The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-08-19

power projects, especially since
there is not at present a single COM
munity or possible user anywhere
along the boundary east of Inter-
national Falls? There is then no
present plan and none in prospect,
so far as revealed, for the develop
ment of power at any point in the
entire region, in which the impound-
ing of waters on a wholesale scale
is to take place.
Significance to Fort Frances and
international Falls
Mr.. Backus did make one concrete
claim, which merits special consid-
Grafton. He asserted that Interna-
tional Falls and Fort Frances are
dependent for their future growth
upon making the power, which he
has already developed there, more
uniformly dependable. The only
trouble with this argument is that
the figures of the government en-
gineers, fully corroborated by Mr..
Backus, show that, if full advantage
is to be taken of the proposed adj
ditional storage, there will be made
available at these points an addition
of only TOO horsepower. That is,
me present 10000 horsepower, di-
vided between the two towns, will
be increased by about 31a per cent.
Moreover, since the hearing in 1925
Mr.. Backus has transmitted to Fort
Frances 10000 h. p. from his new
plant on the Seine river, thus over
whelmingly obviating, it would seem
any necessity for the paltry 700 h. p.
from this other source.
Alleged Benefits to Winnipeg River
What the increased storage en-
phatically will do, it seems, is to
augment the available power in the
Winnipeg river at a point entirely
in Canada $50 miles or more from
the scene Of the storage basins.
There, according to government
figures, on sites already developed
or capable of development, the in
creased power will amount to as
M, as $4,000 h. p. Mr.. Backus
did not say as much but the pre-
sumption is that his huge plant at
Kenora, Ontario, will be the chief
beneficiary.
Purpose Not Clearly Defined
The truth is that Mr.. Backus
quite naturally perhaps, has not ad
mitted the public to his confidence
as to his motives in seeking addi
tional storage on so vast scale
storage which is effective primarily
on the Winnipeg river in Canada
He would not, of course, seek sucf
changes without good reasons, but
| whether those reasons pertain pri
marily to additional power or tt
some other purpose does not APP
pear clearly in the record.
Monopoly Dangers Unlimited
1t follows almost automatically
one would think, that if monopoly
control of the waterways only
means of communication through &
| trackless wilderness given to one
man, the other resources of the re-
gion, timber and otherwise, are likely
likewise to drop into his pocket
From the point of view of the pub
lie that is certainly a great danger
Any canny bcsiness interest would
naturally hesitat to enter a domain
so completely at the will Of one
man, especially in view of the history
or similar control on Rainy Lake anc
Lake of the Woods. Timber pro.
ducts in particular are Dependent
for marketability upon the right
amount of water at the right time
for the so-called drives; and there
is no assurance that the interests OF
lumber companies and power con
Germs, above all those not as ."ciated
would coincide in this respect. A:
astute a man as Mr.. Backus nay
not be unmindful of that advantage
in a kingdom so rich in resources
and larger than Massachusetts,, Con
necticut, and Rhode Island combined
Who Will Pay?
For Mr.. Backus' eagerness to ere.
ate these new storage reservoirs
there is one other possIDIe explana.
ton, aside from the power advant
ages. This has to do with the mat.
ter of costs. At present, the two
governments, on whose initiative is
not clear, are bearing all the ex.
penses of costly investigation into
the power possibilities of this entire
boundary region. But, if they
finally approve the Backus plan
who will bear the costs of those
actual changes, not only the con.
struction of the dams but the dam.
ages to the property of individuals
corporations, and states? At the
hearing these damages, only in a
small pare reviewed, were shown to
run into many millions of dollars.
Government Aid for Private Project
Mr.. Backus's recommendation is
this. The two governments will pay
the entire initial costs of the con.
templated improvements, including
property damages, charging half the
amount permanently to themselves
and the other half to the various
power sites likely to benefit, includ-
ing those still undeveloped. Should
the undeveloped sites ever come into
use, the governments will then col
lect from the new owners their pro-
portionate share of the original debt.
Since Mr.. Backus so far has only ad-
mitted benefit to his own COM
panies of 700 h. p. at his present
dam on Rainy River, it is obvious
that his share of the costs is likely
to be, very low, especially taking out
the $4,000 which he SAYS he has