Items of Interest May 5, 1906 Issue

Items of Interest

Joint international action by the United States and Canada for the preservation of the scenic beauties of Niagara Falls, says the Scientific American, is an assured fact. A proposition is before Congress for diplomatic action with Great Britain which, in the event of favorable action, will give the Secretary of War authority to grant revocable permits for diversion of water from Niagara River "only to individuals, companies, or corporations which are now actually producing power from said water, and to them only the amount now actually in use by such individuals, companies, or corporations." On the other hand, the Canadian Minister of Public Works has announced at the Canadian capital a federal policy to preserve Niagara Falls. Under this policy the right to export electric energy into the United States will be granted under the understanding that it can be revoked at short notice, and that there shall be no claim against the Government arising out of such revocation, and, moreover, that the companies shall be subject to such regulations as the Government may impose.

For a week or more the Committee on Rivers and Harbors has conducted hearings on the bill for the preservation of Niagara Falls, both sides of the question having been thoroughly presented. The representatives of the power companies do not openly oppose the project of preserving the beauty of the Falls, but merely contend for what they claim as their rights. The opinion prevails in the Committee that only a certain amount of water should be taken. Until this limit is reached competition would be possible. The question is how to frame a bill that will prevent ultimate consolidation of the companies and the exaction through monopoly of unwarranted prices for power furnished.

Five thousand men in this country, says a writer in Success, actually own (without counting what they control) nearly one-sixth of our entire national wealth, money, land, mines, buildings, industries, everything, which sixth if put into gold would give them all the gold in the world and leave more than $9,000,000,000 still owing them! There are more than four million families, or nearly one-third of the nation, whose incomes are less than $400; more than one-half of the families get less than $600; two-thirds of the families get less than $900, while only one in twenty of the nation's families is able to secure an income of over $3,000 a year.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Items of Interest

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access