Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-06-22
WATER POWER
LEAGUE OF AMER
lCA AT NEW YORK

New York. June 21-Napnf..,
ie's interested in the subject of vater
Po"er' from the standpoint of tho
consumer assembled here TODAY for
conference called by the water
ROVER League of America to discuss
the questions of power, power short
ee' cost OF fuel and amendments to
pe asked to the Federal Power Act
Inc League hopes to induce private
capital 10 invest in the enterprises of
water power development to relieve
power shortage and reduce the cost
Oh power to the consumer.
Inc Water Power League assaiIs
the workings of the Federal Power
ACT as detrimental to water power
development and asserts that the act
mas made it practically impossible
Tor private enterprises to engage in
THESE undertakings" The League
also asserts that the Federal Act has
taken from the several states all
| thelr rights to intrastate streams
within their borders and places them
! IN charge of the Federal Power Com
| mission, which is composed of the
secretary of war as chairman, the
| secretary of the interior and the Sec
| Rotary of agriculture. Also it is
| asserted that the act takes from
Congress the powers it has exercised
and also takes from the War Depart
ment the authority vested in it by
the Constitution and relegates these
| powers to the mission.
! Officials of the Water Power
! League assert that there are on file
at Washington today more than 20O
| applications for permits and licenses
to develop water powers. The total
! horsepower of these projects is esti-
! mated at more than 10000 600 and if
! they We're carried to completion it
would require several billion dollars
| to finance them. League officials
say, that without exception, all these
projects have been halted by rules
and regulations promulgated by the
Power Commission which passed out
| of existence March with the change
| of administration.
| The League declared that "Ameri-
| can financiers refuse to consider the
| investment of hundreds of millions
| of dollars in projects which are made
| uncertain by the vagaries of body
! of men subject to the changes which
! occur in American politics every foui
years" 1t is to discuss these fea
lures that the Water Power League
| has called the conference.
A statement from the League urges
| Congress to pass the Power Act to
create a body which would be able
to grant licenses to prospective power
developers and relieve them of the
! tedious delays incident to getting d
! bill through Congress for each pro-
posed development
The League announces its deter
! mination to make an effort TO break
! the deadlock in water power devel-
! opment in this country and bring
| about an immediate and general
| movement in the development OF
every ounce of hydro-electric en-
erzy i'm the country to the end that
waning fuel supplies may be con-
! served.
/ United States Senator Theodore r..
Burton. for years chairman or the
pivers and Harbors Committee OF
congress, is head of the advisory
council of the Water Power League.
The officers of the League are
Charles H. Ingersoll president;
charles r. Root. first vice-president;
Iobn n Allen. second vice-presldent;
and Frederick L. Long, secretary.