Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-05
By WILL p. KENNEDY.


~ ESPTTE the recent concern
over coal shortage. and the
~ alarm sounded with regard
to the IMPENDING shortage
Of oil. Uncle Sam finds he has more
power absolutely running to waste,
many times over more. than he needs
to turn all the wheels Of all the fac
tories that may be built for hundreds
OF years to come.
All that is needed to set this tre-
mendous potential power to work is
for Congress to spend less than $780,
200 In making workable the federal
water power act. rushed through in
the closing hours of the last session
and signed by President Wilson after
it was thought that the time limit had
expired and the business and indus
trial leaders had raised a howl of
protest.
New legislation is going to be urged
just as soon as Congress assemblies,
with the purpose Of getting prompt
action SO that the needed appropria-
ton can be inserted in the sundry
civil appropriation bill. which is now
being considered in committee. All
that is necessary is to amend present
law SO that the Federal Water-power
Commission can employ personnel of
its own to do what the act requires
must be done before any leases are
granted.
Meanwhile there are six specific
projects for which adequate capital
has been provided and where the pro-
jectors are ready to start digging just
as soon as they can get the federal
permits, which are tied up. About 100
others have already filed applications.
which are awaiting investigation.
O. c. Merrill, executive officer of the
Federal Power Commission, had a
| hearing on this matter before the ap-
Preparations committee during the
| last few days. He found the commit
tee sympathetic and interested, but
afraid that II the necessary appro-
priation were included it might be
knocked out on. a point Of order by
I some one member as altering exist
| ing law.
Appropriation Bill Drafted.
So a bill is being drafted which
will be introduced by Chairman Esch
of the House committee on interstate
and foreign commerce, who was joint
author Of the sch-Cummins railroad
Reorganization act and who fathered
I the original water-power act. I,
will be handled ia the Senate by Sen.
ator Wesley L. Jones Of Washington
chairman Of the commerce committee
! The exact amount required is $4S7.-
600 for the fiscal year ending June 80
1922. and authority to use the $780,
/, 600 already appropriated for the pay
! ment of salaries of personnel, during
the remainder of the present fiscal
year. It is expected and is the inten-
ton of the act that as soon as it is
functioning the revenues from the
operation Of the act will pay all ad-
tministrative expenses and It will be
l oSAA.o0PpoiIiiS. hC poWC SohAPoAiACs
which really pay the freight. are most
anxious to have the commission OBJ
tain the means to administer the &C,
| expeditiously.
| If the amendment is not put through
at this session it will set back the
entire water-power development pro-
gram another year. There is no dts
position on the part of leaders in Con-
gress to object to it's passage. because
they all realize that this is one OF
the biggest measures Of interior i'm
provement that the United States has
ever undertaken.
| Hundred Licenses Asked.
A survey just made by the power
commission for the appropriations
committee to show Just how much
business was awaiting the federal
| o. K. brings out that there have been
105 applications already for licenses.
The total horsepower in the first
eighty-nine of these projects is 7,72S.-
| 900. This is three times as much as
| the three government departments