New Britain herald., 1918-03-29
BUSINESSMEN SEEK
MORE WATER POWER
Adopt Resolutions to Congress
Urging Immediate Development

CoN1mCTce have adopted resolutions |
ca11in& on congress to make provision !
fo~ harnessinc the millions III water !
horsepower thai DOW run wild
The vote was taken through the
rnor,o than 400 commercial orga MIA
tions throughout the country which
compose 1ho national chamber. Forty
five states, Alaska and Hawaii parti-
cipa ocl in tho oalloting. representing
= wide range of Industrial interests
and opinions and reliably indicating
to Congress isnv the business men of
the Ea::ru LOO. o. iHn Wator-no7 -"
situetjon Each voting organization
cast from one - tcn votes depending
on it's membership.
The baliOtiny was based on a series
Of recommendation contained in The
report of The committee on water
power development Of the L. s. Cham
Der of Commerce.. These recon-
mendaton$ were presented in the
following order:
THAT the federal legislation en-
couraeing the development of water
power should at once be enacted
adopted by the almost unanimous
vote of 1924 to s.
2-That authority to grant pay
mits should be vested in an adminis-
tratve department.. Carried by I
vote Of 1858 to II.
3-r-That the permit period should
be at least fifty years, any shorter
period being at tho applicants option.
In favor 1915 opposed ~.
4-That tolls should attach only TO
use of public lands or benefits de-
rived from hea d water improvements.
! Adopted by vote of 1871 Il to 4O14
5--That pernlittees should be en-
titled to acquire the right to use pub
lie lands forming only a, small and
incidental part Of the deNelOpm emit
Carried by a vote of 1910 to %.
6-That recapture should be eSer-
cised only upon payment Of fair and
just compensation. IN favor 1894,
opposed IS.
THAT if recapture is not exer-
cised, the investment of the permittee
should be adequately protected.
Adopted by vote 1926 to &c.
S-That rates and service should be
| regulated by state commissions where
| the service is interstate, with federal
regulation only where several states
are directly concerned and do not
agree, or there is no state commission.
| Carried by vote of 1177 to ST.
e-That If any jurisdiction to reg
ulate the issuance of securities is eX
erclSed 1t should De SOlely Dy the state.
In favor 1114, opposed lit.
10.-That no preference should be
granted as between applicants
amounting to subsidy from the gov
| eminent creating unequal competi-
| ton, Adopted by a vote of 1871 to 80.
| The committee which drew up the
report and presented the resolutions
! was composed as follows:
| i. S. Gillette. chairman, engineer
| and nlanufa cturer, Minneapolis; Har-
ry A Black Wholesale merchant,
| Galveston; Rome G. Brown, lawyer.
Minneapolis; Henry S. Drinker, presi-
dent Lehigh University; Frank p.
| Glass, editor-in- chief Birmingham
News; e. K. Hall, lawyer. Kansas
| City; Horace G. Henry, retired rail-
| way contractor, Seattle; Henry L. Nc
! Cune, lawyer, Kansas City; Samuel
V. Stewart, lawyer and banker, Vir-
ginia, City, Mont, and governor OF
Montana; George F. Swain, civil en-
| gineer, Boston; and c.. F. Weed, law
| yer and banker, Boston.
| While the committees report is m
| itself favora Bile to positive legislation
| to enlarge water-power development,
| every ballot sent out was accompanied
! by an argument in the negative which
| clearly and positively set forth ob1ec-
tons TO the recommendations so that
| those voting had at hand data on
! which to base their judgment for or
| against.
The report begins by pointing out
that il is estimated that the unde-
| veloped water power of the country
| exceeds the total steam power now in
service The federal government con-
trolls much Of the water-power ro-
sources of the country.
| The report continues: Zone of the
first things to be clearly perceived is
that water power developments are
not exceedingly profitable undertake
ings earnestly sought by capital rs
means of securing large returns on a
small investments; but that, on the
contrary, steam power is the superior
of water power in almost all respects
THE initial cost of a steam plant is,
in general. but one-half to one-fifth
| that Of water power plant of equal
| capa city. Moreover. a steam plant
can be more easily enlarged from time
| to time and the initial developm emit
| of a water-pOWer plant must be a
| larger proportion of the ultimate de-
! yelopment that that OF a steam plant.
The investor in a water-power plant is,
therefore, burdened from the very
start with a heavy fixed charge, the
| failure to meet which may mea n
| bankruptcy
water powers will not be deVol-
| oped unless the conditions are made
comparatively Favorable. Present de-
mand for the development of such
| power comes, not from capitalists, but
from communities which. account
of the high price and scarcity OF fuel.
are DESTROYS, In their own interest, Of
, Inducing capital to make such devel-
opments.'
There are many Collateral adVaN-
tages resulting from the development
! Of water power which are reapcd by
T ! the community az a whole rather than
! hv the investor. These advantages
z | 1nrl nj ni1 ;.,i,