Evening star., 1934-08-05
Discomfort SEEN
ON DAM Project
Roosevelt Finds Western
Objection 10 Huge Sur.
plus of Power.
tcontlnusd rrom pIrst Pagel

-----~-----
tcontinued Prom First Page)
project has been the supreme hope Of
this region through the years and.
long before President Roosevelt en-
tered the White House, two competing
plans had been devised for bringing
this about. One Of these vas 10 draw
the water from the Flathead River
where Il bends into Lake Pend Oreille
and forms q natural reservoir In
Northwestern Idaho.
The second and boider plan was 70
dam the Columbia itself at Grand
Coulee and turn its water back over
its own huge and fertile basin. This
latter proposal received o great boost
the Panama Canal, came here two
years ago. and after a survey, declared
that the Grand Coules project could
and should be built
The point intended for emphasis is
that all consideration Of this develop
ment on the Upper Columbia had been
with q view TO irrigation. If electric
power was thought Of at all in connec-
tion with IL, II was only an incidental
factor.
Then. however. came President
Roosevelt In his campaign speech at
Portland. in 1882, declaring that the
Columbia River should provide the
next great ''hydro-electricr develop
ment. Needless to say, all the en-
thuSiaSm in favor OF this and other
projects on the Columbia was turned
upon the White House. beginning
early on the morning CT March 4,
1888
When the Government engineers
came 20 examine Grand Coulee, they
discovered that the carrying out OF
the reclamation project effectively
would require the 357-foot-high dam,
costing s172 200, 900. Secretary Of the
Interior Harold l.. Ickes bitterly OPP
posed diversion OF his public works
money TO this one project In any such
amount.
On the other side Of the argument
was Senator Clarence c. Dill, who had
been among the earliest supporters Of
the Roosevelt candidacy. Dill con-
tended the President was definitely
pledged to the Columbia development
and that TO attempt 1t at any other
point than Grand Coulee would be a
huge joke. He argued that at least q
beginning should be made and per-
suaded the President that some COM
promise should be worked out.
Army Urges Low Dam.
Then began a reconsideration OF the
project by the Army engineers with
a final result Of recommending a low
dam, designed solely to produce hydro
electric power, and 1t is this that the
steam shoyels now are beginning to
build.
The meat of the matter, from the
standpoint OF local citizens, is that
they want not power but more farm
lands and the present work does not
provide for this. Hence they are
shouting for expenditure of the $109,-
100000 more from the Federal Treas
ury which would be required to re-
claim the Columbia Basin farm lands.
And there is still fly in the oint-
ment. The western and more populous
section Of the State Of Washington
isn't for Grand Coulee at all. Both
Seattle and Tacoma have municipal
power and light plants, which they
have been trying to extend with hydro
electric power. Seattle particularly had
o plan for development Of q power
project on the Skagit River, for which
they asked $2l 100000 Of p. w. A.
money. They were turned down, for
the principal reason, 1t is said, that
all the change Uncle Sam can well
spare this region is being put into the
two great projects in Oregon and East
ern Washington, Bonneville and
Grand Coulee. So the folks on the
Pacific Coast line of Washington are
resentful.
Area In Dark.
One OF the reasons Senator Dill de-
cided not to run again for reelection,
1t is said, is the feeling of Western
Washington against him, because of
his sponsorship of Grand Coulee. Dill
comes from Spokane and has been
leader for long time on the agitation
in favor of the upper Columbia de-
velopment. He has not been as ener-
getic in supporting Seattle's municipal
plant.
AS for the big power development,
which the dam at Grand Coulee, as
now conceived, will provide, is i'm
possible TO find any one here who
knows how 1t is to be used. The cost
OF the power is rather high as hydro
electric developments go-about 3
mills per kilowathour-and there is
no market whatsoever for increased
current anywhere within a range of
500 miles.