Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-02-18 | Page 4 | To Develop Water Power of Country

TO DEVELOP WATER POWER OF COUNTRY President Wilson and Cabinet Have Taken Up Important Im-portant Matter. WASWirsGTON, Feb. 17. First stops toward the formulation of tho administration's adminis-tration's policy to govern the development-, of water power piojecls on the public lands and in the navigable streams of the nation were taken by President Wilson and Ills cabinet today. Secretaries Garrison and Lane, of the war and interior departments, respectively, respective-ly, were unanimously supported In their plans for meeting the problem. The secretaries will confer with members mem-bers of congress soon and present rough drafts of legislation conforming to their Ideas. These bill will be administration measures. They have beep only tentatively tenta-tively worked out thus far. but tho two cabinet ofllccrs have determined to begin be-gin immediate canvassing of sentiment In the 3cnate, ns well as business concerns, to ascertain the feasibility of their plans. The chief idea thus far evolved contemplates con-templates tho making of arrangements between the government and private capital capi-tal by which the latter would construct and develop water power projects under a federal permit given for a llxcd period of years, after which the project would become the properly of the government for such disposition as it might deem expedient ex-pedient The government might turn the projects over to the states or might lease them to private concerns, turning the funds over to the various states these are some of the ideas discussed by the cabinet. Underlying them all Is a. desire for co-opcratlon between the states and the federal government In working out the problem. The president's reference to this In Ids first annual address lo congress last December De-cember was pointed to today in this connection con-nection as orprcHslng the administration administra-tion viewpoint. lie said then: We must, use the resources of the country, not lock them up. There need ue no conflict or Jealousy as between be-tween state and federal authorities, for there can be no essential difference differ-ence of purpose between them. The resources must bo used, but not destroyed or wasted; need, but not monopolized upon any narrow Idea of Individual rights as against the abiding Interests of communities. communi-ties. The cabinet officers- arc not certain that under the plans they are now drafting private capital would be willing to enter Into tho arrangement, especially since the plants constructed would have lo be given to the federal government at the end of a certain period. Therefore an effort will be made by the administration to sound out public opinion and the "views of business busi-ness concerns engaged " in construction work to loam tho feasibility of the propositions. propo-sitions. That private concerns would be content with tho prollt growing out of the use of the projects, with perhaps a privilege of obtaining subsequent leases from the federal government or the states is the belief expressed by advocates of the scheme.