Montana labor news., 1945-10-18

cation part Of the way (the standard
channel for navigation is nine feet
deep, and it is charged that they have
aggravated damaging floods. One rea-
son is that by slowing up the rivers
flow they have allowed more silt to be
deposited on the bottom and thus raised
the surface of the stream. 1t is also
claimed that the amount of water speci-
fled in the Army engineers clause in
the Rivers and Harbors bill to provide
the navigation channel in the lower
river, would consume the entire flow
of the Missouri river as it has averaged
during the past 10 years. Nothing
would be left for all-important irriga-
ton upstream The engineers have
always favored low dams on the lower
river; the Reclamation bureau wanted
the dams nearer the source-irrigation
is what they're interested in.
Despite this wide divergence in in
terests and obiectives, these two agen-
cies. impelled by the impending creation
of a Missouri Valley Authority similar
to the Tennessee Valley Authority have
for the moment submerged their diff
ferences deep in the Missouri mud.
They have agreed upon a plan, which
would provide for irrigation navigation,
flood control and hydro-eectric power.
There is little in their past accomplish
ments to warrant much confidence in
this new alliance. The building up of
the Missouri basin cannot be accom-
plished either, in solderings and
patches. Regardless of state and
county lines. the valley is a physioh-
graphical and economic unit 1t re-
Quires overall planning by a single
agency with headquarters in the region
itself and branches throughout that re-
gion. That points to the strongest sin
gle argument for the creation Of Mis-
souri, Valley Authority the universally
recognized success of the Tennessee
Valley Authority in the past p years
When the iva was set up in 1888,
one Of its primary purposes was to
serve as a working model for other
American regions. In y long years OF
depression, peace and war, it has proved
to the hilt its effectiveness for the COM
man well-being How could anyone
demand further evidence? A few indi-
cations appear in its last annual report,
which has Just been released. The IVA
currently supplies 55OOOO consumers
with CHEAP electrcity-and each one of
them uses twice as much juice as he
bought from private power companies.
During the last fiscal year TNA paid
out IN lieu OF taxes to states and coun-
ties some %9OOOOOOO more than pri-
vate systems in the area used to pay
in taxes. IVA also supplied phosphates
to 5l,9OO demonstration farms in 2S
states. 1t saver the city OF Chattanooga
by holding the crest OF the threatened
Hood SIX ieet below what it would
have been otherwise. And chiefly from
ITS sales OF electric power it turned
back to the United states Treasury
net income of more than Sl4OOOOOO.
One way OF realizing what the Authority
has done Tor the valley in a business
way IS a statistic for 1871, the last year
IN which electrical appliances could
be sold to private citizens in that year
the average sale per customer in the
tennessee valley amounted to 95O3o,
compared with the average OF W2l the
nation over and So.45 IN the Southeast,
the year before.
But what the IVA has done cannot
possibly be indicated adequately i'm
terms OF figures OF any kind. 1t has
created an expanding economy in an
area which IS tar less richly endowed
with natural resources than the Mis-
souri, valley and where conditions be-
fore the project were far worse than
those along the Missouri right now. To
appreciate what the IVA has done one
must visit the valley in person and talk
with workers and businessmen, farmers
and county agents. and indeed mem
bers Of the TNA staff itself. There
one senses a new spirit-a feeling Of
partial accomplishment and we'll.
founded hope. No doubt partly re-
sponsble for this is the fact that TVA
headquarters at Knoxville are right in
the field, that the Authority is largely
independent OF Washington Except for
full reports, authorizations and annual
appropriations), and that the idea of
decentralization is carried into the en-
tire region. In other words, the citi-
zens who take an active part in the |
operation OF the Authority through hun
dreds OF local, state and private agencies
develop lively consciousness OF de-
nocracy and solidarity. This is, be-
.ieve' one of Director David Lilien-
Ihals iondest convictions. ! believe
hat means more to him and many OF
MS associates than the transformation
)t the Tennessee valley from a poverty