Evening star., 1924-03-10
PROPOSES LINKING
GREAT POWERS|TES
/. IN NATIONAL CHAIN
Bill introduced for JOINING
Shoals, Boulder and Colo
rado River Projects.
BIG STREAMS AND CITY
PLANTS ARE INCLUDED
System Will Pay for Self, Say
Backers-oppose Accepting
Ford Offer.

The linking up Of Muscle Shoals.
Boulder canyon and the Colorado
river in q great public superpower
system, functioning under govern
ment control, to produce and sell
electricity, fertilizer and nitrates for
explosives on cost basis and con-
servation and use of the nations re-
sources are the aims of bill in
troduced today in the Senate by Sena-
tor Norris, republican, Nebraska, and
in the House by Representative Kel-
Ter, republican. Minnesota.
Creation of a federal non-politicai
public service commission to Co
operate with the various states, nu-
inequalities, districts and other po-
litical subdivisions in the develop
ment of this system, with its mem
bers appointed by the President. sub
1ect to the approval of the Senate,
is contemplated under the measure.
The duties and function of the pres
ent federal power commission would
be assumed by the proposed public
service commission. It's first duty
would be to make a comprehensive
power survey of the resources of the
nation and determine the most eco
FelopinG the superpower system.
Propose Bond Issue.
A bond issue Of $500, 100000, as 4
revolving fund to carry on the initial
work and development, would be au-
thorized. Meanwhile, "the eleven
existing government-owned hydro
electric power plants on the irriga
in
ernm ment-owned projects at Muscle
Shoals constitute the nucleus of a
public Superpower system already TO
hand" a statement from the office OF
Representative Keller declares.
AND here, by the way, is a new
and very vital reason why Muscle
Shoals should not be allowed TO slim
out of the hands of the government
org. bartered away" the statement
continues. sit is tremendously inn
portant as one of the first units in
the public superpower system. Be-
in the governments hands, there arc
2,3lS municipality owned electric pow
er plants in the United States which
viii fit in most advantageously as
units. OF the public superpower syS-
tenn"
Jealousy of States.
THE various states will naturally
be jealous of their rights to the nat
ural resources used in developing
power. and especially so in the case
of interstate and international rivers.
These matters, however, will in time
be settled by interstate agreement or
| compact or by court decisions Mean
while the Norris-Keller bill makes it
| possible for the states to Cooperate
with each other and with the federal
| government 60 whatever extent is
| mutually agreeable, SO that the de-
| velopment of the public superpowe-
| system may proceed by negotiation
! and agreement.
! Heretofore Congress has appro
priated vast sums of money for flood
! protection, without any thought of
involve an investment every cent of
which and more will come back to
the government. The same dam that
protects the Imperial valley from
HOOD VIII irrfgate million acres OF
| desert land, and at the same time, it
properly constructed, will produce
| power enough to sell at low cost to
the cities and communities adjoining
to pay back every cent the govern
| ment invests in not more than thirty
] years. Similarly, the sale of power
| from the other great projects, whe ther
for irrigation, navigation or food
control. may be made to pay back the
entire cost of the development"
Concede Production Cost.
Declaring that only the govern
| ment can 'cut the cost of production
/ to the bone" the statement gives as
| reasons: The government can bor-
row the capital for from 4 to 5 per
cent. while the private companies
pay to S. That alone, on $500
o00. 1000, means a saving of $4,000, 900
a year to cut the cost of current
(2) The government amortizes the
capital account so that in twenty-five
or thirty years it is all paid off. That
means that ultimately this system,
on the basis of $500,000.0oO. at peg
cent. would save $4,000 00o0,and the
cost of electric service could thus be
cut accordingly"
board of the Westinghouse Electric
Manufacturing Company, ard Gray
Silver of the Farm Bureau are quot
ed to sustain the assertion that cleo
tricity could be produced more
cheaply.
Must Conserve Resources.
'Tt is not enough to merely con
oil and water power-we must uso
them. And If we do not use them,
they will be taken from us, of course,
just as Teapot Dome has been taken,
no more Teapot Dome scandal" say
these.
The Norris Keller bill is declared
to be the "outgrowth of the work OF
the Public Ownership League OF
America, in cooperation with Sen
ators Norris, Dill, Frazier, Howell,
La Toilette and others in the Senate,
and Representatives. Keller. Swing.
Wefald Kvale, LaGuardia, Sinclair,
and others in the House"
Responding to an invitation from
the House committee on the irriga-
ton of arid lands, which is consider
ing the Swing-Johnson bill, r II.
Ballard of LOS Angeles, Calf, vice
president and general manager of tho
Southern California Edison Company.
arrived in Washington yesterday and
expects to give testimony concern
| ing the Colorado river development
on Wednesday. He is registered at
the Shoreham Hotel