Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-01
CIVIC GROUP SCORES
SOMERVELL STAND
ION POWER At FALLS
Association Hits Statement
100000 in Resources
Would Be Wasted.
LETTER OF GEN. JADWIN
Is QUOTED IN ATTACK
Minority Opinion Claimed Saving
of $4s,ooo,ooo Through
Development.

engineer for the War Department, tina
| development of the Great Falls area 10
park purposes would cause 100000,
600 waste of public resources, TIT
American Civic Association, proponent
of park development, issued Statemen
today declaring lit would not be gooC
business to turn the river and its shores
over to power company at this time.
Testifying last week at the hearing
on the Capper-Cramton bill before thu
Senate District committee, Maj. Somer'
veil said the 500, 900 loss would re-
suit from failure to develop fully al
| phases of the Potomac River. TIL:
would comprise, he said, the "losS o.
power development, the cost OF bridges
and the loss to the water supply OF tht
| District, the loss of taxes and the cos
of navigation dams whenever nav1ga'
ton is undertaken and the conserva'
ton Of the coal, labor and transporta'
ton"
Growth" in Year Cited.
The civic association charges thai
the 500 900 900 loss is mythical and
that in less than year 1t has grown
from "a more modest 48,000,0 900 merely
by use of pencil and paper"
The $48,000,000 figure, the association
says. is taken from letter written n
August, 1929, by Mai. Gen. Jadwin
chief of Army Engineers. and at thai
time chairman of the National Capita
Park and Planning Commission. The
commission had favored acquisition OF
the area for park purposes, leaving an
opportunity for Congress to authorize
its development for power and naviga-
ton purposes should such course be-
come desirable. and Gen. Jadwin. in his
letter. was setting forth his minority
opinion in favor of power development
He claimed a saving of $48 600, 900
representing in the main the capitalize
ton at 6 per cent of estimated yearly
savings, dividing these sums $40 900 ,00(
to the District and $4,000 900 to the
two States and the country at large
according to the associations statement
Based on Five Counts.
The savings estimated were based or
five countS-the cost of hydroelectriC
power less than cost of steam, the elm.
nation of two bridges, savings in the
form of income taxes, navigation saw
ings and savings on preliminary treat
ment of Washington's water supply anc
value of flood-control protection.
Even at the lower figure of savings
as detailed by Gen. Jadwin, the asSo.
citation contends, the estimated saving:
on the differential in cost between thu
production Of water power and steam
power are extremely problematical. In
support of this position they call at.
tention to the recent announcement BY
the Southern California Edison Co.
long leading exponent of water power
that it intends to erect a steam plant
with oil and natural gas as fuel, anC
that its future concentration will be or
steam power.
Destination Of Sum Cited.
eff. however. there should develop
a slight savings" the association asks
will that savings be sure to find it
way into the pockets of the consumer
According 10 the association, the Poto'
mac River Corporation has stated thai
they expected to wholesale their power
to large users wherever they could f1nc
them, but they could make no promises
Of reduced rates.
eve might with equal impunity claim
that the cost of the free bridges woulc
be the sacrifice of the Potomac Vale!
to the dams, wires and power houses
of the power company" the association
says. eff this equipment should be-
come obsolete due to greater economy
of steam power, which is not without
the bounds of possibility, the futile
sacrifice of the beauty of the natura
shores of the Potomac would prove
a rather high price for two free bridges
across the river"
After similarly attacking the Other
points of possible savings cited by Gen
Jadwin, the association says, the COM
putations by which the Sac, 000, 900 have
been raised to 5000, 600 only add tC
the skepticism with which really care
full inquirers must meet these claims.
Asserting that there are certain fun.
damental issues involved, the statement
says:
IF city planning has taught us any
thing, 1t has demonstrated the impor-
lance of the public ownership of water
fronts by cities and regions. The
Cramton Capper bill provides for bring
ing both shores of the Potomac into
public ownership and control of the
Federal Government The increased
taxable land values in Virginia and
Maryland Will repay these States fol
their joint half of the total expendi-
ture to purchase and preserve the UNI
spoiled shores of the Potomac in q
natural park.
bill Safeguards Future"
IF the shores of the Potomac are
brought into public ownership and pre-
| served, 1t will be within the control of
Congress to authorize any other kind
of water development 1t may believe in
the public good and the Cramton bill
as it passed the House. safeguards the
| future by providing that the park shall
not be bar to navigation, power OF
other water use authorized by Congress
But to turn the river and its shores over
to power company, just at the time
when many experienced power experts
believe that steam power will superSede
water power uroer similar conditions
and allow the natura4 beauty of the val
! ley to be impaired, does not seem gOoC
business when it Is realized that the
damages brought about by dams, reser.
voirs, power houses and high tension
| transmission lines are such that essen.
tial park values are permanently
| destroyed
"The conservative organizations art
| interested in preservation of existing
| beauty with the development of wood
land roads as a part OF The outer park
way system. The handsome park prom.
ised by Maj Somervell does not meet
with the specifications of Frederick Law
Olmsted and j. c. Nichols, who have
spent their lives in learning how to make
| the most of natural beauty. The parl
offered by the power sponsors falls fal
short of the park authorized by thu
! Cramton- Capper bill now being cOnSid-
cred by the Senate committee.
| We cannot have the advantages Of
a marVelously beautiful Capital City
| adorned with stately buildings Of archi-
| tectural excellence and surrounded BY
| ever-growing residential environs at.
1 kra rfiY4U l4rVraA Nvvvaarn hAraiIEN 0f THAI