The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-07
FlRsT-A WATER POWER POLICY

bama's congressional delegation pro-
tests against the present assignment
of Warrior Lock Seventeen to the Ala
bama Power Company for development
of water power shows that these men
are a unit in opposing a monopoly
in this great and important resource.
That there is soon to be established
both a state and federal policy with
respect to water power development
appears almost assured. The congress
men one and all stressed the vital i'm
portance of proper disposition of
Muscle Shoals, reiterated their EN-
thusiastic support of the Ford offer,
and declared their belief that the de-
velopment of power sites on the War
rior are properly conditioned upon the
program of development at Muscle
Shoals, both being federal as we'll as
state projects.
One of the most telling arguments
against present granting Of the appiI.
cation of the power company FOR Lock
II is the fact that the power com
pany already has many power sites
which it has not developed, ti1us lend.
irp color to the accusation that mo-
nopoly of water power is its. corporate
purpose. Of course, there is some
local disappointment over postpone
ment of projects of local Importance
depending upon the development, but
it must be remembered that postpone
ment of power development at Lock
II should be only temporary, and that
in matter of this kind the major
public interest should take precedence
over private interest of lesser mo-
ment All Alabama will prosper
through a wise and intelligent admin
istration of the states power re-
sources. All Alabama will suffer
through any unwise decision at this
time
In all this controversy the power
company should not be permitted to
forget that it's opposition to the leas-
ing of Muscle Shoals to Henry Ford,
project so dear to the people of Ala
bama, has served as warning to legis-
lators that they must be on the alert
to protect the public desire with re-
spect t4 cherished enterprises of pub
lie nature. The people have not been
deceived into believing that the power
company's offer for the Shoals project
would confer anywhere near the pub
lie benefit expected from Fol'd's pro-
gram. The people do not want the
power company to be permitted to con-
tinue to export power from this state
without first being subjected to such
regulations as will protect the indus
trial future of Alabama.
~Governor Brandon has declared
himself opposed to the principle of
monopoly of any of the states nat
m'al resources. That, of course, is the
statesmanlike attitude, and the people
can well Interpret that to mean that
Governor Brandon includes water
power as among the foremost and
most valuable of state resources. The
Public Service Commission, as at
present composed, has shown itself
ever on the alert to protect the public
welfare from selfish encroachment on
the part of corporations. There is
confidence that in the present emer-
gency the commission considers the
power question in its broader aspect
and that the commission will take no
action now calculated to commit the
state irrevocably to monopoly, or that
will in any way nullify any power
policy that will hereafter be enacted.