Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-05-06

the hope OF conserving the fuel sup
plyf
IF you are aware OF these facts why
should you want to hamper and re-
tard water power development by add
ing rentals. taxes or any other items
unnecessarily to its cost?
'sYou and your friends have told the
country that a great and powerful
lobby is at work in Washington to in
fiuence water power legislation, with
the Implication that this influence is
improper. VIII you, for our informa-
ton and that OF the public, identity
this lobby, say who composes it, what
interests they represent and show any
improper or vicious efforts on its part
TO influence legislation?
You have declared that in taking
over power plants that might be built
under the provisions of the Shields bill
the government would be required. to
pay for an unearned increment in
lands taken by power OF condemnation
granted under the act. As q matter OF
fact and Of law, are you not mistaken
in this declaration
You charge that the bill does not
protect public rights, because at the
end OF fifty years, in buying the plants,
the government would be compelled to
take over transmission and distribut-
ing systems dependent upon the water
powers for their value Would YOU
have the government discourage invest
ment in such utilities by proposing to
destroy the value of these properties at
the end of fifty years? If the govern
ment did buy the generating plant and
not the distributing system, what
would you propose it might do with
the power? You may say that the
whole cost of the plant should be
amortized and the property turned over
to the government free OF cost at the
end of the period If so, do you not
know that the amortization cost would
have to be added to power prices and
would operate to discourage water
power development in the same man
ner and for the same reasons as would
be the imposition of any other form of
rental or taxation adding unnecessarily
to the cost of power? Also, why should
the present and the next generations
be asked, during the pioneer stage OF
the enterprise, to build and pay for q
plant in order that future generations
might be given the property free of
cost and so allowed to enjoy cheaper
power2
1--WE consider use to be the highest
form OF conservation of water power.
The senate seems to agree with this
belief. Are you OF the same opinion
II not, why not? II so, do you not
agree that legislation which will en-
courage and stimulate maximum de-
velOpment and use is the most desir-
able form of water power legislation?
You seem to see an improperly in
the fact that hydraulic engineers and
water power men-men who know the
water power business-have been con-
suited by congress about this 1egisla-
ton. Whom would you consult to OBJ
tain the facts? II you were going to
build a house. would you employ an
architect or a poet to draw the plans
''Since the sole aim and purpose Of
this association is to give the widest
publicity possible to all the facts con-
corning water powers, In the hope that
such publicity will bring about en-
Hghtened public sentiment in favor of
legislation that will result In their de-
velopment and use, we are giving this
letter to the press and invite you to do
the same with your reply to these
questions"