The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1954-05-14
HelIs Canyon
By e. j. PARKINSON, Great Falls
(Part II-Conclusion)

interview, and not contradicted nv
Reclamation Engineer Harold Nelson
Cd Idaho Power Co. is not asking
for permanent title to their dam sites,
but instead just so year lease. After
that the power plants will belong to
the government. Something for moth
ing. What could be cheaper than that
CD Idaho Power Co. has already
built II power dams in Snake River.
furnishes power to 500 of farmers in
the area, never has had a power short
ate, and expands as rapidly as need
arises.
03) The three dams proposed by
Idaho Power Co. would have genera
tors capable of producing 100000 XIV
at peak times. Design of the dams
would permit adding generating ca
pacity to produce total of 1851, 200
XIV at peak consumption time. All
this too, mind you, without having to
depend on downstream generating ca
pacity to bring the average up.
(4) Cost Of the dams would be 1873
million dollars, or about 500 per XIV,
compared with the LOO per XIV of
the government dam. Every dollar of
the cost would be contributed by the
Idaho Power Co and not one dime by
the taxpayer. When federaIly produced
power costs II times as much as pri-
vately produced power, it is a long
power"*
power"
Bureau of Reclamation Engineer
Nelson made the statement that Idahos
fast growing irrigation projects may
need so much water 20 years from
now that there wouldn't be enough
left to produce all the power for which
the high dam generating system was
planned If the big dam gets all the
afraid they'll be stopped from getting
enough water for irrigation.
Engineer Hogg pointed out that his
three dams would not inter-
fere with irrigation. Besides" he
said, they will release all water for
navigation purposes required by the
L. S. Army Engineers, meet flood con-
troll needs, and create superior recre- |
ational area. And they will provide |
large blocks of power quickly 10 serve
the whole Pacific Northwest. Our three |
dam developments would go in so fast |
It would produce 40 billion KWH-the |
output of huge Bonneville for about |
10 years-before the high dam could |
De completed"
Idaho Farm Bureau is against Fed
eral Hells Canyon Dam project because
If it's threat to irrigation
Cheap fertilizer" claims are without I
he slightest foundation. The Federal
7ower Commission points out that not
single private commercial manufac-
urer of phosphate fertilizer in the
United States uses the electric furnace.
The reason? 1t is too expensive. 1t
Uses 100 times as much power as the
ulphuric acid process.
In view of all the foregoing, just
Why should a single citizen of Mon
ana, or of the rest of the nation east
If the continental divide be interested
n whether Hells Canyon is developed
,r not. Even if the power was without
'ost at the bus bar, not a single kilo-
watt would be available at any price
n Montana Not only that, but if the
ederal government built the dam, it
would on the average, in income taxes,
ost the head of every family in Mon
ana, Maine, and every other state in
he Union the sum of at least $4,000.
wonder how many heads of families
n the states mentioned, would volun-
arily subscribe $4,000 each to the de-
-elopment of Hells Canyon, project
rom which they could never expect
my benefit Not enough signatures
would be secured to dirty one sheet
f paper
There has been some criticism of
he fact that a few citizens from east
f the Mississippi River have contri-
uted capital to the Idaho Power Co.
or the development OF power In the
'acific Northwest. OF course everyone
hat did is probably getting some re-
urn out of their investment, and could
robably get their investments back
t any time.
If the Federal government develops
Tells Canyon Dam, the head of every
nmiIy in Maine will be contributing
bout $4,000, and so will the head of '
very family east of the Mississippi
liver and west of it too. In return 5
hey will get no benefits whatever t
o returns on their investment, and {
OF even their investment back. Even +
he co-ops expect to get their money {
ack with a dividend. 5
If this be a mighty good brand of =
socialism from the taxpayers :
] would like to have it
iagrammed for me. The time has I
ome to reduce taxes, not increase a
lem. /
THE power trust propaganda line {
makes much about ''nOt one dime by /
the Taxpayers i'm all of its anti d
public power baIIyhOO. Suffice to |
say, Idaho Power, i'm anticipation of 2
Federal Power Commission to build r
Ow-head dams on the Snake, way C
asst November applied for fast tax 4
.vriteoff certificates i'm excess of }
;16S million to cover the SOB mil L
ion cost of building two of the COM v
sany's 3 proposed dams. As pointed '
,ut By Sen Magnussen (Wash) at Il
he time of Idaho Powers appIica- b
ion for smell, tax certificates, the tax W