Evening star., 1936-09-10
POLITICAL DEBATE
BAN CUTS TALKS
At POWER PARLEY
Five u. S. Speakers Off
Program After Ruling
Is Read.
CONSERVATION is URGED
FOR NATIONS RESOURCES
Obligation of Government to Take
Hand if Private Interests
Fail Is Discussed.
BY JOHN C. HENRY.

Under a strict censorship against
political discussions obviously aimed
at American delegates, the Third
World Power Conference today con-
fined itself entirely to problems of ma
tional planning and conservation Of
natural resources.
The invocation against political con-
troversy was read to the session by
Maj. Gen. Edward M. Markham, chief
of engineers of the U. S. Army, who
was presiding as chairman. Directly
afterward, 1t was disclosed that five
American speakers had Withdrawn
from the program, for the morning.
Morris A. Cooke, Conference Execu-
tive Committee chairman and rural
electrifcation chief, later issued q
statement expressing deep regret over
the controversy.
Those who Withdrew were E. F. Scat
tergood, chief electrical engineer and
general manager of the Los Angeles
Power and Light Bureau; Robert E.
Hardwicke, oil engineer; ]. E. Pew, vice
president of the Sun Oil Co.; Edwin
S. Hall, petroleum expert, and Fred
A. Eldean, independent delegate.
Their action left only T. w. Nor
cross, chief Of the division of engineer
ing, United States Forest Service, as
representative of the United States
during the discussions. Six other
speakers appeared for foreign coun-
tries.
Two Papers Heard.
AS a partial basis for the delibera-
tions, however, the conference had
before it two papers from Stuart
Chase. economist, and Walter S. Fin
lay, jr, of the West Penn Electric Co..
on the matter of conservation.
Finlay, admitting the need of co-or-
dinated conservation, stressed the part
which private interests have taken in
the past. Chase, however, emphasized
the obligation Of government to inter-
vene in preserving resources where
private interests fail through lack Of
coordination.
Most solemn warning on conserva-
ton necessity, however, was sounded
by David Cushman Coyle, consulting
engineer, who declared e tangle of
inconsistent rights and powers Of sov.
ereign states" is hampering an essen.
tial task of the government.
Limit to Expansion.
'We cannot expand our destruction
of forests and soil, coal and petroleum,
without limit" Coyle said. "Un-
less we mend our ways and stop
living on our capital we shall not
merely press against the limits Of
subsistence. We are threatened with
crisis in which essential materials
will be exhausted and the population
will have to be drastically reduced
by war or starvation. Nature sets the
terms. we must obey or suffer"
Commentator of the European
policy of making the profit motive in
utilities subordinate to public service
was expressed last night by Frank
r. McNinch, chairman of the Fed
eral Power Commission, at banquet
at the Congressional Country Club Of
the International Executive Council
and the International Commission on
Large Dams.
McNinch declared he had found
rural electrification virtually 100 per
cent complete in several European
countries. America, he said, must
strive for a similar achievement
Big Banquet Tonight.
The big banquet of the week is
scheduled tonight, when all delegates
to the sessions will dine in an impro.
vised banquet hall in the outer wait.
ing room of the Union Station. Speak
ers Of the evening will be Secretary
Of Interior Ickes and Owen D. Young,
chairman Of the board of the General
Electric Co.
A corps Of AZ chefs is preparing
typical American meal of canteloupe,
Philadelphia pepper pot, Maine SAL
mon, Virginia lamb and ice cream.
Today's session found many of the
delegates still arguing with some heat
(See POWER, Page A-2)