SPECIAL I,
1 For a FEW DAYS ONLY OUR ENTIRE STOCK of
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J Winter and Spring Coats f
[All of these garments have been selling a t unusually low figures and with the
additional discount they are now being offered at prices which cannot again be
duplicated.
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These coats are of the latest style and of the best materials obtainable. They
consist of Chinelle-Boliva, Broadcloth, V elour, Serge, Silver Tone and Worumbo, .
in all the new shades.
We have also received a new shipment d rect from Fifth Avenue, New York, of
j Afternoon Dresses
These are all in up-to-the-minute styles, in beautiful color combinations, in the
Foulards, Georgette Crepe, Crepe Metor, Charmeuse, Crepe de Chine and Chif
fon Taffetas. Some with touches of embroidery, others with beaded effects.
Also new Serge Dresses and Skirts. All of these are the best values we have f§
ever offered.
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BE DEVELOPED
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.—What
legislation, if any, might congress
wisely pass for encouraging the
development and conservation of the
water-power resources of the United
States? Would their extensive de
velopment, involving such enormous
quantities of unused energy, estimated
as greater than total steam power now’
in service, be industrially practicable?
Is is possible, in the case of any enter
prise so costly to initiate, and so heav
ily burdened with fixed charges, to
outline the essentials of a fair contract
which shall protect the interests of
the public, and at the same time shall
make water-power projects sufficiently
attractive to capital to secure their
development. What legislation can be
devised for obtaining this result.
That briefly summarizes the ques
tion which was sent out today to more
than half a million American business
men of the United States Chamber of
Commerce for a referendum vote from
the 985 commercial organizations
throughout the country which compose
the chamber. The vote will represent
a wide range of industrial interests
and opinions, and it should, therefore,
reliably indicate to congress how the
business men of the country look on
the water-power question.
’ The vote will be taken on the basis
of a series of recommendations con
tained in the report of the chamber's
special committee on water-power de
velopment.
The committee was composed as fol
• lows: L. S. Gillette, chairman, engin
eer and manufacturer, Minneapolis;
Harry A. Black, wholesale merchant,
Galveston; Rome G. Brown, lawyer,
Minneapolis; Henry S. Drinker, presi
dent Lehigh University; Frank P.
Glass, editor-in-chief Birmingham
News; E K. Hall, lawyer, New York
City; Horace C. Henry, retired rail
way contractor, Seattle; Henry L. Me
Cune, lawyer, Kansas City; Samuel V.
Stewart, lawyer and banker, Virgins
City, Mont., and governor of Montana;
George F. Swain, civil engineer. Bos
ton; and C. F. Weed, lawyer and bank
er, Boston.
The report is favorable to positive
federal legislation to encourage water
power development. The committee’s
approval of such proposed legislation,
however, rests solely on the authority
of the individuals who have signed the
rlport. Neither the chamber’s board
of directors, who ordered the investi
gation, nor the chamber at large is
committed to one side or the other of
the question until the organizations
in the chamber, by their vote either
accept or reject the recommendations.
Every ballot sent out is accompanied,
not only by a copy of the report but
also by an argument for the negative,
which clearly and impartially sets
forth objections to the recommenda
tions. The ballot is also accompanied
by other informational matter, so that
those voting may have at hand data
on which to base their judgment for or
against.
The recommendations follow:
“1. That federal legislation encour
aging the development of water
powers should be at once enacted.
‘‘2. As to all developments, whether
within or outside the public domain,
a separate act of congress should not
as at present be required for each
development, but the authority to is
sue permits should be vested in some
department or commission designated
for that purpose and under conditions
protective of the interest of the public
and of the investor.
“3. Permits should be issued for a
period of at least 60 years, unless at
the option of the applicant a shorter
period is agreed upon, and should be
I irrevocable except for cause.
“4. A toll should be imposed by the
government only on power develop
ments on the public domain or benefit
ed by head-water improvements main
tained by the government. Such tolls
should be based upon the horsepower
actually developed, used and sold. The
tolls should be reasonably; and pro
portionate to the benefits actually de
rived.
