The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1921-09-08
WHY FEDERAL AID NEEDED
lPendIeton East oreEonlan.l

awaken. to the great opportunity open
20 the people Of the northwest through
development Of hydro electric power in
the Columbia basin.
Strangely enough the Portland paper
tries TO discourage the Umatilla rapids
project on the ground that that project
would develop too much electric power.
Its editorial sets forth that the eontIn-
uous power that may be developed at
Umatilla rapids would more than suf-
fee to operate all the railroads Of Ore
gon and Washington. that It would pro-
duce more power than is now used In
the entire Portland district and that
the secondary power that may be de-
yeloped at the rapids would be greatly
in excess Of what is needed for irri-
cation pumping.
If those facts are true they constitute
an argument for building the project
not for delaying construction indehn-
itely. The building of great power
plant such as this would mean cheap
power because the cost per horse pow
er would be low. Then the availability
of cheap power would automatically
broaden and enlarge the market. The
Oregonian is mistaken in its estimate
Of the present power market of the.
northwest. 1t errs through figuring on
the market for high priced electricity.
Naturally the market for such power is
limited. There would be limited mar
ket for bread If bread had to be sold
at 25 cents an ounce. There would be
no demand for railroads II railroad
charges were prohibitive. There woulS
be very little demand for Sunday news
The comparison could be carried on
Indefinitely but it is not necessary. The
mistake Of the Oregonian is SO palpable
that it scarcely needs exposure. ALI in
telligent men and women know that
electricity is not being used as 1t coulu
be used 1t is used not at all in Oregon
for heating purposes though in Taco
ma a municipal electric plant makes
home heating possible. Electricity is
not widely used for cooking and in only
the more fortunate homes is it used
to do the washing, ironing and sweep
ing. 1t is conservative to say that cleo
uicity is not being used for one TWEEN
tieth part of the work 1t would be call
ed upon to do were cheap power avail
able. 1t is idle for any one to talk
about lack of market for power in the
northwest if cheap power can be had
The Oregonians editorial quotes IAN
engineer" as saying that only 114,000
acres Of land is subject to irrigation
through pumping from the Columbia
This is evidently a low estimate, be-
cause there are government and state
reports showing a much larger acreage
as subject to irrigation by pumping.
But even $4,000 acre pr0ject would
be no small affair. 1t would be bigger
than any present project in Oregon.
Such project would add over $4,000
900 to the assessment rolls of the coun-
ties affected. thus reducing the tax bur-
den on present property.
One might suspect that the Oregon
ian does not want a great power pro-
ject built because such an enterprise
would reduce electric charges and thus
cut dividends of electric companies now
in the field. But the Portland paper
is anxious to have the federal govern
ment spend millions improving the Col
umbia channel to Portland SO as to
facilitate water competition against the
railroads and incidentally build up
Portland trade. If such federal aid is
justifable for Portland, why is not fed
eral aid for an interior project a good
thing also?
Furthermore the Oregonian supports
the federal reclamation policy whereby
the United States government has ex-
pended many millions watering arid
land that is now competing with pri-
vately developed land. 1t is probable
| that the price of alfalfa today would
production been vastly increased in the
last ten years through government re-
clamation of land Yet at time when
alfalfa growers find their product a
drug on the market the Oregonian ur-
ges federal policy under which $780,.
| 100000 more of federal money will bs
used to finance new irrigation work
Where is there any logic in asking tbs
government to finance competition with
| farmers and then shy at asking fedora
help on power projects II it is gooC
public policy to reclaim waste land why
is it not good public policy to reclaim
waste water power?
The oregonian says it is mot vair
hope" that private capital will develop
power on the Columbia. Private capita
may do so sometime but it will not bs
on very large scale. The private ell
ectric companies naturally want lin
tied supply of power SO that the powel
they have can be marketed at good fig
ures. Private power companies want {
sellers market while the public need Il
for buyers market There is a wei
known community Of interest among
the power corporations and that un
derstanding works against the building
of projects that would reduce prices. l
private electric interests develope,
power at umatilla rapids they woul,
have mammouth supply of low price,
power, Through regulatory laws nov
in effect they would have to sell tina
power at a price based on the produc
ing cost which would mean to Gu
northwest power prices to one-half o
one third what is now charged. May W
reasonably expect the electric corpora
tions to do that? Certainly not and n
practical man expects it. Furthermor,
a project like the Umatilla rapids pro
ject is too big for private financing
The reclamation feature is too big 70
any private concern to succeed wit
and private capital certainly cannot b
expected to devote its energies to In
proving the navigability OF a rive
That is distinctly a government tasl
just as much so as channel improve
ment on the lower river. Eastern Ore
gon is not protesting against the us
of federal money for bettering tn
, channel to Portland, why should Port
land paper argue against federal al
, for an Eastern Oregon enterprise c
, similar merit?
II Columbia basin power Is develope
on big scale as 1t should be II will
done through federal aid or throug
ot