The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-29
UTILIZE POWER TO CAPACITY

ing out for Muscle Shoals and in assert ing that this power was essential to sup ply its demand. The Age-Herald at that time called attention to the fact that the Alabama Power Company had an imr mense potential of undeveloped power in the sites already yielded to it under the federal water-power act. This news paper held that the power company had not made fullest use of it's sites by prop erly enlarging the scope of its dams and by making due provision for the im- pounding of stream waters. It was fur ther shown that much valuable horse power on streams already under devel- opment by the Alabama Power Com pany was being lost through lack of pro- vision for conserving it. The company was therefore called upon to develop it's holdings to their reasonable capacity and not to seek to monopolize further sites in defiance of the public interest.
 It is encouraging therefore to note that the power company has sought and obtained from the Alabama Public Serv- ice Commission the authority to expand its development program on the Talla- poosa river so as to utilize far higher percentage of the potential energy of the river. To those who have some idea of it's significance, the proposal alone to in- crease the height of the dam at Cherokee Bluff from the original 120 feet to 15O feet means a tremendous increment of power that under the previous plan would have been wasted. And such situation would have been further regrettable in that a construction once completed, if inadequate, is apt to remain fixed for a great many years, during which the sac rifice of water power continues. It should be noted carefully in this connec- ton that Messrs. B. M. and M. R. Hall in their survey of the water powers of Alabama, page 37S, place the possible height of an effective dam at Cherokee Bluffs at 1SO feet. Thus dam 30 feet higher than planned would not be in1- practicable.
 To the layman some idea of the im- portance of the enlargement of this proJ- ect is gained from the fact that the waters thus impounded will cover an area of from forty to fifty thousand acres, forming, it is reported, the largest arti- ficial body of water in the world. The fact that, but for the voluntary change in the power company's plans, much of this energy would have been lost en- phasizes the necessity for a definite water-power policy for Alabama, such as the influence of the power company de- feated in the last legislative session. The Public Service Commission, in granting the revised certificate of convenience and necessity for the enlarged Tallapoosa projects, expressed it's intention of pro- ceeding to the outline of a water-power policy within the general authority con- ferred upon it by the statutes. lnasmuch as the granting of certificates for water power development lies solely within the authority of the commission, it's pro cedure along this line may well be guided by principles conservative of the public right in the premises. One of the first items in this policy would be demand that the full potential of the water energy of the streams be either developed or ultimately contemplated in the plans of the applicants for certificates.
 Not only did the Alabama Power Com pany oppose the enactment of suitable water-power policy for Alabama, but it is credited with having helped to cause the defeat in congress of measure pro viding that the federal water-power com mission, before granting any water power petition, should make a survey of the proposed site or sites and find out whether such grant would affect the pub lie welfare favorably or unfavorably. Such. a survey would have doubtless taken in the full potentiality of the site or sites concerned, and would have made the way easier also for the state commits sions, who would thus be in more com plete possession of information on these vital points. Such influence as the power company has sought to exert in state and national legislation is not only highly improper, but is directly subver- sive of the public welfare. In order to combat this improper, privilege-seeking influence, the people of Alabama must choose for their lawmakers only men known to have no affiliations with and to be acting in no employment capacity for interests desiring legislative favors.
 In the meantime, the Alabama Public Service Commission may well protect the public welfare in this state by demand ing full facts as to the water-power pos abilities of every site, and to require that all partial construction, or construc- tion contemplating immediate use of only part of the potential, shall be planned in such a way as to facilitate later expan- sion to the full capacity of the watershed when power needs so require. Such