Evening star., 1930-04-02
Col. GRANT SCORES
.SOMERVELL STAND
ON POWER AT FALLS
Engineer Is Mistaken in
$10o,000,0Oo Savings"
He Declares.
VARIED FLOW OF: RIVER
HELD OBSTACLE TO PLAN
First Cost of Installing Plant
Would Be Too High for Ef-
fciency, Park Chief Says.

Vigorous criticism of the position
taken by Maj. Brehon Somervell, Dis
trict Engineer for the War Department
for the Washington area, in his testi-
mony recently before the Senate Dis
trict committee, in hearings on the
Capper- -Cramton park-purchase bill,
was made today in a statement issued
to the press by Lieut.. Col. u. s. Grant,
Sd, vice chairman and executive of1icer
Of the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, with reference to
hydro-electric development at Great
Falls, on the Potomac River.
Col. Grant enters into q Critical ex-
animation" of the estimated 100000
600, which Maj Somervell told the
committee would be saved through
hydro-electric development at Great
River, IN line with a plan prepared by
the Potomac River Corporation Of
Wilmington, Del.
The colonel asserts that Mai. Somer-
veil is mistaken in his estimate of the
value Of the power development even
though he Is as sincere and as con-
vinced himself as prospector with a
newly discovered gold mine; but what
ever weight may be given by individual
opinion as to his estimates on power
values, he is certainly not an authority
ernment has the matured opinion Of
the Nations most experienced minds,
backed up and indorsed by an array Of
educated opinion and public spirited
organizations that have never before
been unanimously back of any measure
relating to the National Capital"
Gives Commission Position.
The position of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission Is that
the Great Falls area should be obtained
now for the George Washington Memo
rial Parkway, leaving the question of
power development for the future de-
termination Of Congress. Maj. Somer-
veil believes that the Federal Power
Commission should grant the Potomac
River Corporation of Wilmington, Del,
Q preliminary permit to explore the
possibilities Of power development In
the Great Falls region and he holds
that park and power development can
go forward simultaneeu eus1y, without con-
f1ict. The major says that it is not
question of park vs. power.
The text of Col. Grants rnercran-
an his statement before the SEN
ate committee on the District of Co
lumbia, Maj. Sonnervell, the United
States District engineer, appearing at
has applied for permit to exploit the
Potomac River Valley above Chain
Bridge, stated that the adoption of
such a park involves . waste of over
$100,o00,000 of the public's resources"
Just what this had to do with the bill
then before the committee for consider
alton III. r. 26), he was not able to
make clear, as the bill explicitly re-
serves the right of Congress at any time
fO aI AvNf rfaenf ff<va (E.,aa4
control or irrigation project 1t may at
any time find to be in the public in
terest. Indeed, the only Justification
he and the attorney for the power
company could urge was the fear that,
once the Upper Potomac Valley shall
have been acquired by the Government
and made accessible to the public, its
well known scenic value and its possible
tiles as playground for the public
strong public demand for its continu-
ance as park as to prevent power de-
velopment from ever being permitted.
However, 500, ,000, 900 is a large sum,
large enough to appeal to the imagin-
alton, and the fact that his statement
in regard TO this sum has been prom
mently featured IN some of the i'm
portant local papers seems to demand
denial Of the conclusion, or at least
. SAAOASeA4 CA0AAAAA4o4AOAA Va Az 4Cos AA4CAC
appear to be in this case an example
of one of the most harsh criticisms
made of us by British traveller many
years ago-'In America nothing sue
ceeds like excess"
Basis Is Hard to Find"
''The basis for the $100,O00,00O is
difhcult to find. I have added together
the headings in Maj. SomervelI's report
Of December 20, 1928, enumerated just
after he mentions this sum, and find
they total $77,000,000, although some
where else in the body OF the report
he mentions an item of taxes which he
works by recourse to compound interest
up into the sum of $150,000,00Oi On
the other hand, the amount was first
given to the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission as SCI 100000;
Continued on Page 5, Column %
nENAIIFnA