The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-03-22

NOR HARMONY = PARTNERS IN MISSOURI BASIN ARE
BATTLERs IN COLUMBIA BASIN = MANSFIELD ASKS
FOR HELP; FORD ON HOTSPOT - MVA AND eva AT
TEMPT RESCUE OF KEY PROJECT.
Thus newspaper headlines should have last week
that is if Montana had newspapers Unfortunately it has most
W only propaganda Sheets with primary missions of conceang
the real Only daily the Great Falls Tribune, and
two three weekies including The Voice. carried the story
In brief this is the story:
The of appropriations Hungry Horse
and for 70 miles of transmission ne running downstream
the house appropriation committee Private
pany attorneys lobbyists and xers appeared there such
force that Congressman Mansfield afraid the
ton would through The assault them and particular
ly the onemondoar item required for outlet
line was particularly vicious Inc congressman ssueo general
appeal for help and wired Governor Ford asking that he
to Washington to join in the fight
The Hungry Horse dam is key project in any compre
hensve scheme of development for Columbia River Valley
whether this be by eva otherwise The proposed project
construction of which is being undertaken by bureau of eca
nation about 20 miles northeast of Kaspel the South
Fork of Fathead river four miles above it's confluence with
Fathead gravity type, dam $50 feet high
will create reservoir 35 miles long and store 100000 acre
feet of water
Power generators with 142 capacity
installed These will produce than four times the current
being produced at Fort Peck The other primary purpose
of the dam to stream regulator, stabzer 1t
will put much larger volume of flow over five 9th
dams constructed and II more projected for full valley
development will also flood control installation
of it's mpounded water be used for downstream
irrigation.
call for construction of highvotage transmission
Powers Kerr dam, Poison to Hungry
Horse 70 miles above This will furnish Kerr dam power
construction of Hungry Horse When is finished the line
will outlet for the publicly owner power there
generated
grows bitter opposition, by private power
companies Hungry Horse and particularly to its transmits
outlet These vested interests do not want the
any project that will create publicly owned
power this be stopped they seek to
and distributing lines from such
they control dictate power sales prices
This incident typical of what be expected to follow
of each powerprodHeng project that BEAT
scheme of development short of overall
authority such eva VA Then appropriations made
to authority reaocated by it, with of the
inherent politics. The writer does not yet
know what happened Hungry Horse Always there will
grave largescae development in the Northwest
may seriously curtaled stopped by small but
powerful selfish Valley Authorities the only full
and final to such danger.
from the possibility of tragedy the Hungry Horse
episode much enlightenment and elements OF
edy be clear enough to everybody that private
companies the spearhead of all opposition to Valley
Authorities Likewise that Unified Plans and Interagency
Committees perfectly poweress when it comes to
getting amportant and appropriations for
projects Apparently the Columbia Basin nteragency Commit
tee did what happening much less get on
Job stop it Actually they had power to intervene
AS spice of comedy here have the spectacle OF all
ackeys attending public meetings
Missouri Valley resolutions against VA and bolster
up their substitute nteragency control Then they all down
to Washington kick the Stats out of the project that their
similar agency the Columbia Valley is supposed to control
The whole must have been somewhat embarrassing
to our Governor Ford called to help
Of the kew projects busy committing the
care and custody of Power play for development