New Britain herald., 1925-01-16

100 years, petulantly opined that do- ing business with Congress was too slow to suit his needs.
 Senator Norris. Republican, of Nebraska, poses as the unherolc vic- tim of the Underwood victory. It was he who defeated the Ford prop. osition in the Senate agricultural committee after the House had passed favorably on the Ford offer, and it was his amendment for feder- al operation that was finally ditched In the Senate in favor of the Under wood plan. Senator Norris and the farm interests he nresumes to repre- sent probably would have preferred MT. Ford as lessee rather than some power company.
 No one need register surprise. how ever. that the Senate preferred the Underwood private operation plan to the Norris government operation scheme. The only surprise to regis ter is that the latter got as far in the Senate as 1t actually did, which can only be explained by the fact that the operation of Muscle Shoals has been bound up with the manu- facture of cheap fertilizer for the farming interests. which caused many senators to hearken to the wishes of their farmer constituents despite their antipathy to govern ment ownership.
 But if anyone thinks government ownership of vast power project is superior to private operation, he need only compare conditions sur rounding the use and distribution of power generated at Niagara Falls on the American and Canadian sides.
 In Ontario the governmentally owned system sells electricity to do- mestic consumers at rates consider ably below those on the American side. One reason is because the Can adian power plants, being owned by the government, are immune from taxation, resulting in a gain to the domestic consumer but loss to the taxpayer. The Canadian domestic rates being below cost, this is made up by charging higher rates for power consumers than prevails on the American side. As result, Can adian industries are at a disadyan- tage.
 In addition, part Of the cost of operating the Canadian system comes out of the pockets of the taxpayers through contributions from the On tario treasury; but in spite of these subsidies, the Ontario government has not been making provision for bonds as they mature, the sinking fund for this purpose being below the requirements. The burden of fighting this financial malfeasance will devolve upon future consumers or the provincial treasury, which means it will devolve upon future taxpayers.
 On the United States side of Mia gara the plants are privately owned but governmentally controlled: the i cost of electricity to domestic con- suners is somewhat higher than on the Canadian side, as the property being taxed, the tax is applied to rates charged to the consumers, making a difference of about ten per cent. The American rates correspond l to the cost Of the scrNlCe, plus tRe taxes. There are no contributions from the state; the income covers everything.
 Those who think, like Senator La Toilette said during some of his speeches during the presidential campaign, that the Ontario power system at Niagara is better than the American power system at the same place, will be sorry to see the Norris plan for government operation at Muscle Shoals suffer defeat; those who think the American plan at Niagara has some superior qualities over the Ontario system, will not worry. It is probable that the latter are greatly in the majority in Con- necticut and New England generally.