Montana labor news., 1945-12-06
GUILTY THE PLEA

With the furroWed brow and that wor-
ried, come-hither-right-word look, this
writer has consumed much time, and
generous spacein the Voice, trying to
point the way to get maximum use
of Missouri rivers waters, in valley
development program. Build dams and
reservoirs, for storage of water and
of stream flow, as far up
stream as natural conditions will permit.
In the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska and
other plains states, put as many of these
structures as possible up on tributary
streams. Control flowing waters as
nearly the points of their origin as can
be done. This has been the burden Of
our song.
We have striven to point out how,
from an engineering and technical stand
point, this kind of plan will bring the
maximum of possible development along
all lines. Navigation requires only an
equalized, or stable flow it makes little
difference whether the flood waters be
stored near to, or far above, the navi-
CATION channels. For full flood control
and the maximum of irrigation and pow
er development the situation is entirely
different. Water storage high up along
the streams frees longer stretches OF
the river from flood crests; irrigation
water is made available to more land
and return flow from projects can be
reused more times. For maXimum
power development upstre m water
storage and control is still more inn
Irortant. This puts the total stream flow
through more dam penstocks and cheap
ems the cost OF producing electric cur
rent almost to the vanishing point pei
i unit Of energy. Thus ran all the long
Iaud somewhat involved explanations O
The harried writer.
Well The harried writer might jus
as we'll have saved all his energy, worl
and allotment Of valuable space. Nov
the case doesn'nt need to be proven a
Iall MNA opponents have publicly
pleaded guilty on all counts.
They are circulating thousands o
pamphlets, written and paid for by util
Iity companies, and the introduction
says
Generally speaking there are tw'
different methods Of river development
and control, and the difference relate
primarily to the use OF electric power
Power is usually secondary and in
cidental to. the primary purpose TO
which the project is built The Arm,
engineers are not interested in goinl
into the power business.
"On the other hand, there is the TNt
method. Power is a primary function.
SO, this is the how Of it. MVA op
ponents don't want any more power pro
duction and what may become chea
publicly owned power, than they have t
accept, They want to control wha
power is produced. These same gen
temen are forever spilling millions O
words about the glories of competition
Now they don't want competition. The
follow the same old Tory philosophy O
creating scarcity when abundance
available. To accomplish this purpos
the so-called unified plan, which the
propose for valley developments, begin
its planning at the wrong end of til
valley. 1t starts at Missouri river mout
and works upstream Nature makes al
the water run from the mountain area
down to the Mississippi This is wha
anything, that can be called plannin
for full use, has to do, too. Wor
+ down, not up stream.
Well, anyway, the fight is out i
broad daylight There are two basic is
, sues, and two only.
l. Shall seven million Missouri va
, ley people accept a shoddy, privat
( utility company, so-called unified plar
that will, at the most bring them onl
one-half, or, possibly one-third d,
velopment Of their valley empire, an
+ then foreclose all further and futui
D development and expansion?
G 2. Who shall control the billion-do
lar babies that have been named Pow
e one is II. F. (hydro-electric) and Il
S other p. E. political Economic) Power
Shall these be turned over to absent
+ landlords, for exploitation, or shall tn
o be retained by all the people, with Z
their future wealth producing possibil
ties9
O These two simple questions constitu
\ the only real issues there are. All t
4 rest is smoke-screen, hoopla and hors
H feathers. It is up to Missouri vail
II people to fuaily force a decision.
i Jerome G. Locke in The Peoples Vol