The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-28
POWER "KLEPTOMANIAC"

POWER "KLEPTOMANIAC" ICKES
 Inside the Inner Circle, New Dealers long have argued as to who shall administer the country's giant new power projects.
 Secretary Harold Ickes, militant public power advocate, wants them under his Interior Department. Bonneville Dam now is, but other New Dealers oppose this on the ground that future Secretaries of the Interior might not be as pub- lic-power-minded as Ickes. They favor administration by indepen- dent boards, such as the TWO.
 Senator George Norris, venerable father of IVA, discussed this with the President recently in connec tion with the proposed Arkansas Valley power project.
 With @ grin, Roosevelt inter- rupted. c, ~
 "You know. George" he said. "when it comes to power pro-
 jects, Harold is kleptomaniac." COAL ACT BATTLE
 Insiders are keeping their lips buttoned, but there was heated row in the House Ways and Means committee over extending the Cuff fey Bituminous Coal Act, due to expire April 25.
 The committee agreed to ap prove bill prolonging the life of the Coal Act two more years; also to re-establish the office of Consumers Counsel as an inde- dependent adjunct of the Bitumin- ous Coal Commission. But this was voted only after some strenu- ous demurring by Rep. A. Willis Robertson of Virginia.
 A conservative Democrat, Rob- ertson loudly opposed continuing the Act on the ground that its rice-fiXing features were "dan- gerous threat" to democratic pro- CeSSeS.
 "If we approve price controls in the coal industry" Robert . son thundered, "it will probably spread to other industries, and before we know it the price of everything will be fixed by the government. Such a policy is extremely dangerous at this time when we're delegating so much power to the executive branch of the government"
 New Dealers inside the commit tee retorted that the present stab- ilized condition and prosperity of the coal industry was due chiefly to the Guffey. Act. Its continuance, they said, was de- sired by mine owners and labor alike. They also pointed out that the buying public would be fully protected by the recreation of the Consumers Counsel, abol- ished last year when the Coal commission was placed under the jurisdiction of the Interior De- partment.
 The battle ragged for an hour before Robertson finally ran to cover. Then to every0ne's sur- prise, he joined in voting to ex- tend the Act.
 NOTE - After the debate was over Chairman Bob Doughton, courtly North Carolinian, imposed strict secrecy on all committee members. Not a word" was to be breathed to newspaper men, he said, especially not to the Washington Merry-Go-Round." MERRY-GO-ROUND
 For seven years, whenever the President has taken a trip, Phar- macist George Fox has gone along. to give therapeutic treatments. This time he stayed at home Otto c. Jansen of the German Embassy gets a lot of phone calls intended for Otto c. Jansen of the United Press The under cover feud between bulky Prank Mo- Hale, one time Indiana Democra- tic boss. and Fred F. Bays, genial State Democratic chairman, may break out into the open over a federal judgeship. McHale is pushing two conservative pals. his ex-law partner, Michael l.. Fran sler and George Stephens. while Bays insists that a liberal be named Following broadcast explaining the Arkansas Valley bill, which he authored, young Representative Clyde Ellis received