Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-05
MILLION WILL
FREE VAST FORCES
Appropriation Needed to Permit the
Federal Water Power Commission
to Operate.
to Operate.

primarily concerned with water power
assets-War. Interior and Agriculture
have handled in all the history Of
this country. OF this. 4.So0.oo is on
navigable streams. on which there has
been no improvement since 1910 under
the general land act. All Of the los
projects are to be developed just as
soon as conditions are adjusted so
that they can get the money. 1t is
estimated that it will cost on an aver
age 800 per horsepower, which would
make the entire business now hanging
on the $4s7.oo0 asked from Congress
at least $500. 900.
The biggest Of the proposed projects
are on Niagara and the st. Lawrence
rivers; the others are scattered all
over the country. The Projects al
ready financed and awaiting only
Uncle Sans license are: The Niagara
Falls Power Company, 100000 horse
power. which is q constructed project
and seeking authorization il does not
now have; and the following new
projects: The Ford Company, Hudson
river. $3.50 horsepower; the Crown
Willamette Paper Company. on the
Willamette river. 1900 horsepower:
the Alabama Power Company. on the
CQosa river. $4,000 horsepower: the
Southern California Edison Company.
10000 horsepower. and the Snow
Mountain Water and Power Company.
in California. Is. 900 horsepower
The federal water power act re-
quires aninvestigation in the case OF
every application to determine wheth-
er the project proposed is best adapt
ed to a comprehensive scheme OF de-
velopment of the water resources Of
the region. not only for power de-
velopment, but also for such related
uses as irrigation. navigation. flood
control and water supply. It requires
the commissions approval OF all
works proposed to be constructed,
whether navigation is involved or not,
and the formation of rules and regu-
lations for the maintenance OF navi-
cation and for the protection OF life,
health and property. 1t requires also
manifold duties in connection with
appraisal and accounting on each
project.
Commission without q Force.
To perform all this work Congress
gave the commission no personnel
other than its executive secretary and
engineer officer. but provided that
such work as it did should be per.
! formed through the personnel OF the
three departments, the Secretaries OF
which constitute the commission.
! Congress apparently failed to realize
that the personnel which had carried
on the water power work in the sew
eral departments had not been exclu-
sively employed on such work and
was, therefore, not subject to assign
ment to the commission without in
/ jury to the work of the departments.
! or to appreciate that the duties placed
on the commission were many times
greater than had ever been performed
=, by the departments themselves.
| AS has been shown, the first eighty
nine applications are more than three
times all the water power projects
acted upon by the three departments
In all their history. SCOTtS u Otuot
projects for which applications were
filed with the individual departments
under earlier acts will also be trans
| ferred to the commission. Some of
these projects involve developments
of a magnitude beyond anything
hitherto attempted in this country.
and will present technical and eco
nomic problems Of a characte" which
will require the commission to Sc
cure a personnel of highest training
and proved experience if it is to re-
deem the responsibilities placed upon
it by the federal water power act.
Power development has been dam
med up for many years. Now the
fioodgates are opened. The barrier no
longer exists, but the number Of APP
plications under the new act is an
indication of how great has been the
barrier. Congress has no disposition
to allow another barrier to be set up
by failure to provide for the admin
| istration Of the law it has passed.