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Show POWER LEASING BILL COMPLETED Senate Committee finishes Rcvicing Administration's Water Measure Washington, Jon. C Hovlslon of tho administration power slto leasing bill, already passed by the House, was completed todny by tho Senate lands committee It will l)0 favora bly reported to tho Scnato this week and the committee will tako up tomorrow to-morrow tho companion bill for opening open-ing under lease, public lands contain ing coal and other nonprcclous minerals. min-erals. As now amended tho water power bill retains the leasing froturo, but supervision of stock nnd bond Issues of corporations operating undo- such lenses, where tho power generated will bo used In more thnn ono stnte, Is conferred upon tho Interstate com-merco com-merco commission Instead of tho see rotary of tho Interior. Grant Right to Sue Tho commltteo also attached sec-tlons sec-tlons giving Colorado and Nebraska specific right to bring legal action against tho Interior department to determine tho stnto'a right to appropriate appro-priate waters of tho Hlo Grando and the North Platte rivers and provided In addition that tho lands leased ur, dor the bill may bo used Jointly for Irrigation, mining, municipal or domestic do-mestic purposes by authority of the state where each power site is located. lo-cated. The section rolatlng to the gov. ernment's power to tako ovor tho property at expiration of n leaBo was amended to provldo thnt n favorablo and comploto unit of nny powor system sys-tem may bo taken over by mutual agrocment If it Is not desired to ac qulro tho wholo property. A fair vnluo excluding any vnluo dependent upon tho public Innds used, tho franchise, fran-chise, good will, futuro profits on pending contracts or prospective revenues, rev-enues, profits or dividends, Is fixed ns tho price. Where tho property Is not taken over or otherwlso leased at tho oxplratlon of tho fifty year leaso tho lessee would contlmio to opernto under un-der tho original lenso until such disposition dis-position was made. Control Over Contracts Tho Scnato commltteo struck out Uio .prohibition ngaliiBt tho snlc of moro than CO per cent of power gen erntod under nny ono lenso o nny no concern and nlBo provided that stnte public utility commissions slmll control, under the npproval of tho interior in-terior department, the limiting of contracts con-tracts for powor to extend boy'ond tho torm of tho leaso. Tho bill now provides that 50 por - - - - cent of revenues from lenses shall be paid directly to tho stato In which projects nro located; tlio remainder to go to tho federal reclamation fund. Whoro only 5 per cent of thr lnnds employed In nny powor projeo nro public InndB nnd Uipho lands used only for overflow or other Incldentnl purposes, tho bill provides thnt thej Bhall bo leased but exempted for the other provisions ot tho net. |