Evening star., 1945-04-11

IL WAS tliCOul aging w ildfC VIC al lily
itself recognize this fact by rejecting
the $3.50, 900, 600 proposal put up to
its Board of Engineers by the dis
trict engineer for a series of fourteen
dams along the Potomac River in
Virginia, West Virginia and Mary
land.
True, a mighty protest by the Sec
tions affected was made, but the
speed with which the Army board
dumped the recommendation was
practically unprecedented, indicat-
ing q complete lack Of sympathy
with the whole idea.
This is fortunate, indeed, because
the project was as completely
socialistic as any that has been ad-
vanced in long time. 1t had moth
ing whatever to do with winning
the war and not great deal to do
with flood control.
Frankly, it was a water-poWer
proposal, for which there was no
public demand at all and which
would have put the Government In
the electric business in a very big
way. It would have dealt private
ENTERPRISE a real body blow and de-
lighted every Socialist and Commu-
mist In the country.
In a day when even some OF our
more conspicuous New Dealers ana
labor leaders are stressing the i'm
nortance of preserving the private
enterprise system it is more than
a little astonishing to find a plan
50 clearly designed to weaken that
system germinated in the Army.
Protests Riddle Scheme.
Exactly how and why it got as
far as it did has not been explained;
but, certainly, the protests riddled
the whole scheme. For example,
these points were made against 1t:
|. It would displace the use OF coal
through the generation OF hydro
electric when the use of coal for the
generation of power Is more eco
nomic than water power.
2. 1t sought through the use OF
public funds to crush and destroy
the private electric industry.
8. It would reduce the operating
revenues Of railroads engaged IN the
transportation of coal to consuming
markets.
4. It would deprive workers Of
their employment in the coal mines,
on the railroads and in the electric
industry.
S. 1t would inundate large and
fertile area Of West Virginia.
6. It makes flood control Sec
ondary consideration.
Z. It proposed the expansion OF
recreational areas and at the same
time devastated large section OF
the two Virginjas recognized as the
greatest recreational area between
the Atlantic Coast and the Rocky
Mountains.
8. It would have a blighting effect
on the political economy of West
Virginia by curtailing revenues paid
by coal and related industries for
the support of State and local
governments, including the cost Of
public education.
9. It would remove from county
governments large taxable areas Of
land upon which they now subsist.
10. 1t was inadequate as a meas
ure desirable for food control; un-
warranted as a project to increase
unnecessary electric power and most
destructive of employment in exist
ing industries.
Views Summed Up.
Summing up, the West Virginia
Coal Association declared that 'in
these days of national peril no body
of public officials should be more
cognizant of the Importance of coal
to the war effort than the rivers
and harbors engineers of the War
Department. Without this COM
modify in abundance, the herculean
efforts of the Nation to wage sue
cessful war could not be prose-
cuted. Yet, in this hour of peril,
project has been submitted that
is tantamount to curtailing the pro-
>duction of coal; that would result,
inevitably, in unemployment of coal
miners, sabotaging the private elec-
trio industry and crippling the rail-
roads"
Supporting this view, the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad asserted that
the plan would submerge and dis
locate some 80 miles of its tracks,
force the construction of new
bridges and tunnels, cost the road
more than sl2,00O,0OO for readjust-
~ments. deprive 1t of several million
'dollars of annual revenue, decrease
tax revenues for both State and
counties, eliminate more than a
thousand railroad jobs-all to no
real benefit of the area affected.
Altogether, there was not much
left Of the project when the hear