The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-12-07
IN ACTION HALTING
DEVEL OPMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA


Governor Hoey has issued what the news
reports term a strong statement dealing
with the Federal Power Commissions
claim, of federal jurisdiction over the Yad-
kin River, Us q uavigable stream, and the
action for0iddmg the construction Of
dam on that river near Tuckertown, pre-
liminary to an additional $6,0O0,0OO indus
trial DEVELOPMENT by the Aluminium Com
pany of America.
The Governor says the action Of the Com
mission cannot be sustained by the law or
the facts" in this case; and proposes that
North Carolina contest the action Of the
Power Commission. II is said that the
Attorney General of North Carolina will
move to get relief for the Aluminium Com
pany and remove this bureaucratic OBJ
struletion to the industrial development OF
this State.
The case of the development at Tucker
town has been discussed in detail in the
press and the issue may be summed up
by saying that the Aluminium Companys
plans for expansion of it's industry located
in the central section of the State include
the building of dam on the Yadkin River
near TuCkertown. This is preliminary to
total program of expansion, construction
and development which it is estimated will
cost six million dollars.
; The Power Commission claims federal
Jurisdiction over the Yadkin River as
nayigable stream and says the Aluminium
COMPANY cannot build the dam without
is permission. If the industry submits to
his claim of bureaucratic control it will
thereby become subject to the arbitrary
federal restrictions imposed on develop
acnts on navigable streams. The Alumi-
MIN Company refuses to voluntarily place
Is neck i'm the bureaucratic moose.
Every person familiar with the Iadkin
River and that section of North Carolina
knows that the Power Commissions con-
tsntion that the river is a navigable stream
IS fiction and an abSurdity. The Yadkin,
in its natural course, is not, never has been,
and never will be, navigabe stream.
Furthermore, there are already five
dams on the Yadkin in North Carolina,
situated between TuCkertown and the
SOUth Carolina line. AT one of these dams
locks which would lift boats more than
five hundred feet would have to be con-
Slructed to raise boats over the dam. These
dams make the river absolutely non-navi-
gable, if it were otherwise navlgable,
which it is not, and never has been.
Realizing, no doubt, that its position as
to the Yadkin was absurd and entirely UNI
tsnable, the Power Commission united
With certain South Carolina interests to
block the development by finally render
ing a decision that the Yadkin, as one OF
the streams forming the Pee Dee River in
South Carolina, which it is claimed is nav
igable, came under the jurisdiction of the
federal government.
The facts, of course, as to the Pee Dee,
are that there is no navigation on that
river, never has been, and probably never
will be; and, in addition, the building of
the Tuckertown dam would have no more
effect on navigation on the Pee Dee than
would the placing of boys toy "flutter-
wheel somewhere in the course of the
river between Tuckertown and the South
Carolina line.
The dams already in existence on the
Yadkin impound % times as much water
al would be impounded at Tuckertown.
Any, interference that could possibly be
created to navigation on the Pee Dee al
ready exists, The building of the, small
would have mo effect
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