The Washington times., 1923-12-13
MEMBERS
PLEDGE
AID
Legislation Providing for
Plant Will Be Submitted
After Holidays.

A bill providing for develop
ment of the hydroelectric plant
at Great Falls, of sufficient ca
pacity to provide current for
lighting and power purposes for
the District Of Columbia and
nearby Virginia and Maryland,
viii be introduced in the House
Immediately after the Christmas
holidays, it was stated today by
Congressman B. Walton Moore
Of Virginia.
Bill Being Prepared.
The bill is being prepared jointly
by Congressman Moore, Democrat,
and Congressman Frederick N.
Zihlman, Republican, Of Maryland.
and is now ready except for few
minor points, Moore stated.
It viii be withheld, however, un-
til the House has been completely
organized. and Is on q working
basis, with the flood Of routine
matters, dependent upon the open
ing Of Congress, out of the way.
The fight for the bill will be
conducted along non-partisan lines
and It is hoped that 1t will meet
with the approval Of both partde1.
Tyler Gave ADDrOvaI.
Major Tyler, in his report, which
contains 200 pages Of detailed charts
and tables, declares that the Great
Falls project Is entirely practicable
and one which should offer no great
engineering difficulties.
He states that a hydroelectric
plant OF the type he recommends
make available electricity In suffi.
cient quantity to supply all the
light and power needs OF the Dis
trict OF Columbia and Of nearby
Virginia and Maryland.
This current, he estimates, could
be produced at less than half the
amount now charged by the Poto-
mac Electric Power Company.
Revival Of interest In the Great
Falls power project in the House,
II is stated, Is largely a result Of
the campaign for hydro-electric de-
velopment waged by the Washing
Herald during the late summer and
Ner in which the Tyler report was
Of consideration.
.Tt is high time something should
be done with this report" declared
Congressman Moore. There Is no
question about the power available
at Great Falls. It is there, and
1t is not being utilized. There is
tremendous waste of natural power
there which is absolutely unneces-
cary.
Rates Are Unreasonable.
People Of Washington and the
surrounding country are paying
rates for electric current that are
unreasonable and, IL 1t is possible
we are going to remedy this situa-
tion. which has already existed too
long"
Land which would be required
for development of the project on
both sides Of the river at Great
Falls. Is now owned by the Potomac
Electric Power Company, Congress
has been advised. The land Is held
in the name Of a subsidiary cor.
poration.
Two years ago the Potomac Elec.
trio Power Company sent repre-.
Fentatives before a Senate commit.
tee, which was investigating cleo
trIc power conditions in Washing
ton, to argue against development
Of water power. at the Falls These
representatives testified that such
an undertaking was impracticable
and unreasonable.
Why Lands Are Held.
Members OF Congress developed in
their investigation. however, that
only two years previously representa-
tives of the Potomac Electric Power
Company, at a hearing before the
Virginia State Corporation Commits.
sion, had testified that the sole pur-
ose of the company in acquiring and
holding the lands at Great Falls was
to developed it as q power source.
At this hearing, members of Con-
gress were told, the representatives
of the power corporation testified
that the project was entirely feasible
and desirable. 1t is the opinion Of
members Of Congress interested in
the project that the Potomac Elec.
eric Power Company is holding this
property idle rather than cut into
the high profits being made on its
coal-operated plant.