some cases
It has to pay more for given service
than is charged private corporation
for the same service"
The senior United States senator
from oregon condemned the advant-
age which railroads have taken in the
right OF indemnity selections, a right
originally granted for the benefit Of
individual homesteaders. The result.
he said. has been that the railroads
relinquished worthless lands and Sc
lected in lieu thereof valuable prop
critics AS to oregon. in this connec-
tion he said:
Conservative Policy IndOrsed.
"Of 16,221,3sS acres held in re-
serves in Oregon most Of 1t can be
utilized only for forest preservation,
grazing and water power purposes.
There are some lands within these re-
serves that ought to be, and will be
in due course as they have been from
time to time in the past released, but
the people Of the state are not suf-
fering from these reserves. because
they understand that the lands en-
braced therein are untitled for any
other purpose than those herein men
toned.
For long time I myself was an
opponent Of the policy Of conserva-
tion, but study Of the question led me
to believe II was necessary TO CON
serve and preserve from waste the re-
sources Of the country if we intend
ed to continue as one Of the highest
developed civilizations on the globe.
Would Let 1t stay.
Oregon, Washington. California
together have 275,000, 900. 600 feet of
standing timber in the forest reserves
which is about 40 per cent Of all the
timber, and l believe that the people
Of Oregon are patriotic enough to
prefer that that portion Of this magni-
ficent wealth which lies in Oregon
shall remain in the federal govern.
ment to be utilized under wise regu-
lation and legislation consistent both
with the present needs and the needs
Of generations vet unborn"
Electric power interests" cnntin-
ued Senator Chamberlain, 'insis+ that
natural conditions prevent moropol-
izatlon.
How is this development distrib-
uted, as far as it has gone, and is
there or has there been a tendency
toward concentration and monopcliz-
ation.' he asked.
1T is contended by those repre-
senting the power companie.-and
that, too, very earnestly-that there
is not such a concentration of water
power development as to rise to the
danger of power trust.
Small Developers own Little.
And yet it has been pretty we'll
established. Notwithstanding repeated
denials of the fact, that in the states
of California, Colorado. Idaho. Mon
tana, Nevada, Oregon. Utah and
Washington out of total develop
ment of 1,1S5.400 horsepower, 1023,-
700 horsepower or 30 per cent of the
development is owned by 2S conpan-
les, while only 10 per cent is owned
by small developers.
1.-TWO groups of companies own 90
per cent of the development in Ore
gon Taking the evidence before the
senate and house committees. and re- !
ports which have from time to time
been made by public officials, on the
water power possibilities of the coun-
try the conclusion is irresistible that
there has been tendency toward
concentration of companies interested
in power development.
Need for Regulation.
This, in itself, might or might not
be menace provided. of course. these
companies are engaged. only in in
trastate development. and in states
where utilities commissions have the
power of rate regulation and control.
"But consolidation Of development
means the inevitable concentration OF
ownership of control either directly
or indirectly of public utilities, WA
ter, heat power and transportation. /
And therein lies the necessity for
control of the power site, for the
present and in the future by the fed
eral government; for its control
means the ability to regulate the wa
ter power, as well as the public utili- /.
ties, owned or operated by the p ,wer
companies engaged in intrastate bus
mess.
Fallncious Argument Is Potent.
"The perpetual ownership by the
government of the power site means
the authority perpetually to regulate
the rates to be charged to the con-
sumer, whether for water, heat, light,
transportation, irrigation or energy
utilized for any purpose whatsoever
Senator Chamberlain discussed the
facts which add to the evidence OF
trend toward concentration of owner
ship in water power throughout the
nation. then added: