The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-08-25

agency. Inc JOb is yours TO DO IN
accord with the policies and programs
approved and authorized by congress
| We, the congress representing the
people of the valley and the nation,
expect results"
What | am here proposing is not
new in America. 1t has been done.
| 1t has been eminently successful.
Such a plan has been commenced,
tried, tested, and brought to fruition
in the Tennessee valley where eleven
years ago the congress established
the Tennessee Valley Authority. The
iva, during the past eleven years.
has functioned as a pilot plant" in
the application of methods which aim
at the complete development of the
resources of great region fed and
nourished by great watercourse.
The Tennessee Valley, prior to the
act of congress passed in 1888, faced
much the same problem that we face
in the Missouri valley today. 1t had
a tremendous potential resource in
the Tennessee river, but it was rela-
lively undeveloped. 1t was subject
to devastating floods. The fertile
topsoil of its basin was steadily vast
ing away under the prevailing agri-
cultural practices. Forest resources
were disappearing rapidly under gen.
orally accepted cutting practices.
There were valuable minerals in the
hills which lay dormant or were little
used because of the lack of technical
knowledge which could discover and
demonstrate the possibilities of de-
velopment by private businessmen.
Today that picture has changed. In
little more than a decade the Tonnes
see river has been substantially har-
messed and controlled-not for one
purpose, but for three. Last spring,
while the Missouri ragged out of its
banks causing more than 100000, 900
damage, the Tennessee valley also
had heavy rains = far above normal
for two months. The river rose in
the Tennessee valley also, but the rise
was checked by great dams, the
crests were clipped from the floods.
and the excess water was stepped
down harmlessly through a succession
of great reservoirs.
Ever since the flatboats of the pio-
neers, westward bound, floated down
the Tennessee the value of the river
as a navigation channel has been
talked about and promoted. AS early
as 1925, over a century ago, the first |
attempts were made to master Muscle |
Shoals the greatest barrier to naviga-
ton, but they failed Today a COM
useful channel extends the |
650-mile length of the Tennessee, car
rying wheat, coal, pig-iron, automo-
biles, and military vehicles, forest |
products, limestone for synthetic rub |
Der manufacture, and many other |
types of cargo. Freight traffic has
four times in almost the |
same number of years.
In 1888, the power potentialities of |
he Tennessee river were almost I'M
developed; dam here and there cap
ured and released but a fraction of
he possible power in the uncontrolled !,
liver Today, the system of 20 dams
If the iva, supported by several
steam plants, produces 10 billion kilo-
watt hours of electricity year-twice
Us much power at St. Louis, Kansas
Jity, and Omaha use in a year. With
practically three-quarters of this total
soing into war industry, the indus
rial contribution of the Tennessee
ALLEY to the winning of the war has
'een several times multiplied. That
his industrial production, depending
lpon power, has been due to the IVA
shown by the fact that this organ
cation, under the mandate of con-
ress, has practically doubled its gen
rating capacity since the war started.
The IVA, a unique organization
mong government corporations, was
BILE to deliver the results-and it
id.
In the longer slower process of re-
uilding the land the IVA likewise
as made progress Here the results
ave been centered around the use of
fertilizers used in farming ]
ystems which promote the growing
t soil and water-conserving cover
rops. Some 10000 test-demonstra- !
ION farmers-many of them outside I
ne Tennessee valley-have reported '
lcreased income, increased produc- !
on, more stable farm resources as j
ne result of the use of concentrated t
hosphate fertilizers developed at the Y
Iuscle Shoals plant of the TVA-an a
nused asset of the federal govern Y
tent prior to 1888. il
The Tennessee valley is primarily d
n agricultural area as we are in the t
[issouri valley. But with the IVA
ie Tennessee valley has made great \
rides in new industrial development. u
rom 1888 to 1910, the period prior