Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-28
Aroused by Stokes

AObOhSo ACNO1lb al WIN, = WOdA0
like to thank him for getting
me mad enough to write refr
utation of his statements con-
corning private power versus
public power in general and
the Hell's Canyon project in
particular.
Statement No. - The adj
miniStration'S policy permits
exploitation of Our natural re-
sources by privileged private
interests"
I believe that Mr.. Stokes,
like other public power adj
vocates, is beating around the
bush in order to obscure the
issue, which is: Are we going
to have Government develop
ment, ownership, and opera
ton at the expense of we tax
payers or are we going to have
free enterprise and let those
people pay for the electric de-
velopment that use it?
1, for one, am against ex-
ploitation of the taxpayers in
as or At States to furnish
cheap power to the people OF
one or two States.
Statement No. 2-The ad-
ministration is determined Ito
turn over all still undeveloped
water resources to the private
power monopoly to develop as
it pleaseS without proper con-
sideration of the public in
terest, and at high rates to
yield a handsome profit"
Has Mr.. Stokes ever heard of
the State regulatory commits
sions which not only look out
for the public interest but
which limit electric rates SO
that they are just and reason
able? 1t may be of interest to
note that the private power
monopolies" of this country
have decreased their average
residential revenues per kilo-
watt hour sold between 1914
and 1854 from 3.51 cents to
2.69 cents while the overall
cost of living has gone up
from 75.2 TO HAS. Source.
United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Consumers Price In
deXO.
Statement No.s3-"ItS plan
according to best expert evil
dence will not realize the full
potentialS of the Snake River"
Mr.. Stokes expert evidence"
evidently was not thought
best" by the Federal Power
Commission, which is charged
by Congress under the Federal
Power Act with the duty of
determining what is the best
plan of development" not only
for power purposes but for
flood control, navigation, and
other public uses. This COM
mission. whose membership is
composed of two Democrats,
two Republicans and one indie
pendent without regular party
afflliation, licensed the Idaho
Power Co. to build three dams
on the Snake River by unan-
imouS decision. Its decision
points out that the company's
project will fully develop the
602 feet of head in the Hell's
Canyon reach of the river to
the same extent as would the
single Government dam.
1t should be of interest to
the taxpayers that the COM
pany's project was estimated
to cost less than one-half of
the $484 million which the
public power advocates desired
for their high dam and would
be built absolutely with no
cost to the taxpayers of this
country.
Statement No. 4-"The Sem
ators were reminded in closing
debate Of how the people
and industries in the develop
ing region will be deprived of
the full benefit of their water
resources.
On the contrary. the people
and industries will get the
same benefits of their water
resources that they would get
with the Government dam.
However, they and not the
taxpayers will pay for those
benefits.
Statement No. SIN closing
debate, 1T was pointed out
how public development would
be lf-liquidating as are all
such water resource enterprises
and would return a nice profit
to the United States Treasury.
I may have become some
what confused by the myriads
OF the public power clique de-
nunciations of exploitation. /"
reversal of conservation.
private power monopoly" and
private power barons," but /
don't recall ever having heard
how a Federal project, whose
construction costs are nearly
twice what they need be. and
which will pay not one cent in
Federal taxes to the United
States Treasury. would return
a nice profit to the United
States Treasury"
In contrast, the project Of