OCR Text |
Show HOLD WATER POWER STILL IN ITS INFANCY WASHINGTON, March S. "The development devel-opment of water power is an infant industry in-dustry and needs protection." declared Senator Bnnkhead of Alabama in a speech delivered In the senate today on his resolution providing for the appointment appoint-ment of a commission of five senators lo Investigate tho improvement of navl-eablc navl-eablc rivers with a view of recommending recommend-ing necessary legislation for the preservation preser-vation of water power sites and the coordination co-ordination of navigation and power where available power sites exist on navigahlc rivers Mr. Rnnkhead contended that congres-s had no control over the waters of navigable navi-gable rivers, except for the purpose of interstate and foreign commerce, and that the state controlled and was entitled en-titled to the unrestricted 113c of the waters for all other purposes. "Keonomy in producing beat, light and power will very soon compel the use of water power, an emergency forco which we are making impossible by our present pres-ent method of Improving navigable riven-.""-. said. Much Waste of Money. "We. aj- spending millions of dollars In Improving the rivers that will be a total loss when we come to provide power, or else we have destroyed for all time tho possibility of power- A very distinguished army engineer stated to me a few days ago thai our present plan of Improving our rivers where favorable water stations exist is u crime lhat cannot can-not longer bo condoned." Frging the promulgation of a definite polley for power development. Mr. Bank-head" Bank-head" suggested the establishment of a government bureau as a paramount requirement re-quirement iu connection with a general law for Uio control of hydro-olcctrle power enterprises. Arc Rurton opposed the Bankhead resolution res-olution providing for tho appointment of a sepato committee to investigate the water power question because, he said, the inland water ways commission had in hand tho samo subject. He suggested, in view of the. importance import-ance of the question, that the Improvement Improve-ment of tho streams Tor purposes of navigation nav-igation should bo suspended until their power possibilities were Investigated. Mr. Newlands urged the adoption of a system looking to the co-operfition of stales and nation in the conservation of the water resources of the country. The resolution was referred to the committee com-mittee on commerce |