Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1924-01-04
GREAT SUPERPOWER
SYSTEM SHOULD Be
OWNED BY PUBLIC
CONTINUED from Page u

January Is and II, at which time
measures will be drawn for intro
duction In Congress providing for the
national, public superpower system,
and ways and means devised for pro-
noting the movement throughout the
nation.
In the municipaI-owned power
plants the organization sees the nu-
cleus OF the great nationwide sysL
tenn, to which It is expected to add
the millions Of hydro-electric power
in the mighty rivers and waterfalls
of the country still undeveloped, as
the demand for power justifies the ex-
tension. It is believed that the great
power system will remake America
and our modern civilization. But II
this great power system is to be
built, the citizens can not wait for
ever before actually taking some
steps to take over the power re-
sources Of the nations, as the private
corporations are expecting to create
a national superpower system also.
and as there are only a certain num-
Der Of hydro-electric power sites Gre
ated by nature, 1t is a matter of who
first gains control of them. When
those power sites created by nature
are exhausted or exploited, there are
no more to be had, as they cannot
be created by man.
Corporations Active
That the private corporations are
actively at work trying to gain con-
troll of the power resources of the
nation is amply set forth by the fol-
lowing from Mr.. Thompson's article
1.-THE private power companies ara
moving heaven and earth to get these
municipality plants away from
the CITIES so as to build them into
their privately superpower systems
And scarcely a dds passes now that
they do no. boastfully announce the
taking over of some municipal plant.
sometimes e. several. Unsuspee'lnp
city officials, aisle, ) at the switch;
unaware OF the tremendous forces a1d
possibilities about them; in some
cases, perhaps, designing politicians,
too ready to sell their city's birth
right for mess of pottage.
But on the other hand rapid and
widespread awakening throughout the
cities of America is already stem
ming this tide and many a mayor
and city council and people are put
ting up a heroic fight to keep their
plant, or to build q new one, Cab
erdeen is one Of these cities) or to
buy out the one that is privately
owned. On the whole, the municipal
ly-owned plants are holding their own
or gaining a bit AS the significance
OF the superpower movement is bet
ter understood, the cities will be ever
more aggressive in developing their
municipal power plants"
1t is admitted by those that have
made a study of the power situation
of the continent tina not 'one-fiilh
and probably not one-eighth of the
total potential hydro-electric power
has been developed or rights thereto
secured, in other words the people
still own enormous waterpower re-
sources in the undeveloped stage.
Mr.. Thompson says that it is the
purpose of the organization of which
he is secretary to AROUSE the peo-
pie of the country before it is too
late, so that the cities, the states and
the federal government, operating to-
gether, shall begin a comprehensive
construction program of development
of the hydro-electric resources of the
nation, so as to unite and coordinate
them into great national system"
League Starts Fight
The Public Ownership League start
ed the fight for municipal ownership
of natural power resources and since
the fight was started have the sup
port of some Of the strongest organ
izations in America. Among the or
CARNATIONS actively supporting the
League are the Leagues of Municipal
tiles of California and Georgia, the
American Federation of Labor and
the International Association of Elec-
trical Workers, the Association of
Mayors and other City Officials of
New York, the National Grange, the
Cs'"1rnia Water and Power Act
Cal4paign Comittee, the Boulder Can