Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-17
Washington Ticker
BY CLINTON COFFIN.
Associated Press Financial Writer.

A most marvellous and daring hydro
electric project, planned by Dexter
Cooper, an engineer of more than ma
tional fame in his field, and adequately
backed by capital for the utilization OF
the North Atlantic tides in power
production is facing serious hostility
this Summer. A series of semi-gov-
ernmental negotiations between people
interested in the scheme, Federal Fish
cries experts, and the representatives Of
the Canadian province Of New Bruins
wick, whose fishers represent the CHIEF
opposition, haven't yet cleared the way
for a trial of the vast enterprise.
Though the immense power POSSIBLE
tiles in the ceaSeless ebb and flow Of
ocean tides has appealed to the imag-
ination of men for centuries, practical
schemes for the economic utilization or
a worth while scale have been few in
deed. None of them interested man.
ayers of capital until Cooper published
his plan for Harvesting the sea cur
rents at PaSsamaquoddy Bay. way up In
the northeast corner of the United
States, between Maine and New Bruins
wick. There, where the tides rise and
fall SO feet day, and natural con-
hguration aids the designer tremendous
ly, he projected the cunning linking OF
series of pools, each with many square
miles of surface, so arranged that by
automatic gates and dams, the ire
menoouS tides would be kept falling
through in one direction, spinning the
wheels of properly arranged turbines en-
route. Literally, he proposed to set the
moon at the job of lighting cities and
driving factory machines through a
whole territory, and the hard-headed
citizens of Maine, after a campaign OF
explanation and testing, voted him al
most unanimously the right to use their
jagged shores. The theoretical total of
horsepower available is almost fabulous,
but doubts on the ground are few, since
the engineering research and plan are
most respectfully Endorsed.
But the carrying out Of the Cooper
scheme must necessarily result in alter
ing the entire natural environment for
fish over hundreds of square miles Of
bay and inlet, and the New Brunswick
fishers, a most conservative people, are
proving hard to satisfy. The last meet
ing, on July "a, of the North American
committee on fisheries investigation
which includes officials of the United
States. the Dominion and the Canadian
province most upset. was somewhat IN
conclusive. Backers Of the Cooper
project are apparently willing to pay all
damages within reason, if any estimate
can be put upon these, but the fishers
are certain that these bay waters the
scheme would impound are the abso-
1utely needed breeding ground for a lot
of food fish. They fear that If Passama-
Quoddy Bay is turned into a damned
and controlled channel for the simple
one way rushing of sea tides, fish schools
for hundreds of miles to seward will
be deprived of their spawning ground.
Experts aren't ready to pronounce a
verdict on what the fish need until more
investigation is allowed, and the COM
mittee session was merely able to CON
slider the character of Investigations
that should be undertaken to provide
needful data and the facilities re-
CURED" The tidal power project may
have to wait, but Is in no danger of
being forgotten. This Maine seascape
has been proven by the Cooper investi-
cations to combine. as perhaps no other
spot on the globes surface does. all the
necessary factors for getting the moon
seriously on the job.
Commercial air passenger transport
now that American experience in it has
become extensive enough to disclose the
data, is developing some idiosyncrasies
After some years of planning, railroads
and air people got the transcontinental
air transport going on the theory that
the real commercial demand was for
long distance movement of passengers
Though six weeks of regular operation
on coast-to-coast passenger movement
is perhaps too short time for definite
half the travel was going to be rela-
lively short distance. The figures avail
able are pointing that way.
so far, I estimate that but 30 pei
cent of our patrons travel the full dis.
lance from one coast to the other,
Paul r. Henderson, operating vice presl'
dent Of the T. A. T. service, said. 1.-THE
balance is made up Of people taking
much shorter trips. On each day.
trip the planes land several times 10
fuel and inspection, and we are having
passengers out and in at every stop"
If this proves to be the habit of thu
air travelling public, air equipment, like
railroad equipment, will be running
only partly at capacity all OF the time
Taking the last weeks record, the I
A. T. planes ran at only 48 per cen
of passenger capacity, though on
part of each typical journey all space
I'VE expect that percentage to grow
higher" Mr.. Henderson commented
especially since the capacity sold TO
the first month was only about 20 pc
cent. However, in railroad passenge
service it has been demonstrated tina
during the busiest period only 30 pc
cent Of the carrying capacity OF train
is regularly utilized"
Cuba, in view Of low prices for he
great crop. sugar, is now engaged u
encouraging the production Of Ameri
can types Of rice. Commercial Attach
Todd at Havana expresses the eStlmat
in q letter to this Government tina
Cuban grown rice this year will amour
to $4,000 tons, against $500 tons grow
last year.
'This development should be {
definite aid to United States TIC
growers" the Todd report added, "a
It Is estimated that the maximum pos
sible production within q few years cal
be hardly more than 10 per cent
the Cuban consumption. The introduc
ton of American rice varieties shoul
have tendency to popularize them u
consumption"
This weeks Federal reserve account
ing disclosed the expected amplihcatio
Of the central banking systems sec