The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-03-02
SHIELDS BILL
MONEY SAVER
EACH DAYS DELAY OF PASSAGE
"COSTS THE PEOPLE
S7OO,0OO." -.
POWER DEVELOPMENTS
IN THE SOUTH WILL BE BENE-
FITTED If BILL PASSES.

WASHINGTON. D. c.. Feb. 27.-I
Delay in the passage Of a general
dam act making possible the deyel- !
opment of water powers in the nav
igable streams of the country. is
costing the people of the United
States more than 100000 day. This
declaration is made by Senator John
X Shields, of Tennessee, in an inter
view given out today. Senator Shields
is the author of the Shields bill which
has been favorably reported by the
senate committee on commerce in
two congresses. The Shields bill per-
mits the secretary of war, under the
terms of a general law, to grant 80
year permits for the development and
use of waterpowers in the navigable
rivers.
SPEEDY development of 15,000,000
horse power now flowing to waste in
the nayigable rivers of the United
States, will follow the enactment of
this bill into law" said Senator
Shields This power is equal to that
now generated by steam plants which
are now consuming over 1OO,00O,00O
tons of coal annually at a cost of
approximately $250OOO,000 a year, or
500, 600 a day.
These unused water powers can
not be developed until this legislation
has been enacted, because present
laws do not offer terms which will
induce the investment of the hun
dreds of millions of dollars that
must be put into the dams, wheel
pits, power houses and transmission
lines. In the United States today
there is not a single plant in opera
ton for the fiXation of atmospheric
nitrogen and The production of cyna-
mid and nitric acid, while Europe,
with no better average water-powcr
than ours, is utilizing more than L.
100000 horsepower in these wonder
full new electro-chemical industries
This in itself is the complete proof
that American investors will not put
their money into water power devel-
opment and dependent new industries
under the present laws.
I'VE are talking about armies and
navies and guns and ships for ma
tional defense, while every pound Of
powder and explosives used in this
country must be made from nitrate
of soda or saltpeter imported from
Chile. Chile. Our army and navy,
our great agricultural interests,
which must have chemical fertilizers
for keeping up and increasing crop
yields in both quality and quantity
are wholly dependent for vital ele-
ment upon a source of supply posi-
bly, subject to blockade in case of war
with a maritime power.
American Farmers Paying
-, 900 n Day to Chile.
Should a war ever occur, and such
a blockade be successfully established
our ships, forts and troops would
have to silently surrender after the
small reserve stores of nitric acid and
/ saltpeter in the country had been
utilized, because there would be no
powder left, and nothing to make it
of. There is no part of any prepar-
edness program proposed which is
more essential to the adequate and
safe defense of the United States
! than this legislation which will furn-
ish the incentive to capital and en-
terprise to generate the power with
which can be operated those great
chemical laboratories for the produc-
lion of nitrates, necessary to make
us independent of other countries in
our supply of materials for the man
ufacture of explosives. In any hour
of need, of what earthly use would
be an army or navy with nothing to
shoot from it's guns?
American farmers are paying over
$21, 900 day in taxes to support the
government of Chile, in the form of
export duties levied by that country
upon saltpeter and nitrate of soda,
while American business enterprises
and capital, ready to establish the
, electro-chemical industries which will
afford competitive supply and low
er prices, stand by helpless, bound
and chained by archaic laws and con-
? ditions created before the invention
of the steam turbine or the discovery
of these new sciences and industries
1t is said that we are proposing tC
give away something of value belong.
ing to the people. | deny this charge
i, The bill applies only to navigable riv
: ers and does not in any way interfere
= with the control of small rivers ant
;, creeks. We are proposing to give th'
= people an opportunity to use one o
:, their most valuable natural resources
nothing more. Surely use is bette
!. than non-use. Whatever is to be Civ
. en- to any power company under thi
), bill will revert to the people at th
= end of fifty years. When the gran
:, expires, and if the government thel
chooses to take over the plant, it viii
!, pay only for the fair value of tn
= property that the power company ha
= created.
n Bill Primarily Framed In
If The Interest of Consumers.
y "The bill is primarily framed il
:. the interest of consumers. 1t pre-
- vides for cheap power by which fel
:, tilizers and many necessaries of LII
:. can be produced and furnished to tn
!. people cheaper than is now done wit
power produced by steam. 1t cor
!. tains an express provision prohibit
- ing development from constitutin
- part of monopoly or conspirac
" in restraint of trade, supplemental
le the prohibitions Of the Sherman ant
y trust law II gives the public seryic
" Continued on page four