The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-27
For the Good of
 the Community

U0ONFLICT is the zest of life between
 0 nations, whether it be on the bat tlefield in time of war or fighting for world trade in time of peace. Plentiful cheap energy derived from hydro-electric power used for manufacture of ex- plosives, munitions and supplies and to release man power for the army and navy in war time and to turn the factory wheels to enable success in competition with other nations for the markets of the world in times if peace is one Of the great est aids to success that nation can have. Extract from speech delivered Tn the United States Senate by Senator Wesley M. Jones of Washington.
 Senator Jones was discussing the water power bill which has passed both houses. of the Congress and is now in conference. It has been before the conference commit tee for several weeks, and is expected to be disposed of before Congress adjourns for the summer.
 Alabama is vitally interested in the water power bill. Upon it's enactment into law depends the further development of hydro-electric power and the utilization of long stretches of two of the important rivers of Alabama for commercial navi- gation.
 Something like 100000 horse power of hydro-electric energy is now generated in the state, and plans have been drawn, it is stated, for the construction of at least one other plant which will double the present developed power.
 Senator Jones in his speech in advocacy of the passage of the water power bill gave statistics showing that 2,122,000 horse power is now in process of being de- veloped in the various states, Alabama leading with 410,000 horse power at Muscle Shoals The completion of the dams under construction and to be con- structed at Muscle Shoals will improve 35 miles of the Tennessee river and open that stream to navigation all the way from Chattanooga to the Ohio river and thence to the headWaters of the Ohio, the Mississippi, the Missouri and other tribu- taries of the Mississippi, and down the Mississippi and through the Gulf of Mex leo to the whole world.
 Six or seven more dams in the Coosa river will make that stream navigable from Rome, Georgia, to the Alabama
 
 where it's boats will meet ships sailing to and from all ports of the world.
 Awaiting the passage of the water power bill is the construction of at least one dam in the Coosa river by private enterprise, and probably one or two others, which will more than double the present hydro-electric energy now de- rived from that water course.
 Also, with the passage of the bill, impounding or storage lakes or reservoirs will be built along the Coosa and the Tallapoosa rivers storing water in the rainy seasons for use in summer and early fall when the rivers are at their lowest stages.
 The building of one more dam and power plant will make available hydro-electric energy sufficient to operate all the existing factories and utility companies in practically ali of north Ala bama
 With the completion of the dam now under con- struction at Muscle Shoals, upwards of 100000 horse power will be generated there, and that will be sufficient to turn the wheels of every industrial plant in the Tennessee valley, with some to spare
 The enactment of the water power bill, there fore means cheap electric energy for Alabama in dustries and protection against floods in rainy seasons and against low stages of the ,ivers in dry