Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-13
e0UzENS SPONSORS.
|. POWER MEASURE.
legislation Would Place In
duStry Under Control of !.
Federal Government.
y the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press
Legislation to place the power indus
tr under the controlling hand of the
Federal Government was before Con-
ereSs today, sponsored by the chairman
Of the Senate interstate commerce. COM
Inittee-Couzens of Michigan.
The bill Is the second to follow
months of inquiry into and discussion
of activities OF the giant power indus
try and its relations with the Federal
Trade and Power Commissions. Gouzens,
a Republican, is the author also of an
other bill to reorganize the power COM
mission. and was confident today OF
getting both the reorganization and the
regulatory proposals before the Senate
this session. -
This is the first attempt to get the
big power interests under Government
control" he said 1T would extend to
power the same extent of control now
exercised over railways by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. and, in
addition. 1t would give to the power
commission authority to require reports
of securities and operations Of holding
companies"
Early Vote by Committee.
The, bill for reorganization of the
Federal Power Commission will be voted
upon by the committee at an early
date. Extensive hearings have been held
on it, resulting In indications from the
administration of reorganization OF
the present personnel.
The second bill, extending rate-mak-
ing control over the power companies,
came before the committee today, ana
Couzens intends to bring it up for con-
sideration in public hearings as soon as
the tariff bill is out of the way.
Enlarging the membership and tunc-
tions of the Power Commission under
the Federal, water power act, the new
Couzens proposal would empower the
Federal body to initiate inquiries and
revise rates in response to complaints
by power distributors, by State regu-
latery bodies or by reasonable number
Of consumers It would authorize the
commission to require regular reports
from all companies and persons affected
and to initiate remedial proceedings
when these reports showed need for
them. It would constitute the COM
mission of i've instead OF three mem
bers.
Cooperation with States.
Investigations and resulting orders
would be performed in cooperation
with State regulatory bodies, the bill
providing action by joint boards made
up of Federal commissioners and State
utilities commissioners from territory
involved.
The bill explicitly declares that fran
chises, as well as gifts or grants of any
kind from municipalities States or the
Federal Government, might not be in
cluded in property valuations upon
which rates to consumers are based. 1t
would make it unlawful for; any holding
company to issue securities without first
submitting to investigation and obtain
ing permission of the Federal commits
sion.
Stressing that the measure would not
interfere with State regulation of intra-
state power projection and sale, Cou-
zens said it takes up control where the
jurisdiction of the State cannot now
reach" He believes that the amount
OF power transmitted and sold in inter-
state business is larger than is gener-
ally believed and that investigations by
the central commission would develop
material with which State regulatory
bodies could work.