Evening star., 1933-06-30
LAF0LLETTE BACKS
ST. LAWRENCE PLAN
Defends 1t Under Attack of
DR.. Mead Before Engi-
neering Body.

By the Associated Press
CHICAGO, June 30.-An attack on
the so-called stage" plan by DR..
Daniel w. Mead, for development OF
the st. Lawrence seaWay before three
engineering socitiets yesterday drew
sharp replies from Frank P. Walsh,
chairman of the New York State Power
Authority, and Senator La Toilette, Re-
publican, of Wisconsin.
Senator La Follette's statement. tele-
graphed to Walsh from Washington be-
fore DR.. Meads speech was delivered,
said Il am not surprised that Prof.
Mead should sponsor biased engineer
ing attack on the st. Lawrence seaway."
The telegram characterized DR.. Mead
as a recognized hard-shelled reac-
tionary" and said that ''it is also well
known that Prof. Mead has been close
ly affiliated with private power inter-
eStS."
Plan More Costly.
DR.. Mead said that the "two-stage"
plan on which the treaty, awaiting rati-
fication by Canada and the United
advantageous that the "one-stage" plan
He spoke before the power divisions
Of the American Society of Civil En-
gineers. American Society of Mechani-
cal Engineers and American Institute of
Electrical Engineers meeting jointly in
connection with the American ASsoci-
alton for the Advancement of Science.
1T will be very serious mistake and
q misfortune to both the United States
and Canada" he said.
The two-stage plan, DR.. Mead went
on. from the standpoint of power de-
velopment is deficient in value as
compared with the New York (one-
stage) plan by over S138,000, 900, and Is
far more hazardous in construction"
If the validity Of the findings made
IN his analysis of the various plans IS
established, he said, the value OF the
two-stage plan will be nearly S95,000,-
900 less than the alternate joint board
plan for a single stage development at
Barnhart Island. and at least $l54,-
100000 less than the New York single
stage plan
In reply Walsh stated that "in be-
half of the power authority of the State
of New York I wish to direct your at
tention to the extraordinary procedure
by which the country's great engineering
societies are being made to appear to
sponsor misleading propaganda. favor
able to special interests, regarding a
matter of the highest national and in
ternaticnal Importance"
Speculative Argument"
He said that Dr. Meads paper 'is
not an engineering analysis of the Off
cial plans. but highly speculative ar
gument which will tend to serve certain
special interests and to accomplish GER
tain political effects"
The New York State Power Authority,
Walsh said, first favored the one-stage
plan, but recognized finally that 10
year delay was the alternative to &C
cepting the two-stage plan. Losses from
this delay he said. would have more
than offset the losses Mead declared
would be sustained under the two-stage
plan.
Walsh stated Mead's paper contained
inaccuracies, omissions and mislead-
ing statements"
1T is matter of public record"
he went on, that power and public
utility corporations and allied banking
interests have repeatedly sought to
poison the springs of public informa-
tion in order to maintain extortionate
profits and prevent effective public COM
petition"
DR.. Mead denied all accusations Of
disseminating propaganda.