Evening star., 1938-03-07
Text of T. Y. A. Chairman's Statement
Arthur Declares His Vote, Genera, Does Not Count
Meetings. Assais CoDnecos.

HASS
while I reserved the right to criticize
and to disagree, have not wanted to
be an obstructionist. A large part Of
the business Of the T. v. A. Board Is
non-controversial, and have CO.
operated in that to the fullest extent.
regardless Of personal relationships or
Of my lack Of confidence in the mo-
tives and actions Of the majority Of
the board.
Says McKellar Statement
Contains Substa ntial Errors.
Senator McKellar probably made his
recent Senate statement on the status
Of T. v. A. contracts from data fur
nished by the T. v. A. According to
my present information, which l am
checking, his statement contained sub
stantial errors. I am planning to
write him as soon as I have finished
this check. ."
The Arkansas Power & Light Co.
contract as presented to me for ap-
proval contained q Joker" which
would have allowed the company to
buy prime power at secondary power
rates. protested strenuously and
got that point eliminated. But I am
not in position to pick up all such
points. have picked up q consider
able number, by special personal in
quiry outside regular channels.
The T. v. A. engineer who helped
me to analyZe this Arkansas contract
and who disclosed this Joker" is
| very able man. He has helped me
outside his regular field in analyzing
problems have presented to him.
And this and other services he is,
believe, being punished by inse-
curity Of employment, though am
perfectly aware that . plausible ex-
planation would be given for keep
ing him in state Of insecurity
| I have found Mr.. Lilienthal and
his staff purposely keeping important
| information from me. I am not al
lowed to have the help I need to
properly analyze the power program
and the power matters which come
to the board for action. T. v. A.
engineers, even those in my own field,
are instructed not to supply me with
information I request, except through
the general manager. who was ap-.
pointed by the other T. V. A. direc-
tors over my protest, and who, In
my opinion, Is part Of the closed
group. Under such circumstances 1t
is difficult for me to know what is
going on in the electrical division,
or for that matter in any part of
the T. V. A. I believe that . thor
ough and impartial investigation
would disclose serious defects in the
power program.
Hard Boiled Selfish
Intrigue Is Charged.
There IS a practice Of evasion, in
trigue and sharp strategy with re-
markable skill in alibi and the habit
OF avoiding direct responsibility, which
makes Machiavelli seem open and
candid. 1t took me a year or more
OF close association to be convinced
that the attitude of boyish open can
dor and man-to-man directness was
a mask for hard-boiled selfish
intrigue; SO I am not surprised that
Congressman do not quickly see the
situation from . distance. Under the
circumstances 1t is fairly easy to make
the differences seem like q family
quarrel" and so to keep the issue
confused. e.
DR.. H. A. Morgan Is not ''in the dog
house." as you suggest. The land
grant college organization, with the
county agent system, is a powerful
| political bureaucracy. BY holding the
T. V. A. purse strings, by making
grants of T. v. A.. money to land grant,
colleges in the T. v. A. States, and by
paying the salaries Of very large
number Of county agricultural agents
| with T. V. A. funds, DR.. H. A. Morgan
is one of the powerful figures of the
South, though he nearly always
chooses to be behind the scenes. BY
invariably voting on all matters with
Mr.. Lilienthal, he gives Mr.. Lilienthal
free hand in power. while he has q
free hand in the fertilizer and agIcul-
tural programs have been unable
to make q real inquiry into the real
fertilizer program. It IL his own
private, confidential field, just as power
is for Mr.. Llienthal.
The dam construction program, on
the other hand. has been completely
open and above board. I have brought
in consultants who were strongly op-
posed to the T. v. A. and have their
honest critical judgment of our plans.
With possibly one or two exceptions,
this T. v. A. dam construction pro-
gram Is the largest undertaking Of
its kind in history. That program
has been organized and prosecuted
with efficiency, thoroughness and
economy. It will stand any investi-
cation as to the manner of its ad-
ministration, and I hope it may be
examined by thoroughly competent
and disinterested men. We have faced
some Of the most difhcult technical
problems ever met In dam construc-
ton. Success In q program Of that
sort Is not just q matter Of routine
or chance.
Would Welcome Probe
OF Dam Construction.
Almost from the beginning of the
T. w. A. have been faced with q
campaign Of propaganda to the effect
that another director was the practical
man and I was the theorist. The
actual organization of the dam con-
struction program and Of our general
administrative setup, which was also
in my charge, I think IL an answer
to that criticism, especially as I have
successfully carried through other
similar projects on q smaller scale. In
view of the attacks made upon me
by the other members of the board
from the start, my best course seemed
to be to do an effective Job In my own
field. 1t would please me to have q
totally impartial board make the most
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