The Washington herald., 1918-03-03
WATER POWER
BILL OFFERED
TO CONGRESS
Measure Has Endorsement
administration and En-
actment Seems Certain.

water-power legislation, held up
for years by the struggle between
conservation and so-calied corpora
tion forces. will be Congress next
great step.
At the request of the administra-
tion, Chairman Sims of the special
Iy-created House Water-power
Committee. called for hearings on
the bill prepared, under President
Wilson'S direction, by Secretaries
Baker, Houston and Lane.
This measure proposes the devel-
opment Of power both on navigable
and unnavigable streams. Terms
are that the private interests which
develop the plants shall hold them
under lease for SO years. At the
! end of this time, they are to be
turned over to the government. IL II
wants them, at actual cost.
Letter Approves.
In a letter to the House yester-
day, the three secretaries asked the
insertion of q paragraph which will
define actual cost" in a manner
which has been approved by ac-
counting experts and such conser-
walton advocates as Clifford Pinchot.
After a long series of negotia-
tions, the President has obtained
support for his bill from the Pin
chot forces and large financial in
terests. Among these are the Du-
points. which hold patents on ex-
tracing nitrates from the air by
concentrated electric power. Du-
points have asserted their willing
They are. it is understood. anxious
for their powder-makinE factories.
Excess is to 60 into fertilizers.
Members of the Congressional
committee also have been assured
that Secretary McAdoo. when the
war financing bill is passed, will
stand ready to loan government
money for the development OF
water-power.
Hearing March IS
Chairman Sims announced first hear
| ings for March is. This will be i'm
mediately following final action on
the administration railroad and war
financing bill, which the water power
measure is held to complement. The
hearings will last only five days.
Speedy action Is expected to follow
In both Houses.
Chairman Sims last night made pub
lie the letter on the legislation which
the three Secretaries wrote him. AZ
ter urging haste and the bills inn
portance It says in part:
Beyond the need of power develop
ment as such is the need of increas-
ing the proportion OF water power
in order to reduce the drain on our
coal and petroleum supplies, partic-
ularly the latter. Even IL the coal
| supply were unlimited, the reduction
in the demands upon the labor and
transportation equipment would be
sufficient reason for substituting water
power for steam power whenever pos
sible. The petroleum supply. particu-
larly in the West, where the great
est proportion is used for fuel, is
being rapidly depleted, consumption
has exceeded production and stocks
in storage are fast disappearing.
With the substitution of water power
for steam power in central stations
and with the electrification of rail-
roads, a large part of the use of pc
troleum for fuel could be eliminated.
Water power legislation should have
in view not only the maintenance
OF the rights Of the public in the
national resources. but also the ade-
quate protection OF private capital by
which suca resources are developed
The bill be:":e you aims to do both
After careful consideration, however.
1t is believed that certain changes
In language could be made which
would more clearly express the in
tent Of the proposed legislation.