, 1935-11-22
Behind the
Scenes I'm
Washington
BY RODNEY BUTCHER
The Brownsville Herald Washington
Correspondent

UAANHBNAA4Ah
WASHINGTON. Nov. %. 49, Emo
tions will be decidedly mixed when
the electric power magnates and ex-
perts gather Tor the World Power
Conference here next September.
That's the same conference TO
which Owen ID. Young invited iii
ether nations five years ago when
il was held in Berlin. Or rather,
Il is and IL isn't In those days
Samuel insult was sufficiently p-w-
erful to try to censor a speech made
at the conference by American Am
baSsador SaCkett.
As the Roosevelt administration
-antagonized the power trust more
and more, and events shaped toward
a death struggle between the two
forces, the utilities grew colder and
colder on the idea OF having q World
Power Conference in Washington IN
the middle of the election campaign.
And the American committee OF
the conference "a continuing BODY,
made up OF utility men. just folded
I'D and wasn't going 20 have any.
Then the administration Sneaked
through congress a resolution u
thorizing SIS. 900 Tor holding the con-
ference and Huey Long fllibustered
the appropriation to death and the
administration went right on plan
ming for the conference.
But this conference instead OF be-
ing operated by the utilities them
selves, will be largely dominated by
officials and experts Of IVA, Rural
ElectriIicati0n Administration, Ma
tional Power policy Committee, SEC
which is 70 regulate holding COM
panies - Federal Power Commission
and other groups.
New Dealers Steal Show
Instead Of mere dry discussions OF
technical problems, this conference
will discuss controversial economic
phases OF power. such as rates and
public ownership.
Planners Of the conference are 50
radical that they're even going 70 In
vite representatives OF labor and the
consumer to sit in on the show.
What makes the utilities maddest
is that they can't quite see how 70
avoid invitations TO sit on commit
tees and otherwise participate In
what they fear will be a big parade
Of the fruits Of the New Deal pow
or policies.
Distinguished foreign guests will
have TO be taken around to iva and
Boulder Dam. as well as TO private
plants. Plans call for free discus
sion and presentation OF both sides
Of all issues. but key speeches will be
made by government officials and
most power magnates can't see how
the conference can be anything less
than a big boost for the New Deal
and a headache for themselves.
Seems As II NOthng's New
One Of the easiest things to do.
ii you have the time. Is to find early
historical parallels for almost any
modern-day radical proposal that
comes along.
Take the export bounty for surplus
farm crops. which some Republicans
are considering as an alternative for
the present AAA program.
This country began that sort Of
thing al a tender age in 1889. The
1rst tariff bill provided a duty Of
6 cents a bushel on salt, TO encour-
age a domestic industry.
That was very tough on New Eng
land. which was doing n big business
shin ling salt fish. So what they did,
by way Of compensation, was to give
the Goldfish industry an export boun-
ty which amounted to from 500 70
$3.50 a year for each fish boat. That
sort of thing went on right UP to the
Civil War.