Evening star., 1934-12-24

Every OIlc SuopcCtS lllo ACCliAS 40
based on some personal past expert
ence. One yarn in common circula-
ton is that a member of his family lost
money on some power company bonds
which turned sour.
There may or may not be something
in that 1t does not matter. The real
roots of the Presidents present policy
may be traced back to hitherto un-
published experience he had at Warm
Springs, even before he became Gov
ernor Of New York.
Dickers for Rate.
In those days the Warm Springs
colony received power and light
through small local plant AS the
colony grew it was decided better serv-
ice was needed. Mr.. Roosevelt set
about getting it. He conferred with
an official of large Southern utility
company. After some dickering, he
was told the colony could be served,
and a figure was named which Mr..
Roosevelt felt was excessive.
The po,Cer Official contended it
uas the minimum dllo1ued by ldtD,
OuL WI LSNOoCCCtk oCSeoco ~ SoN'S
into it. He got in touch Uith an
engineer, 1Uho made a study OF the
cost OF building an adequate
municipal poUer plant at Warm
Springs. These estimates indicated
the community could be supplied
for lolUer figure than the poper
company Udnted.
The future President showed the
figures to the power officials, where
upon the rate estimate was reduced
Immediately.
You may find the same thing hap
pening on a much larger scale in New
York City shortly.
Suspect Trend in 1910.
The conviction thus formed seems
to have been strengthened by his ex-
perience in the New York State Legis-
lature, back as far as 1910. He was
strongly impressed by power company
efforts to block the st. Lawrence de-
velopment. Then, also, he had an
early experience in the Brooklyn Navy
Yard, while he was Assistant Navy
Secretary. 1t was just before the war.
He found the local power company was
charging the Government what he
considered to be an excessive rate. so
he built a plant for the navy yard.
What will happen If Mr.. Roosevelt
gets sore some day about the telephone
an interesting Christmas eve analysis
for you to work out privately.
The man behind the scenes, uho
helped to tUork Mr.. Roosevelt up
about the NeW York City power
situation, is supposed to be Ne1u
York publisher. At least insiders
give him credit for it. This pub
Usher once used the same tactics
in another Eastern city. When he
found the local public utility
charging him too much he ad-
Docated a municipal electric light
plant and Uhen the pripate COM
pdny failed to louer Its rates the
plant 1Dds built.
Differences Exaggerated.
Differences between the New Deal
and the White Sulphur business con-
ference program were widely exag-
gerated for political and other pur-
poses.
No one, including the best White
House advisers, expected business to
go democratic. No White Sulphurite
expected the White House to grant all
their suggestions.
Both co-operated backstage in de-
veloping an honest expression Of busi-
ness opinion without the usual political
bitterness For instance, the business
men asked for balanced budget "at
the earliest possible date" That Is q
lot different from balancing 1t now,
as Ogden Mills is demanding, and as
many White Sulphurite would have
liked to demand.
The sensible cooperative effort may
be ruined, however, by the clamor Of
liberals who always want to use busi-
ness men for pin cushions.
The correct tip on the situation was
in the fact that, among all Mr.. Roose-
velt's advisers, only Messrs. Hopkins
and Ickes ridiculed the business con-
ference program. They were liberals
not in on the play.