Evening star., 1938-11-15
Parran Holds South
No. | Health Problem;
Defends Aid toT.V. A.
Surgeon General Says
Work in Tennessee
Entirely Justified
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Surg. Gen. Thomas Parran, assert
ing that the South presents the
Nations No. l health problem,
testified today he believed the Public
Health Service was entirely justified
in cooperating with the Tennessee
Valley Authority to stamp out dis
ease.
Questioned by a Republican men,
ber of the T. v. A. Investigating
Committee. DR.. Parran denied that
the Health Service was spending
more in Tennessee than in other
Southern States.
Through cooperation with State
health authorities and the T. v. A.
Medical Division, Dr. Parran said,
great strides have been made toward
disease control in the valley States.
Representative Jenkins. Repub-
lican. of Ohio protested that there
had been no such disease control
measures employed at dams in Ohio
as had been used at the T. V. A.
reservoirs. Dr.. Parran had testified
about malaria control work as well
as efforts made by the T. V. A. to
stamp out contagious diseases, in
cluding syphilis.
unfair Competition"
81 think it is a mistake Repre-
sentative Jenkins told the witness.
ito carry your activity out into an
organization that is competitive in
dustrially" Private power conpa-
nies have complained of unfair COM
petition from the T. V. A.
This policy could only lead, Mr..
jenkins observed, to what he called
a socialistic form of health service
which would supersede local control.
Representative Jenkins and Rep
resentative Wolverton, Republican,
OF New Jersey questioned Francis
Biddle, committee counsel, about
amounts spent In the T. v. A. area
by Government agencies other than
T. V. A.
Mr.. Biddle read two letters from
the War Department detailing its
expenditures there.
Representative Wolverton OBJ
served that these totals apparently
did not include funds spent for
navigation purposes" MI. Biddle
replied he was uncertain.
Policies Defended.
IF you are not certain then the
committee should call officials of
these agencies Representative VOL
verton said. This committee is in
structed to report on every dollar
spent on or in T. " A. by all Gov
eminent agencies
Representative Jenkins. after
reading the War Department letters,
said the War Department appar-
emily had spent about 5000 900 900
down there"
Mr.. Biddle said he was trying to
get the total expenditures in the
T. V. A. area from the Agriculture,
Commerce and Interior Depart
ments and would present these to
the committee later.
Five divisions chiefs of the T. v. A.
earlier had reported that the agency
was functioning not only in produc-
ing electric power, but in shaping
and directing the activities of the
communities within it's scope
The reports of the division direc-
tors we're filed with the Congress
sional Committee as 1t resumed
hearings
Accepting the reports for further
study, the committee cleared the
way for testimony from four utili-
ties executives criticizing ALLEGATIONS
of power costs made by the T. V. A.
in establishing its 'yardstick' of
electricity rates.
The utilities representatives have
charged power costs were under
estimated, thus permitting an cleo
trio rate destructive to private COM
petition.
The report of the T. v. A. Plan
ming Department denied there had
been any attempt to "superimpose
an inf1exible physical plan on the
valley" 1t said work was directed
toward providing an improved and
broader resource base on which the
region can itself meet its major
problems.
No Regulation.
L. N Allen, director of the Reser-
voir Property Management Division,
said the T. v. A. made no attempt
to regulate the lives of the residents
of the various villages and camps
which have grown up during its
construction work.
"On the contrary" he reported,
lit attempts to bring about whole
some and normal community atmos-
phere, free from influences tradi-
tionally attributed to so-called com
pany towns and to foster a friend
lier community spirit"
G. H. Garity, director of materials
department, said T. v. A. purchasing
costs averaged only LA per cent of
total purchases in the last fiscal
year, compared with 1.8 per cent
on a representative private project
and 2 per cent for the City Of New
York in 1885.