Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-02-06

parallel lines to those built by a mem
bership corporation or by a muni-
cipally- owned power system.
For CO-Ops' Protection.
"This bill is really designed to pro
corporations in the building of rural
electric lines from competition from
private power companies" Chairman
Dudley Bagley of the NCREA, said
today. cit is designed to prevent what
has already happened in Johnston
county and in Caldwell county, where
the people are being prevented from
getting rural electric service because
these county membership corpora
tions followed the advice of Mr.. Cooke
and refused to get certificates of con-
venience and necessity instead of fol-
lowing oar adv zee and that of the
Utilities CA)D.n :ssion.'
The Fenner-Abernethy-W bill is
now back in the House committee on
public utilities, of which Representa-
tive Robert Rouse, of Kinston, is
chairman, although the hill was con-
ed favorably Representative Fenner
said he wanted the bill sent back for
further hearing so that any one OPP
posed to the bill, including Admins
traitor Cooke, could be heard. 1t is be-
ing hoped that Cooke will come down
to oppose the bill; but no one here
thinks he has nerve enough to come
down from Washington for the hear
ing.
Cooke Ignorant of Facts.
Administrator Cooke is either COM
pletely ignorant of the intent and pur-
pose of the bill or is deliberately mis-
representing it, judging from his tele-
gram to Chairman Rouse, of the COM
mittee. and his statement to the Wash
ington correspondent of the Raleigh
News and Observer, it was pointed
out here today. In both his telegram
and statement to The News and OBJ
server, Cooke maintained that the
Till was a step to put rural electri-
fication cooperatives under the "con-
troll" of the State Utilities Commits
sion and intimated that it was poor
company bill designed to curb and in
lure the organization of rural coop
erative.
But these are not the facts at all.
The bill gives the Utilities Commits
sion. no control over the cOoperatives
with regard to rates or supervision,
such as it exercises over private pow
err companies. It merely provides that
such cooperativeS must obtain GER
tificate of convenience and necessity,
which. when obtained, guarantees
them against any competition or en-
croachment from private power COM
panies. In fact, it does just the OPP
nosite from what Cooke and The
News and Observer story say it does.
The bill was drafted by the attorney
general. was advocated by the State
Rural Electrification Authority ano.
the State Utilities Commission as a
measure that would protect rural cleo
trio cooperatives. 1t is definitely
known that none of the public utility
companies knew anything about the
bill until it was introduced.
Where Active Fight Is.
Accordingly, the fight is not fight
! between Administrator Cooke and the
power companies in North Carolina,
! as he would make it appear, ieut
! fight between Cooke and two legally
constituted agencies Of the State OF
! North Carolina and its officials
North Carolina Rural Electrification
Authority and the State Utilities Com
mission, it is agreed here.
The real reason Administrator
| Cooke is injecting himself into this
matter and trying to defeat bill adj
, vocated by two State agencies, is be-
cause he has been openly defying
these two agencies for more than two
years and refusing to recognize North
Carolina laws in the organization of
county electric membership corpora
tons financed with Federal money
loaned by the REA in Washington, it
is believed by those here who are IA
miliar with the facts.
Cooke VS.. North Carolina.
So the fight over the Fenner bill is
in no sense fight between the Fed
eral Rural Identification Admins
tration and the private power COM