Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-28
CRAMTON PARK BILL
AMENDMENT URGED
BY POWER COUNSEL
Feasibility of Hydro. electric
Development Is Defended
in Brief.
CONGRESS SHOULD GET
ALL FACTS, FIRM HOLDS
Potomac River Corporation Repeats
Promise to Make Auditing Land
Available to Public.

Defending the feasibility of parks and
power development on the upper Po-
tonac River. the Potomac River Cor
poration today filed with the Senate
District committee a brief outlining
how it believes this could be ac-
complished by amending the Cramton
bill.
The Cramton measure, which has
passed the House, authorizes purchase
for park purposes Of both sides of tho
river from Great Falls to Mount YER
non. leaving for future determination
by Congress the question of whether
hydro-electric power should be de-
veloped on the river.
The substance of the brief fled TODAY
by Elisha Hanson. attorney for the
power applicant, is that Congress shouId
get all the facts contained in various
Government reports relating to power.
navigation and other phases of the Po-
tomac River as well as park develop
ment before acting on the Cramton
park bill.
Company Repeats Economy Promise.
The brief lays stress on the company,s
contention that when Congress two
years ago passed the resolution holding
up permits for power development pend.
ing furtner action, 1t intended that re-
ports were to be submitted on all phases
OF the question by Government agencies
before the taking Of final action. The
br1ef Celebrates on the statement made
Dy Mr.. Hanson at recent hearing that
II the power application Is granted. the
company could make the lands AUDITING
on the river available for park purposes
ana thereby save money for the tax
payers.
In conclusion, the company SAYS that
u all OF the facts relating to a combine
are obtained and considered hy line
senate committee, then "this applicant
IS willing to rest its case on its ability
TO show that its plans are in the public
interest and for the public benefit"
The. Crarnton bill" the brief states.
does not provide for park. II merely
provides for cumbersome method Of
obtaining lands to be held for future
PARK development If there is to be q
PARK, additional expenditures will nave
70 De made to create 1t. and then It
VIII not be recreational but a scenic
PARK. II such a park Is to be safe.
guarded against floods, great expendi-
lures will have to be made for Hood
control. Under the theory of the
Cramton bill, all expenditures other
Than portion of the original cost of the
land itself must be borne by the tax
payers of Virginia and Maryland. It Is
a matter of common knowledge that
these taxpayers now are overtaXed and
that such a burden would be an
impossible one. ::
Comments on Combined Project
The alternative to the Cramton plan
is the adoption Of combined park and
power project. The only loss to the
parks will be about 600 acres of land
between Chain Bridge and Great Falls,
which annually are flooded by the PoS
tomac and which could not be main
tanned as part of park without the
expenditure of thousands of dollars an
nually for the construction of food
control dams. These lands, under the
plan recommended by Maj. Somervell,
the District Engineer, would become
submerged in great freshwater lake.
The Great Falls themselves would be
preserved, and in addition they would
be furnished with regular supply of
water during the dry season Of the year
and protected against floods during the
rampages of the Potomac"
The brief points out that the COM
btnation plan would include free high
way bridges at Chain Bridge and above
Great Falls on top of the proposed dam.