The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-14
Enjoy Junket to Falls
With All Expenses
Paid
INTERESTS WANT
MORE WATER
Would Like to Increase
Amount Drawn
From River
From a STAFF Correspondent.

ing at the expense or parties inter
ested in legislation pending Before
congress was revived today when 10
members OF the house foreign affairs
committee, some OF them accompan-
led by their wives, left on special
cars for Niagara Falls. All OF their
expenses during the entire time they
are away from Washington are to be
paid by parties other than them.
selves. They are TO be entertained
deliberately in Buffalo as we'll as
Niagara Falls, and expect to return
TO Washington Saturday.
Private waterpower corporations,
who generate their power from wa
ter diverted from the Niagara river
above the falls, are anxious TO have
congress grant them the right to di'
vert a much greater quantity OF wa
ter than is now allowed. AT one
time George r. Monaghan, of De
troit, appeared before the commit
tee to advocate legislation that
would permit the importation OF Nj
agara Falls power into Michigan
through Windsor, Ont. Repeated at
tempts made in recent years TO get
these concessions have failed, so the
entire foreign affairs committee,
which has the bill in hand, was in
yited to make an inspection" trip
TO the falls as the guests Of the
Buffalo Chamber If Commerce The
] ts,N IN
bers Of tho committee, however.
/ Newspaper men and the son OF the
! speaker OF the house, Bennett Clark,
were invited TO go. Young Clark is
the house parlIamentarian, and he
accepted the invitation.
When Rep. Charles B. Smith, OF
/ Buffalo, who acted for the Chamber
/ OF Commerce in organizing the con-
srcssional party, was asked today
! whether the water power people are
not members OF the Chamber OF
| Commerce, he said: Yes, they are.
! but this committee is being taken
| 10 the falls in order that each mem
Der may become thoroughly familiar
It'll the situation there. There is
power famine in Buffalo. Not all
ne water, which may be diverted
On the American side OF the river
/ under The terms OF the treaty with
! Canada, is being used at the present
time, because congress by laws en-
! acted has limited the amount that
may be used by the power com
panies to much less than the amount
| specified in the treaties. On the
other hand, Canada is rapidly avail
| ing herself Of the full amount OF
water allowed under the treaty. The
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce is
| paying the expenses of this trip for
the committee in order that there
! may he better understanding OF
the situation in Niagara Falls"
One OF the most prominent mem.
bers of the foreign affairs commit.
tee, who refused to be member of
M" junketing party, said tonight
hat he did not want to be identified
a critic Of his colleagues on the
rpnuittee. but declared: There Is
no doubt this trip is being paid for
| by the interests who want to get
votes for the bill TO Increase the
supply of cheap power for the pow.
or companies at Niagara Falls. II
Is the old, old system of obligating
members OF congress TO parties who
have an AK to grind. II the purpose
OF the trip was solely 10 get infor-
nation as to the local situation in
Buffalo and Niagara Falls. why
should the members take their
wives as guests OF the Chamber OF
Commerce, and why should outsid.
ers be invited to go along. all ex-
penses paid?
The charge has been made re-
peatedly that the power companies
on the American side are not begin
ming to get the power they should
from the amount OF water they d.
vert from above the falls. That con.
dition, according TO the charges. is
due TO the use OF obsolete machin.
cry. II is claimed that the power
companies have not put In modern
equipment, and because Of that they
want authority to take still more
water from above the falls. We
have had very competent engineers
before our committee, who testified
that IL the full amount OF water al
lowed by the treaties is taken from
above the falls, II will very seriously
mar the beauty OF that scenic mar.
vel. never could see why the
water should be carried away from
above the falls. In the whirlpool
rapids below the falls there IA am
pie power. which could be used with.
ont destroying any of the beauty Of
the falls"
The committee was told that Rep.
Smith had said one OF the objects
I'm taking the committee 10 Niagara
Falls is TO ascertain whether the
power plants arc equipped with mod
ern machinery.
VIVA; member Is competent to