“6. If public lands form only a
small and incidental part of the entire
development, the licensee should be
entitled to acquire the right to use
such lands, paying the government
fair and just compensation for such
use
“6. At the expiration of the license
period the government should have the
right to recapture the property foi
itself or for a new licensee upon the
payment of fair and just compensa
tion for the property and for all de
pendent property, if taken; and if the
dependent property is not taken, then
fair and just compensation should be
paid for all severance damages. Pro
.
vision should be made that, all things
being equal, the original licensee have
priority over any new licensee.
“No element of the proposed legisla
tion. comments the report, at this
point, is more vitally important than
the terms upon which the property of
the permittee may be taken from him
at the expiration of the permit. If
he cannot be assured that in case his
property is taken he will receive ‘just
compensation' therefor, he will invest
his money in other enterprises. The
words ‘just compensation’ carry an as
surance of protection and fair dealing,
and a sense of security. Any attempt
to amplify or limit ‘just compensation’
by definitions and refinements of ‘fair
value,’ ‘original cost’ and other ex
pressions upon which there are various
theories now under discussion and as
yet undefined by the courts leads to
uncertainty which is the one thing
which must be avoided. All these
mooted technicalties will be settled by
the courts and the commissions long
before any of these permits termin
ate. It is difficult to see why either
the public or the investor should not
be satisfied to rely upon the express
ion ’just compensation’ and trust to
its interpretation and application by
the federal courts in the light of pub
lic opinion as it shall be reflected in
the law fifty years in the future.
“7. At the expiration of the license
period the government should (1)
agree with the license© as to the
. terms of a new license, (2) recapture
i tor itself for a new Be eases, (8) con
tinue the license -radar”j|*e original
terms.
“8. Rates and service should be
regulated by state cammlastass where
the service is intrastate, -rad only
by federal authority where the service
is interstate and the commissions of
the states which are directly con
cerned do not agree or there Is not
state commission.
"The exercise of any federal juris
diction over the issuance of securities
would be unnecessary and unwise.
“9. No preference should be al
lowed as between applicants, whether
a municipality or otherwise, which
amounts to the granting at the ex
pense of the government of a subsidy
creating unequal competition in the
same market.”
The report begins by pointing out
that it is estimated that the undevelop
ed water power of country exceeds
the total steam power now in service.
The federal government controls much
of the water-power resources of the
country; but, says the report, “in re
cent years the policy of the federal
government in this respect to these
! powers has been such that their de l
jveloptnent Instead of being encourag
ed. has been almost prohibited.”
The report continues: “One of the
first things to be clearly perceived
• * * is that water power develop
ments are not exceedingly profitable
undertakings earnestly sought by cap
ital as a means of securing large re
turns on a small Investment; but that,
on the contrary, steam power is the
superior or water power in almost all
respects. In order to procure the ade
quate development of water power, in
ducements must be offered.
“There Is a very general, but entire
ly erroneous, belief that any water
power running to waste can be util
ized at small expense. The Initial
cost of a steam plant is In general but
one-half to one-fifth of a water-power
plant of the same capacity * * *. It
follows that the investor in a water
power plant is burdened from the very
start with a heavy fixed charge * * *.
The risk to capital in water-power
developments are, therefore, much
greater than the risks In the case of
steam power. The advantage of water
power lies in its smaller expense of
maintenance, due to the smaller
amount of labor and the absence of the
cost of fuel.
“Water powers will not be developed
unless the conditions are made com
paratively favorable. Present demand
lor the development of such power
comes, not from capitalists, but from
communities which, on account of the
high price and scarcity of fuel, are
desirous in their own interest, of in
ducing capital to make such develop
ments.
“There are many collateral advant
ages resulting from the development
of water power, which are reaped by
the community as a whole rather than
by the investor. Those advantages
are the saving of coal and oil. which
are exhaustible natural resources and
once used can never be replaced, the
saving of railroad equipment needed
for their transportation, the saving of
labor in coal mines and of railroad
labor and labor in distribution.
