The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1954-04-30
POWER TRUST MOVING In sEvEN-LEAGUE BOOTS

No matter how you look at it. the trust crowd is
moving all fronts grab control of publicly financed and
built power developments and to fitch from the public yet
undeveoped sources of electrical energy.
Already they've managed to put drastic crmp
priaons for Bonneville Power Administration; have manp-
lated through number of ongerm contracts for publicly
generated power to the detrment rural eecrcs munich
paies sewed up transmission of such publicly produced
and looking with covetous the
potentiaties electricity produced atomic energy
Aided and abetted by Repubcanzed Federal Power Com
mission and equally Republcanzed Department of In
terror they almost got away stealing Canyon
the public Only outraged public opinion throughout the
northwest has delayed this grab to date However, there
is nothing certain vet whether this splendid power site on the
Snake river Idaho will be developed for the benefit of all
the people rather than for the enrichment of the eastern fl
nancal interests who control the Idaho Power Company
Maine
Then there's recently setup Pacific Northwest
Company whose owners are five major northwest private
utilities including Power This super organization
sponsors claim has been set up in order that oca interests
such as Montana Power Co. of New Jersey can cooperate
with the federal supplying future power needs
OF the region The real pubicized goal of this
bine is to wipe the owco public power program which
has much bringing industries pros
pcrty to the Pacific Northwest Given control the areas
future power DEVELOPMENT the eastern masters of these pr
vate utilities will be able call the what industry
to be permitted in the region Since the financial
terests which control the private utilities also control many
manufacturing understandable that they
will resist establishment in the northwest of industries
which might be competitive with those under their control in
the east.
This week the latest sortie against the public
interest by the trust and friendly Federal Power
Commission. The FPC granted Montana Power Company
preliminary permit to make investigation and
of the feasibility of low-head hydro-electrc dam
Buffalo Rapids the Flahead river in Lake This
permit gives MPCo priority in application for federal
license to develop the power site.
How very much this action by public
interest readily understood when considers the
cations of low-head dam Buffalo Rapids HePs
Canyon multpurpose project three high
power dams by Idaho Power Company all again.
AS will be by the adjoining article the proposed
Paradise dam reprinted from the 49, 1853 VOICE.
rucon of Montana Powers $4,000 lowatt Buffalo Rapids
project would deprive the pOwerarved northwest Of
tential added supply of million kowatts With Buff
fao Rapids in the picture Paradise becomes unfeabe What
the $4,000 XIV produced at Buffalo Rapids will be
high cost juice running double the power that
could be produced should mupupose Paradise dam be built
And, there would be other downstream bene-such
flood CONTROL stream flow regulation irrigation supply
should the owhead company dam gain the green light
from FPC
Whether this latest phase of the wholesale radng of
ua be delayed stopped will depend entirely
how quickly the people northwest awak
to this destroy finest
ing power site in Montana.