The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1939-07-06


the potentiality, of the program
that makes me jittery. Frankly, 1t
IS the personal political element that
distrubs me most.
Let me illustrate. When Senator
Norris Of Nebraska, began fighting
a number OF years ago for what
turned out to be the iva, he and
all other sponsors Of that socialistic
government-owned power project
shouted denialS all over the place
when it was charged they intended
to put the government deeper into
the field Of private business. All
they wanted to do. they insisted,
was to develop a government power
plant that would serve to measure
profits of private companies. They
argued that this experiment would
show the power companies were
taking too inch profit out Of the
hides of consumers Of electricity.
They said that If this were not
true, the iva would be q blessing
to private ownership.
What happened? The answer Is
pretty well known. iva began
competing with private companies
wherever it could get in the field
against them. Its means of enter
ing some of the fields Of COMPETE
ton were Of the rottenest type.
On top Of that came the opera
tons Of Secretary Ickes, and his
public works administration. Mr..
Ickes wanted to see more and bet
ter publicly owned power plants. He
tried, and is still trying, to make
power plants grow where power
plants never grew before-all from
money loaned by the government.
Throughout the nation, therefore,
are scores of power plants, small a.
well as large. that were forced to
sell out to the competing plant, fl
nanced by Uncle Sam, and the in
vestors got what the little boy shot
at. iva, itself, has driven flocks Of
them out of the field and has nego-
tiated to buy one of the great priv
ately owned systems that could not
sell In competition with the govern
ment octopus which has no taxes
to pay and borrows money on gov
ernment-backed bonds.
Officials Say Thought Is
To Help Private Business
It is only fair to report that the
top officials in the government say
there Is no intention to use these
funds as was done through the Pub
Lie Works administration. There Is,
they say, no thought of discourag-
ing private business; the thought is
to help private business. But It Is
pointed out, meanwhile, that the
funds which are planned to be used
in this program will be under the
control of half q dozen different
agencies. Those who know the set
up in the federal government rec
ognize this fact as important. 1t
means this: Every agency Of the
federal government always has
sought and always will seek to per-
petuate itself, to expand its power
and its functions. Give 1t q hun
dred millions or so to play with;
and then express any doubt. II you
can, that its officials will overlook
any spot where they can boost their
own importance. Truly, that would
be too much to expect.
Then give consideration to- the
fact that the current lending pro-
posal contemplates expanding the
original Hoover-initiated program
into fields Of leaning not hitherto
occupied by q government agency.
Self-Nquidating highways toll
bridges, purchase Of railway equip
ment, construction of more electric
lines, to name only a few, are fields
where the sioven hand of govern
mental bureaucracy will retard and
handicap private initiative. Appar-
emily, the dear pee-pul are going to
be given q great many things to
use whether they need them or not
and whether they want them or not
pTCK Eni lip