"If the water power now commer
cially Capable of development could be
brought into use, the savings to the
public in the conservation of fuel and
the release of labor and railroad equip- 1
ment would run into hundreds of 1'
millions of dollars annually.
"At the present moment the public
has been made to realize, as never
before, the importance of conserving
fuel and labor, and the present emer
gency accentuates the public need of
the formulation of a wise and fair
water-power policy by the federal gov
ernment
*$£ order1 to secure the adequate
development of water power, it is es
sential that the subject should be ap
proached with an attitude of mind
whicji recognizes the necessity of mak
ing such developments attractive to
capital, rather than with that atti
tude which assumes that such enter
prises should be surrounded with as
many restrictions as possible.
“The conservation of every other na
tural resource means restriction in its
use. for use means consumption, and
permanent destruction. Every pound
of coal burned is forever withdrawn .
from use. On the other hand, every
horsepower of water power not used
is lost, and every horsepower con
served and used saves not only the
horsepower but its equivalent in coal
and may incidentally improve naviga
tion.
"The task of this committee has
been, without going into details, to
outline the essentials of a fair con
tract which shall fully protect the in
terests of the public, and-at the same
time shall make water-power projects
sufficiently attractive to secure their
development.
"The committee has drawn np and
unanimously presents certain recom
mendations regarding the fundamental
points which it considers of the great
est importance In a federal policy if
It is to accomplish the highly benefi
cial results which the public interests
demand. 1
"The entire committee, with the ex
ception of Governor Stewart, partici
pa ted in the report."
■
A large number of new recruits are
expected to arrive at Fort Seward In
a few weeks, where they will be put
through intensive training. There are
pow only about 100 men left at the
fort, many of them having departed for
parts unstated.
One of the inhabitants of Douglas
who is rather interested in the sub
ject recently remarked that every year
deerskins valued at thousands of dol
lars were thrown awya In Southeast
ern Alaska. No less than eighty were
counted on the beach In the vicinity of
Auk bay one day last spring. At the
present time, when there is such a
pressing demand for leather, the waste
is a shame. He also suggested, how
ever, that to market the skins would <
probably implicate those so doing in
killing the game out of season.
Empress Theatre
Tuesday, Febuary 26,th, at
8:15 P.M.
MOSICALE
For the
Red Cross
Under the Auspices of the
Episcopal
Guild Auxiliary
Admission - - 75c
ALASKA
STEAMSHIP CO.
wlthIuTnotlT.P*ny re*erVe* th# rl*ht t0 ch*"*« •ehedul. of .te.rn.ro
LEAVES SEATTLE LEAVES CORDOVA
February 16 Alaska February 23
February 24 Victoria March 3
March 1 Northwestern March 8
The freighters Cordova, Latouehe, Juneau, Valdez
ami Ketchikan also make regular trips.
S. Tickets on sale at up-town office Alaska Steamship Bldg. Bag
gage or freight will not be received at the dock later than one hour
before sailing time.
J H, BUNCH, G. F. & P. Agt S, R. HEDGES, Agent.
-- -"" ----i_ mv
—Next Steamer—
S. S. Admiral Shokara
S. S. ADMIRAL EVANS SAILS FROM SEATTLE ON MARCH FIRST
Westbound February 23. PIPQMP9P \
CALIFORNIA ROUTE
Special Ocean Excursions from Seattle to Sunny California. $35 to
San Franc lace and return, final limit of sale February 2tth. $50 te
.Loa Angeles and return. $54 to San Diego and return. Three sail*
.Inge a week from 8eatt!e to California points. Arrange yeur winter
•utlng through yeur local agent.
FOR FULL PARTICULARS APPLY
W. A. NOURSE, Agent. Empress Building,
DELIVERY OF COAL
On account of eight hour law, coal orders must be re
ceived before 1 p. m. to insure delivery same day. No
coal delivered after 5 pm.
ALASKA TRANSFER
COMPANY
Office—Northern Hotel Building. Phone 8§.
Fine Job Printing At The Times Office