The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1962-01-12
State House Beat
FRANKLY SPEAKING
By FRANK SMALL

1. Nutter's Economic Council is a
sounding board for the Montana
Power Company.
2. Nutter's Economic Council is a
sounding board for the Montana
Power Company.
The third fact is the same.
Jack Corette, MPC prexy, has Gov.
Don Nutter on string. Last month
when the economists" studied the
coal resources of the state it was
brought out that the only hope for
revival of the coal industry was TO
be supplier to steam plants general
ing electric power. This study was
prompted by Jacks dream that per-
haps ten years from now his company
might have steam plant at Col
strip similar to the Montana-D Dakota
plant near Sidney.
Last week the Councils studies
continued under the direction of
that lovable marionette, Basil Andri-
kopolis, who has been kidding US,
for 10, these many legislative sessions
past, that the school kids of the state
are getting too much return from
their state land heritage. Basils
charts and chatter are all properly
recorded for this was his swan song
for his oil masters. Jack has picked
up the strings and will manipulate
Basil in wooing postures on be-
half of the electric monopoly. Basil's
show was tape recorded at govern
ment expense so that it may be tran
scribed into a booklet. 1t will show
our lawmakers that only by cheating
the children can the oil industry of
the state prosper. A key hypothesis
being that greater income can be
derived by having a greater number
of acres leased by spectators than
the present $500 an acre charged
TO hold the suspected oil bearing acres
until drilling begins. Basil contends
we could get more suckers to pay for
unpromising acres if the price of |
leasing were less, and thereby imme-
diately swell revenues to the schools. |
Royalties from producing wells go
to the Permanent Fund of which only |
the interest is given to elementary
education.
During Basil's presentation, John
Willard felt prone to rise to the de-
tense of the surface transportation
industry which was depicted in a
chart as being the most expensive
method of moving energy. Willard
said that barges received subsidies
in the form of waterway improve
ments by the government giving an
untrue relationship of cost for that
method of transportation.
On scale of energy unit moved
per dollar, coal moved by regular
hauling was AS, while private cleo
trio power scaled at 3.5 and public
lines moved the energy
at 1.6. Coal slurries and oil moved
through pipe lines with lesser dollar
while nuclear power
costs nothing to transfer.
The council took every chance
it could, to take crack at public
power proponents, who are the
Williams according to Jack. He con-
tends to have great virtue as a
master tax collector.
Industry is kept to a minimum in
Montana because of the cost of hav-
ng energy delivered to producer.
Jack told the council that his COM
,any was not going to spend another
lime looking for gas because in the S
721 wells drilled between Augusta
ind the Canadian border there had I
,een only minor success. i
Jack said that the political warn /
ngs' from the Canadians that we !
hould develop our own sources of t
sas should not be needed because of i
he abundance of gas in Canada. The .
'nly bad feature of Canadian pur- :