Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-09
Senate Passes
 inc Shields Bill
FOR PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF
 WATER RIGHTS
VOTE WAS 46 TO P
Champions of Conservation Fought Hard to Amend the Measure, But Without Avail.

Washington. March s.-The senate tonight after four weeks of debate passed the Shields bill to provide for development of water power in navi- vote was AS to 22. Conservation champions fought hard to amend the measure, but without avail.
 Several senators voted for the bill who had opposed 1t during the debate. One of them, Senator Walsh. said he considered it bad legislation but firm ly believed it would be amended when it reached the house. Those who voted against the bill were Senators Ashurst, Borah, Chamberlain, Chiffon, Cummins. Gronna, Hollis, Husting' James, Kenyon, La Toilette, Lane, Lea, Lee, Lewis, Maritime. Newlands, Nor ris, Poindexter, Reed, Sheppard and Works.
 Final Effort to Defeat Bill.
 A final effort to prevent a vote on the measure and deturn 1t to the com mittee was made by Senator HustinS. en 49 to 19. An amendment by Sen ator Chiffon requiring the secretary of war to decide contests for permits to build dams in favor of the appli- cant offering the lowest priced ser vice to the public was defeated, 30 to 21.
 Senator Reed attacked the provision l of the bill which provides that con- tests be decided in favor of the appli- | cant able to guarantee the best con | struction, declaring that this would result in the best sites going to the ! interests now operating power plants He declared the measure would grant | corporations absolute control of the | country's water power for a long time At the end of the fifty years in | the grant" Senator Reed said, the ! government can enjoy the blessed | privilege of taking over the plants and paying for them the full value I be- lieve that back of this law which would grant these enormous powers is the same crowd that was back oi the Coosa River project in Alabama
 Continuous Debate Since Feb. 4.
 The Shields bill had been under al. most continuous debate since th' passage of the Philippine bill Feb. 1 It was opposed by the National Con servation Association of which GtfforC Pinchot is president Many amend
 ments were offered by a scote of sen
 ators but the bill as passed wa
 changed but little from its origina
 form.
 Senator Walsh made a hard bu
 losing fight to obtain for the fedora
 government compensation for publi
 land withdrawn for use in dam con
 struction on the basis of power ere
 ated. His amendment was opposed b,
 Senator Shafroth and other senator
 of the public land states who contend
 ed that the government had no con trol over waterways except insofar a
 concerned their navigability. SoAS
 tor Husting and other conservatiol champions sought vainly to substitut measure based on the Wisconsin
 water power law, and retaining wit congress control of power sites. Sen
 ator Newiands tried without success . to attain to the bill his measure pro | ,Nr7N : appropriating 60000,00 annually fo ten years for flood control waterwa improvement and soil protection. Permits Dams in NavigabIe Rivers.
 As adopted the bill permits the con
 struction of dams in navigable wa
 ters under licenses issued by the sec
 retary Of war and gives grantees th . right to operate power plants for
 years, after which time the feders government may take over the plan
 after giving two years notice an
 paying a fair value, to be determine f by the secretary of war and the owne or by proceedings in the United State a courts.
 r Regulation of rates and services 7 placed with the states in which tn 7 plants are located or, if interstat commerce is involved, with the Inter state Commerce Commission on ap
 peals when the states involved ar . unaDle 10 agree on reasonaDle rate 5 and adequate service.
 : The bill also provides that no work shall be operated in any combinatio , to limit the output of electric powe : or in restraint of trade.
 . Parliamentary Struggle.
 A parliamentary struggle followe
 the passage of the measure betwee
 Senator TIllman, whose motion tha
 his bill for the government ownershi ' of armor plant be made the unfinishe
 business of the senate was not acte
 on, and Senator Myers of Montan;
 who moved that the Ferris bill passe
 by the house relating to water powe . plants on public lands be made tn 7 unfinished business. Senator Myer
 withdrew his motion, but gave notic r that he would re-introduce 1t whe . the senate met at noon tomorrow.