Evening star., 1941-03-24

Jay 'iAhAIih JuneO IN at NJ
agara Falls for American use, with
comparable amounts available to
Canada. This will constitute the
largest single source of hydroelectric
power in the world.
The release Of this energy. which
will largely be for Use in New York
State, will make possible a % per
cent reduction of rates with annual
savings to industries and private
consumers of about S26.OOO,00O an
nually. This represents a social
investment" Of nearly 5000 900 600.
capitalized at per cent. as against
a total cost to the United States
Government for the combined power
and seaWay project Of 166.OOO0O0.
While the engineering estimates are
not conclusive. the costs have been
alIocated as follows: OF the $685.
100000 required 10 complete the
works at the international rapids,
Sl5O,OOO,OOO is to be contributed BY
New York State CS90OO0.OOO) and
Canada OS60000,OO0 in return for
power ALLEGATIONS. While Canada
undertakes TO deepen the WelIard
Canal, the United States Govern
ment will spend $50 OO0.OO TO dredce
the 86-mile stretch of the Detroit
and Lake St Clair Rivers and the
b5-mlIe stretch Including a new
lock- on ST. Marys River at Sault
Ste. Marie.
JohS for IN 0OO U-o-I,a
The need for this additional power
IN New York State-to convert the
st. Lawrence into an industrial pis-
tol aimed at Hitler's new Europe
Is shown by studies of the st. Law
renee survey. Since 1919 manu-
featuring employment in New York
State has dropped from 1.228.OOO 10
100000 in 1887. This decline IS
partly due to failure to develop in
duStrlal power. In the 10-year Pc
riod l927-l937, while the United
States as a whole increased its hv-
dro capacity by SAT per cent. New
York State increased by only 1874
per cent.
So far as labor is concerned the
St. Niagara project is eX-
peCted 10 create industrial Jobs for
$4,000 more workers than could be
served by the alternative plan for
steam power generation. with saw
lngS equivalent to the economic
support of community of 25.OOO
people. So far as the farmers are
concerned the electricity to be dis
trlbuted by the New York State
Power Authority will be available at
savings equal TO tWo-thirds of the
present rates-with corresponding
advantages to the dairy industry
and to residential consumers.
Following hard on the St. Law
renee agreement will come the pend
ing proposals for an Arkansas VAL
ley Authority, to create industrial
power west Of the Mississippi River.
This also has defense angle. since
the greatest and best deposits Of
bauXite are located in Arkansas
and the production of aircraft can
be economically decentraLzed once
the industrial power is made avail
able by developing the hydro electric
resources of the Arkansas River.
Self-defeating Logic"
AS with the original Federal power
development at Muscle Shoals the
national defense emergency pro-
Vides an occasion to undertake de-
velopments which more far
sighted national policy would have
undertaken in time of peace. The
argument that it is too late to de-
velop these great assets now must
be balanced against the argument
heard in 1884 when the Senate re-
Jected the first st. Lawrence Treatv),
that there was no need for addi-
tlonal power at that time. To ac-
cept this self-defeating logic"
would be to condemn the country
as whole to continuous Illustration
and to the ultimate failure Of
dynamic democracy.
National defense is a pretty big
tent and this is a pretty big enter
prise, but the Roosevelt admins
tration is committed to the belief
that this is a pretty big country
and we can do big things in a big
way, unhampered by the petty mo-
tives and the narrow interests
which hamper the thinking and the
doing of less spacious lands and less
enterprising peoples than our own.
So Washington expects the st. Law
renee agreement to win swift ap-
proval from a Congress which is
now learning to think and act IN
billions.
Released by Consolidated News Features.