The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-06-24
By WILLIS THORNTON
fNEA Service Writcry

Washington, June 24-The Mus
 cle Shoals project definitely
 launches the United States govern
 ment into paths 1t has never trod
 before. It is not mere government
 production and sale of power. It
 is regional and social planning on a scale that scarcely Russia itself has attempted.
 There are details, too, of the, Muscle Shoals act which mark out new paths. For instance, 1t pro- vides that all members of the board (of the Tennessee Valley Authority "shall be persons whS profess a belief in the feasibility and wisdom of this act" No such provision has ever before been in- corporated in a federal law. Hith-
 erto the oath of administration has been considered sufficient.
 But this is an attempt to in- sure sympathetic administration. Surely it is not too much to ask that this project be carried through by its friends" Senator Norris, grandfather of Muscle Shoals" explained to the writer. "We have seen similar legislation virtually nullified in the past by administrators who followed the letter of the law, perhaps, but who plainly did not believe in what they were doing, and thus
 did not give 1t a fair chance"
 "No Politics!"
 The Muscle Shoals act also con-
 tains severe penalties for allowing
 any political slant to creep into tho | Hfetv nf fka 4A1s n{pnntnrQ l are specifically forbidden to have outside interests, especially power interests. Wage rates may not be les sthan the prevailing rate in the , vicinity as revealed by collective | bargaining agreements.
 States, counties. municipalities
 and cooperative organizations get first call on any power produced. Commonwealth and Southern has
 offered to buy all surplus power, produced. and hopes, in a recent
 report, that the government will not really build transmission lines and sell power itself, inasmuch as Commonwealth will distribute over
 It's present lines lat rates that will give full recognition to any savings made by the government in the cost of generation" This actspe- officially permits building of such lines, however, and 1t appears like- ly that the government will do 1t. But the really revolutionary side of the Muscle Shoals experiment is shown by the provision in the act for Surveys and general plans for said Tennessee basin and adjoin- ing territory as may be useful to the congress and the several states in guiding and controlling theextent, sequence and nature of development that may be equitably and economically advanced through the expenditure of public funds all for the purposeof foster ing an orderly and proper physi-
 cal. economic, and social develop seem to include practically any, thing.
 R00sevelt's Aims
 How far does President Roose.
 welt expect to go with public own- ership? His own words in Look
 ing Forward" are the best guide:
 "Let us be clear at the outset, that
 the liberty of individuals to carry
 on vtheir business should not be
 abrogated unless the larger inter-
 ests of the many are concerned.
 .t. do not hold with those who
 advocate government ownership of
 all utilities. ..
 ."As q broad general rule, the
 development of utilities should re-
 main, with certain exceptions, a function for private initiative and private capital. But the exceptions are of vital importance. ~. The natural hydroelectric power re. sources belonging to the people should forever remain in their possession. Never shall the federal government part with It's | sovereignty and control over it's | power resources while am presi- | dentof the United States"
 A Social Experiment
 Private utilities complain that there Is neither industry nor dense | population in the Tennessee Valley to use the power after 1t is gener- ated. The administration plan | seems tO be to attract both there l