OCR Text |
Show KNOW THE FACTS There has been a lot of political hot air peddled to the public under the title of conservation. Particularly Particular-ly ha this been the case with regard to water powers. The catch phrases "suiKTpower" and "(riant power" systems, to be built by the government govern-ment ami gridiron the nation with a in it woik of transmission lines to furnish the public power at cost, have been overworked by public ownership advocates. As a mutter of fact, the building of hitch tension "superpower" lines so-called so-called is being undertaken by existing exist-ing electric companies as and when conditions justify. Such large scale development has for its primary object ob-ject the maintenance and continuity of supply of energy and the decreasing decreas-ing of cost of generation by imposing impos-ing higher load factors on larger and more efficient production units. This interconnection program is proceeding just as rapidly as conditions condi-tions in each district of the country warrant, and is part of the present progressive policy of the electric light and power industry. It is being done in 4Jie open with full knowledge of the regulating authorities to which the companies are subject. The economies accomplished are reflected in the reports of operating companies. All such reports and accounts ac-counts are kept in a manner prescribed pre-scribed by the regulating commissions. commis-sions. In more than half the states of the , union identical reports and accounts are prescribed and this uniformity uni-formity of accounting will undoubtedly undoubt-edly become universal within the next few years. There can be no concealment conceal-ment of results accomplished and to be accomplished. As production and transmission costs decrease, it will logically follow that cost of service to consumers will be similarly affected af-fected and with all the facts before them, regulating bodies of the various vari-ous states will have no difficulty in requiring that the resultant benefits be shared by the public. With such a thorough system of state regulation, regula-tion, further federal control or ownership own-ership of the power industry is unnecessary; un-necessary; it would retard development. develop-ment. The electric light and power industry in-dustry has nearly 20,000,000 customers custom-ers in the United States. If service to all these 20,000,000 customers is to be reguluted by a central body at Washington, it would mean one of two things: Either interminable delay de-lay and enormous cost to the nation, the companies and the public, or establishment of subordinate federal bureaus in each of the several states, which subordinate bureaus would merely perform the same duties now discharged by the various state commissions com-missions but with this difference 4he state commissions are answerable to the people of their own states. The federal subordinate bureaus would not be. It has been asserted that because the so-called superpower plan contemplates con-templates the transmission of energy across state lines, that the sale of such energy to consumers could not be regulated by the states. Every state commission now has full power to investigate the costs of every company com-pany subject to its jurisdiction, and if bv collusion between companies of the different states exorbitant rates were paid by a distributing company for energy received from an adjoining state, the regulating commission com-mission in the state of the distributing distribut-ing company would not be required, under existing laws, to recognize and give full effect to such collusive contract. con-tract. It could establish rates for service based upon the reasonable value of the energy received. All the talk about power trust and power monopoly is for political effect ef-fect and can only influence persons uniformed regarding the progress of modern electrical development in the United States. |