New Britain herald., 1930-08-08
,n top, the electric power issue

ly President Hoover addressed a letter 10 the voters of Tennessee in which he advocated the renomina- ton and election of Representative B Carroll Reece, an outstanding advocate during the last session of Congress of private rather than fed eral operation of the Muscle Shoals plant. Other congressional nomina- tions in Tennessee were likewise af- fected by the power controversy.
 What to do about Muscle Shoals also is major issue in the primary campaign taking place in Alabama, which will be climaxed by the selec- ton of candidates on August 1o. And on that same date Senator George w. Norris, the leading proponent Of governmental power development, will seek renomination on the Re- publican ticket in Nebraska.
 On August 26 the voters of San Francisco will pass on proposed bond issue to acquire the local pub lie utility distributing systems which now distribute power from a hydro- electric establishment operated by the city at the Hetch- Hetchy gener- ! atlng plants in connection with the ! city's water supply system. Citizens Of Frisco are being told that. the | city being already engaged in the manufacture Of current, it can go a 1 step further and distribute 1t as we'll ! instead of as at present, selling 1t 10 a private public utility company for distribution.
 1 Wisconsin is going even further. ] Progressive Republicans in that state will ask for renomination on ! September Is on a platform calling 1 for a state-oNned supcrpower sys- lem These Progressives are opposed ! by the conservative Republican can- ] didates. And on the same day the proposed extensions of municipal / electric power enterprises may play an important part in the New York | and Massachusetts primaries.
 The State of Washington tends to 90 quite as far IS the Progressive . Republicans in Wisconsin, for in the Pacific coast state there 0ill be a referendum on November on a bill 10 authorize the creation Of "public-utility districts 10 operate electrical utilities. This bill, 1t ap pears. would make it possible for municipal plants to serve more ter ritory than the municipalities in which they are located; municipal. 1 plant in & district" would he en- abled 10 be the parent plant for the ! towns and villages throughout the i entire district thus putting the municipal plants on a par with the private superponer plants which lend 10 serve entire counties and states from centrally located plant.
 Due 10 the spirited snti-poUer trust activities of Clifford Pinchot in Pennsylvania, who for many years has sponsored 8 state-ovned giant power plant the power issue is also brought forward in Pennsylvania, where Mir. Pinchot IS a candidate for governor.
 Statewide primaries held in Ore gon on May Is gave a substantial victory for publicly owned pow q plants, when the Republican voters nominated George ". Joseph for governor Joseph was pledged to the creation Of a state-owned hydro electric system modelled after that operated sn Ontario. But Mir. Joseph died after the primary, and pre- sUmably he plan now IS somewhat in the air. And in Iowa another substantial victory for municipal plants was won on June 2. when the Republican voters nominated Dar W. Turner an advocate Of municipa
 power development, for governor.
 One judges from what has so far transpirad that wherever the voters have an opportunity 10 express theil sentiments on the power situation they quite consistently vote agains
 the power people. And this in spite
 Of the enormous effort at sub terranean "education" CT propa
 ganda that was shown to have beer
 carried out by the private plant:
 through heir national affiliations
 Only in the acquisition of municipa
 plants through purchase have thu
 private plants shown success during
 the past decade. In his 1880 message
 10 the Massachusetts Legislature
 Governor Allen said he had been in
 formed recently "an offer Of $500, 900 was made for municipal plan
 whose cost did not exceed s175,00o,'
 and any excess in the value paid fo
 q municipal plant must, in the las
 analysis. be sustained by the GUS
 toners of the purchasing company,
 In Nebraska the Nebraska PoWe
 Company sought 10 pay sl10,000 10
 municipal plant said to be Vortf