Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-25

continued from FlfSC Fa%eD
terests of the local public utilities,
supplying for many years the needs
of the citizens and the industries of
this metropolitan area. should be con
sidered.'
OBVIOUSLY duplication of electric
transmission and distribution systems
would be an economic waste and would
not be tolerated
Washington Comes First.
THE Board of Trade is opposed to
any plan of development looking to the
transmission of power to other mar
kets before the needs of Washington
and vicinity are first met. From the
remarks of the promoter at the hear
ing yesterday in Harpers Ferry, it ap-
pears that they plan to transmit the
bulk Of this power to cities other than
Wa shington.
Obviously the cost Of delivering
power to such cities would be greater
than power delivered to Washington
owing to the additional cost of trans
mission lines with additional losses
in power so transmitted.
1.-THE power commission should de-
termine the relative cost of this
Potomac River hydroelectric power
compared with the cost of electric
power now generated by large steam
plants in Washington, Baltimore and
other points of possible power de-
livery, since If there is no reduction
of the cost of generated power, GER
tainly then this development. which,
to large extent, will destroy the
natural beauty of the upper Potomac
Gorge, should not be made at this
time"
Chairman Queries Bowen.
When Mr.. Bowen had finished read
ing his company's formal statement
addressed to the hearing, Maj Somer-
vile. the presiding officer, asked Mr..
Bowen if his company would assure
itself that power could be produced
more cheaply by such a waterways
project before it expended any more
money on actual construction. Mr..
Bowen answered that it certainly
would, and added:
IF we can obtain power more
| cheaply than we can manufacture it
with steam, then we would not stand
in the way of any company proposing
| such a project, for if we could obtain
some power we could then allow our
consumer the full advantages of such
economy"
Maj. Somerville nodded and said he
merely wanted to bring out at this
time whether the Potomac Electric
Power Co. would assure itself of the
economic feasibility of water power
project before it would expend any
money on such a project. Mr.. Bowen
repeated his previous affirmative
reply.
The session at Harpers Ferry
brought out testimony both for and
against the project from citizens of
the several counties in that region.
with the discussion Ringing princi-
pally on the effect of inundatiug sew
eral large areas Of the surrounding
countryside by the building of storage
dams.
Park Issue Is at Stake.
For nearly two hours yesterday
afternoon citizens of several Vir-
near Harpers Ferry argued that the
sacrifices of those whose land would
be affected by the storage dams
would be out of proportion to the
good that would result from the de-
velopment Of the hydroelectric power,
which, they said, would be chiefly
for the use of distant centers.
Plans Not Yet Definite.
Toward the close of the hearing
other residents Of the surrounding
countryside declared they could see
no reason for opposing the request
of the Potomac River Corporation
for preliminary permit to prepare
detailed plans for the project, the
construction Of which would have to
be approved in another proceeding
several years hence.
Replying to the various objections
raised during the afternoon, Robert
j. Buckley, president of the corpora
ton. told those present that the COM
pany is not committed to any par
ticular plan and that If the diff
culties involved in the proposed
series of storage dams should prove
too great the company would have
to depart from the so-called Tyler
plan.
He emphasized that the preliminary