The Alaska daily empire., 1922-08-24
MUCH POWER IS APPLIED FOR IN COASTAL ALASKA
Applications Cover lI9,000 Horsepower Commis-
 sion Reviews Career.

In the two yc1rs 1ince the creation of the Federal Power Commission applications have been made to it for temporary licenses :o develop a total of 19,00O horsepower from sites in Alaska. according to records of the District Forest Service headQuar-
 ers here. which represents the Fed oral Power ComM. ssion in the Ma -ional Forest regic1s of Alaska Of he total, applications for the de velopment of 101 ,500 horsepower in Southeastern Alaska and 17,500 horsepower in Central and South western Alaska coast districts have been made Forest Service records also show 10 be developed and in operation in Southeastern Alaska 32,500 horsepower
 Task Is Immense
 The Federal Power Commission is composed of the Secretary of War chairman; the Secretary of the In terior and the Secretary of Agricul- ture O. C. Merrill is Executive Sec retary of the Commission and in active charge of the work. The Com. mission in a bulletin issued recently reviewed .l.s operations since it was created in July 1920. I2 this it said:
 "A review of the work of the Fed eral Power Commits sion during the two years of it's operation clearly indicates the practical value of the Federal Water Power Act and the task confronting the Commission Due to the many years delay in se- curing adequate Federal Legislation, it was but natural thGt flood of applications should have followed i'm n,ediately upon approval of the act. Nevertheless, during it's second year, 1here have been filed with the Com mission applications aggregating a net total of 6.O00,000 horsepower of proposed installation. This amount, tdded 10 the applications of the pre- ne1ing fiscal year. make grand total of 32l, involving in excess of 10000, 900 horsepower This amount S more than twice the existing water nower install1ft.on of the United States Ii exceeds the combined DO fential water-power resources of Nor way. Sweden. Finland and the Arctic end Baltic dr1in'agcs Of Russia-the thief wator-rower region of Europe. It is nearly twice the combined re- sorrces Of France and Italy. It is more thaa six. times the aggregate of all applications for power sites under Federal control in the preced, ing 20 years.
 "Nearly one half Of the aggregate If 20.000. 900 horsepower is represent d by applications upon the St. Lawr- srce, Columbia and Colorado Rivers. nron which. in general. action has been suspended. The St. Lawrence involves international relations and may require a trelty before action ean be taken The Columbia is un Ter investigation by a special board 10 datrmine, before applications are approved. the relation between water powcr, irrigation and navigation upon that stream Action on the Colorado River IS awaiting the findings of the Colorado River Commission. an or garization authorized by act of Con gress for the purpose of negotiating 2 between the States within the Colo rado basin a compact. in accordance with which the waters of the river may be apporioaed among these states.
 Investigation Required
 By Hhe terms of the Federal Water Power Act the Commission is required to investigafe all projects applied for to determine whether the -tructures are safe and properly de- signed and whether full utilization will te m1de of the resources of the stream. It is required to make valu st .ons of all properties licensed un- der the act and constructed prior to the issua1ce of license. When declarations are filed of intention to construct dams in streams whose navigable status is doubtful it must investigate and determine whether the irtcrcsts of interstate or foreign commence would be affected. It must
 
 invest igate and pass upon applica' tions for restoration to entry of lands within power-s.te reserves. Ii is re ulf;red to establish system Of ac' counting to be applied to the opera' lions of it's licensees and by means of which the net investment in the properties may always be known. II mrst assume ultimate responsibility for seeing that licensed projects are nroperly msSntaEne1T and that ade auate deprecia'.on reserves are es tablished. It has already had many sfsstcult admi1l-trativ ant legal problems to meet Tn the interpre.a tion of the act, and 1t must be pre- pared 10 assist in the defense of the act before the courts.
 Personnel Is Lacking
 "To perform the greatest task with respect to water powers that. the gov ernment has ever had. Congress gave ,he Commission no personnel other than it's executive secretary and en einccr officer, brt obliged it to Dor row fer its work such personnel as the depar.ments could spare ana
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