The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-30
Setting Water Power Free.

The West is rejoicing that at last
there are prospects of legislation per-
hitting the use Of it's vast water power
resources, Both houses OF congress are
in substantial agreement on the ques-
ton, and it is expected that the bill
will shortly be passed and signed by
the president.
THE county wasted 100. OOO. 900 tons
of coal a year by not developing its
water power" declares the Seattle
Observation-Disclosures lind. Rep.), ut Is es-
timated hv the governments engineers
that these eight Western states-Wash
ington, Oregon. Idaho. California, Utah.
Nevada and Montana-have $4,000. 900
horse power in their mountain streams,
Of which only 2.S per cent have been
developed The same states bave only
3 per cent of the country's coal, so that
1t has been necessary to ship from dis
tant states enormous quantities of
fuel"
Congress has had the question up for
ten years without reaching an agree
tells us, both Roosevelt and Taft We
toed water power bills because they
believed the measures meant passing
control Of streams over to private en-
terprises. They argued. and rightly
so; that>it was better to postpone de-
velopment than to hand over to nri-
Vate interests the nations birthright"
But, according to the same authority
| the present measure seemingly cives
the country every protection possible"
| for
1T provides commission consisting
| of the secretary of war, secretary of
| the interior and secretary of agricul-
| ture, which would be given complete
charge of water power. Grants for so
| years would be made by this commits
sion to private capital, such grants to
return to the government at the end
| of that period"
1T was our participation in the
| war" thinks the Salt Lake Herald
| Rep.) that called new and emphatic
| attention to the shortage of our coal
supplies and the need for hydroelectric
| power. The recent coal strike Still fur
| Their impressed upon congress, no
| doubt, the lack of wisdom of allowing
tremendous available water power to
go to waste while the industries of the
country were threatened with the ne
cessity of having to close down for
lack of fuel" The Portland Orego-
| man lind. Rep foresees great in
dustrial expansion" as the result of this
ample supply of cheap power" and
says the release of water power from
| the clutch of conserva tionists will not
come too soon to give the West good
| start in the race for world trade which
begins this year"
We are informed, too, by the Omaha
Daily News Qnd.) that the rivers
Of Nebraska could be made to furnish
light and power for every city and
farm home in the state in addition to
turning the wheels of the vast bulk of
our growing industries. Water power Is
bounty; failure TO use it is as criminal
as failure to till the soil of the fertile
| prairie"
The San Francisco Chronicle Und.)
says the development of water power is
| of particular Importance to Califor-
| mia. which is the important Western
Industrial state, but producing no coal"
Montana, too. is vitality affected, for,
"over 10000 electrical horse power is
capable of being converted by the mag
! nificent falls at the outlet Of Flathead
| lake" alone, and this authority points
out that ''it is in the interest OF the
| conservation of the fuel supply of the
United States that electricity should be
substituted for steam power wherever
this can be done economically
The Chicago Tribune CInd, Rep) also
| calls attention. to the fact that "sus-
pensions of coal mines and railroads
have shown us that there must be
emergency enterprises upon which the
nation may call, and 1t expresses the
opinion that with a system of cleo
| trification it Is conceivable that the
nations streams might do all its work
! water power means more factories.
| more suburban lines. and greater and
| CHedpST ulSlIlDuIlOH Oh ilPnl, neat ana
power. Hand in hand with a system OF
| fine highways, water power should
make this nation well-nigh invincible in
production"
While the great water power re-
sources are found chiefly in the West
| there are many Eastern streams capa-
BILE of large development. The Atlanta
| Constitution (Dem.) tells US that the
"hydroelectric power resources in the
vicinity of Atlanta" would "electrify the
Atlanta railroad yards and at the same
time place at the disposal of the indus
trial plants electric current to be used
"a clean city, a more healthful city, a
city vastly greater both in point of in
| dustry- and In attractiveness 1t is
learned, too. from the Albany Times
Union Oem.) that 1.-THE enactment Of