The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1951-07-06
WHO is BACK OF THIS?
CONTINUED from page ane)

commenting Oh LlllS performance
that unusually level-headed and &C
curate columnist, Thomas L. Stokes
stated in the Washington Star OF
May IA:
electricity is another item in
your family budget and it is also
now an accepted American ira
dition that everybody possible
should have it and as cheaply as
possible. Look, then, at what the
House did about that, whacking
away at appropriation for plan
ned extension of lines to homes
and farms-and to defense plants,
too-from existing public power
projects. The private utility lob
by really cracked the whip"
To the average citizen unacquaint-
ed with the intricacies of the stu
alton all this may appear fair enough.
Ostensibly the purpose is to save
money by suspending unneeded con-
struction by the government until
the crisis is over. Let private in
dustry carry the load. In fact, it
works out just the opposite. 1t will
boost the war profits of the private
utilities, cost the government more
money, add to the burdens of the
people, and undermine sound public
policy, as we shall presently see.
But first let US fix attention on
the basic Importance of electric
power in wartime, taught by our eX-
perience in two world wars.
THE ENORMOUS WAR DEMAND
FOR ELECTRIC POWER
Last September there was set up in
the Interior department under Sec
rotary Chapman special agency
titled "The Defense Electric Power
administration" 1t was organized
under the direction of D. L. Marlett,
Of the Bonneville Power Administra-
ton, as acting director. When Mr..
Marlett returned to Portland he was
succeeded by C. B. McManus, presi-
dent of the Georgia Power Co., as
permanent administrator, with Ken
g. Whitaker, from the Chattanooga
Public Power Board, as deputy ad-
d E P A Immediately
tackled the job of estimating the
of power which would be
needed for the defense effort and
still supply peacetime needs.
1t was found that the total electric
output of the United States, public
and private, for 1850, was about $780,
00,000,000 kilowatt hours, with a
-otal generating capacity of 81 mill
ion kilowatts.
On March 80 C. w. Jones, presi-
dent of the Northampton (Mass.) |
Electric Co., consultant to the DEPA,
,old the Tennessee Valley Public
Power Association at it's annual con-
yention in Knoxville that it was plan
ned to expand the generating capa-
;ity by 20 million kilowatts or 80 per
cent in three years time-which
would bring us to 81 million kilo-
watts.
On May 7 Mr.. McManus in an adj
lress at the annual convention of the
American Public Power Association
It Chattanooga announced that the
20 million estimate had recently been
increased by million, which would
,ring the total in 1858 up to 95 mil
ion kilowatts.
He added that the power situation
would be eight even if Install
tions are made as scheduled" There
we're already shortages in the Pacific
Northwest and in the Southeast.
And the next day, E. Robert de
.uccia, chief of the Bureau OF Power
f the Federal Power Commission,
ddressing the American Institute of
Electrical Engineers, forecast that
4 1860 our national consumption
yould reach 600 billion kilowatt-
ours, requiring peak load installa-
ion of 115 million kilowatts.
Charles E. Wilson, director of the
'ffice of Defense Mobilization, has ]
eported to the President Eat the t
eak of World War II, As per cent
the gross national production (of
Il commodities) went for national
efense. The proportion now is 8
er cent, and by the end of 1851 it t
i'll be about Is per cent. AS we now {