The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-25
Fiqhf On Public VS.. Monopoly
Power Faces Showdown This Week

Washington (LPA)-ln an I'M
portant vote this week the Senate
will decide whether public power
belongs to the people or to the pri-
vate utilities.
The vote is on funds to build
power transmission lines from big
government dams to the places
where the power will be used. 1t is
part of the Interior Dept appro-
priations bill for 1850.
A relatively small amount of
money is involved in the fight. The
question at issue is whether the
private electric companies will be
allowed to keep a monopoly on
transmission lines from govern
ment dams or whether the govern
ment can build lines to distribute
the power it produces.
Senator Lister Hill Cd, Ala.),
summed up the problem in debate
on the Senate floor last week. at
is sound business" said Hill, "for
the government to sell its power to
the one large private utility in the
vicinity that can afford to build a
line to the governments dam. That
utility will then have monopoly.
And it can dictate the price it will
pay the government and the price
it will charge the people"
Sen. Carl Hayden Cd, Ariz.)
pointed out that not nearly enough
transmission lines are now in ex-
istence.
A fight against government
transmission lines was led by Sen.
Elmer Thomas Cd, Okla.). Thomas
got his arguments a little mixed
up at times. At one point he argu-
ed that we couldn't spend $300,0OO
for transmission lines because our
national debt is already over 1854
billion. This led to a lot of side
talk and charts about the national
debt which intrigued Sen. Forrest
Donnell (R, Mo- but seemed to
serve no other purpose.
At another point Thomas de-
clared that eff it is monopoly on
behalf of the government or mono
poly on behalf of free enterprise,
would take my stand on the side
of free enterprise He made no at
tempt to prove that such lines
would mean a government mono
poly.
On one thing, however, the SEN
ator from Oklahoma stood firm.
He is for rugged individualism
and free enterprise" q road which
he says we have travelled for 100
years.
Congress for 40 years has ruled
over and over again that public
municipalities and coop
eratives shall be given preference
in the sale of public power" SEN
ator Hill argued back.
The bill to cut power line appro-
he said, IS ks to
change this national power policy
by denying funds for the construc-
ton of public transmission lines
from government dams and even
by denying funds for adequate per-
sonnel to market government
power.
"The bill would ignore the pub
lie agencies, municipalities and CO.
operatives which Congress has de-
clared shall receive preference. 1t
would give private companies first
claim to public power. The govern
ment would aid monopoly, not pre-
vent monopoly. And the will of
Congress, clearly expressed for
nearly half a century, would be
reversed.
"The bill is a legislative anach-
ronism. 1t seeks to turn back the
clock to the good old days of pri-
monopoly. But we can
not and will not turn back the
clock. The people today understand
and fully support the public-power
policy. They know the many bene-
its of public power and they will
1ot relinquish those benefits"
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