The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-07-31
BIBLE THOUGHT , ,,
IT oC rur A0IITHS OF BABES"
BLOCKING INDUSTRIAL DEVELOP
MENT IN NORTH CAROLINA

The Federal administration in Washing
ton has caused North Carolina the loss OF
a six million dollar industrial development.
This feat has been accomplished under
that federal bureaucratic control which
now afflicts and Expresses the country and
the case is one that affords an object lesson
in bureaucracy.
Government officials acting in this case
did so in such an autocratic, unreasonable
and indefensible manner that the public
should take note of what has occurred.
The Charlotte Observer covers the matter
in editorial discussion and we quote from
that newspaper:
"The Aluminium Company of America, which an
nounced few weeks ago plans being completed
for the building of a concrete dam and power
house on the Yadkin river, has abandoned the
project.
"And not Of its own option and will
at has been forced to this action by the Federal
power officials in Washington.
"The excuse offered from On High is that the
Yadkin river may some day become navigabe and,
therefore, the government must look further into
the proposed venture.
"Of course, the Yadkin river is not now, never
has been and never will become navigable.
"If these Federal power officials want some ex-
pert counsel on that subject. they will be able to
find it by looking through the files of the House of
Representatives for 1888 where it will be dscov-
cred as a matter of final and official record, that
Federal army engineers then reported to Congress
that this stream will never become available for
navigation.
And yet, in the face of such authentic and Sci
eAl...
Federal power big-wigs have Unanswered the Alu-
mnum Company of America into abandonment of
a project that would have meant vast deal for
this section of the South and especially for North
Carolina.
"This project would have involved an expend-
ture of S6,0OO,00
Hundreds of acres of land were being bought.
Contracts for machinery valued at 81 100000 had
been awarded. The company was ready soon to
begin the employment of hundreds of laborers to
work for the two years necessary for the compile
ton of the plant.
THE public has been given to understand that
the Federal Administration was imploring private
capital to come out of its hiding and get busy with
new and essential construction projects in order,
for one thing, to relieve the government of the
necessity of spending some Of its many millions
nually feeding the unemployed.
But when this company finds 100000 of its
own money which il desired to expend in private
development and through the spending of which
hundreds of needy laborers would be proftably en-
ployed, the same Federal government interposes an
objection, and without any legitimate reason which
has far appeared, resorts to the shameless sham
of escaping on the grounds that such develop
ment might interfere with navigation on the Yad-
kin at some time in the future-it did not say so,
W. - o,,y r \
5,S96.
"In its declaration of intention to construct the
dam, reservoir and power house. filed with the Fed
eral Power Commission the company had declared
no navigation would be affected by the project
There are now four dams Immediately downstream
on the Yadkin and one dam, High Rock, immedi,
ately upstream none of them being equipped with
locks. The company stated that the proposed prof.
ect would have no appreciabe effect on the stream
flow
"of course, this IS correct statement of the
facts as submitted by the engineers of the com.
pany as well as by the army engineers who looked
the same river over in 1888 and made their official
report to the effect that no navigation possibtie.
obtained on this stream.
Gwen the highly scientific surveys of keenly
trained engineers, however, is hardly needed tc
convince the public of the fact that the Yadkin i.
no more naygable than is Briar Creek or that there
Is no more likelihood of the stream ever becoming
nasigabls than there is that the Queen Mary vii
be seen some of these days cruising on the might,
bosom of the fve-foot-wide and foot Srd- a-hat
deep McAlpine and roaring up the branch that rum
by Pineville to dock.
''The case is a ppzzler Il there ever was one,
$50 much so, indeed, that it. suggests that tn,
Federal government officials who are responsible
for knocking this s6,ooO,o0o new project in tn
head are being inspired 10 cut of their own nose