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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1912)
8 NOVEL FEATURES WILL BE JFive Hundred Gardens to Be Represented in Great Centerpiece f:0&&& mtei lv;?My 'vts.- iV-.-l I v Vii rDSARIAN8 from all parts of the K United States mill attend the an nual show by tha Portland Ross Society, which will open tn the Armory, at Eleventh and Couch streets, on Wednesday of the Rose Festival and will continue for three days. "Ws expect our show this year to rank second only to the treat an nual international exhibition of tha Rose Society In London," says J. A. Currcy, president of the Portland or ganisation. "It la doubtful If a show has ever been held under more favor able conditions than those which promise to prevail this year. It la true that soma of the rose bushes were forced by the hot spell two weeks a and aome have passed tha height of their blooming; period, but there are tens of thousands of bushes which to day require only the warm sun of two or three days to bring- them to per fection before the opening of the Rose bow. We expect to have at the Armory this year several hundred tnoosand blooms that will challenge the admiration of every visitor to our dlnplay." Working In co-operation with the STATE REGULATION OF WATER POWER DEVELOPMENT URGED AT CONGRESS rderal Government Not Believed to Hare the Organiiition Necessary to Handle Problem With Such Satisfac tion to Public a Private Capital More Important Bureaus Claim too Great Share of Attention. E. O. HOPSON. Read st Commonwealth Congress, Msy IS. THE following paper on the "Regula tion of Water Power Develop ment" was read by K. O. Hopson st the commonwealth conference of the University of Oregon, May 25: In countries like Australia practic ally all public service Is under public control, and communities desiring state or municipal Improvements apply to the Government both for designs, construction and operation of works. In soma European countries similar conditions obtain, and government con trol has thus become thoroughly Incor porated Into th social structure. In this country privately owned and con trolled public service, corporations per form most of these functions, particu larly In connection with light and power. These concerns have developed great systems of works and occupy practically the entire field. The water powers remaining under state and Fed eral control are mostly undeveloped and. to a very large extent, ars located In the more remote localities, so that they are not Immediately available for use In the logical order of commercial development. It may be possible to devise, a scheme for developing these water powera by the direct action of the Government or state, or both, but it should not be overlooked that this will not mean complete Oovernment ownership of light and power, but only a share of the field, the private concerns being already well Intrenched In the moat strsteglc points. What would be the outcome If the Government proceeded to develop the new powers In competi tion with tha privately owned power office of the Rose Festival Associa tion, tha Portland Ross Society has brought Its preparations for this year Into admirable perfection, and la every detail the display of blooms will bs strikingly novel and beautiful. The old conventional way of ar ranging tha display tables at the Armory In long straight lines has been abondoned and Mr. Currey and the executive committee will Intro duce this year a new arrangement of the tables and booths. The Armory has been laid out as a formal English garden, the tables being especlslly constructed to repre sent curved beds of plants, or circles, while the booths holding the displays rf the various districts have been so constructed that only the brilliant blooms and the soft green decorations will be seen. None of the glass holders, which In past years marred the display of the various districts will be seen, for all the glass ware will be skillfully hidden by especial ly constructed shelves. gTstrieee Are Premised. While the Ross Society haa disclosed the general arrangements of the Armory It Is keeping for a aurprlse a plants already built la another mat ter. First of all. the Oovernment would be competing with Its own cltlsens in Commercial work, which la an undesir able situation. Such competition, how ever, could only end In one way, as the resources of the Government are so much grester than those of tha largest private Interests. If the. Government seriously undertook rate cutting regard less of economlo considerations,, the. pri vate concerns would be forced out of business or would be absorbed by the Government Itself. In all probability no actual competition will result, as private Interests, realising tha situa tion would surrender at the outset. What, however, would be the object of such competition T Would tha purpose bs to drive out private ownership or merely to control It? The latter hav ing generally the best strategic posi tions today, could, if their resources were equal to those of the Government, win out In any rate-cutting competi tion. Tha entrance of the Government Into the field with the avowed policy of rate cutting would, however, neces sarily be the end of all private enter prise. Is this the result we are after? It seems to me the point to be attained Is not the elimination of private enter prise, but tha securing of reasonable rates to tha consumer. We are not yet ripe for the wide adoption of Govern ment ownership of this utility. I. ., to the extent of ousting those already en gaged In the work. We do, however, desire to prevent nnjust and unreason able rates. Monopoly cannot be avoid ed, nor does It appear worth while to make any attempt so to do. Produc tion of power Is cheaper and mora re liable by large plants than amall ones, and monopoly there must be either un der public or private control. I believe the public will be sufficiently served by rata regulation of all light and power corporation coupled with Gov ernmental examination and supervis TIIE SUNDAY number of novel" features. The world haa been scoured to get new and ap propriate ideas for effectively display ing the roses. Several weeks ago President Currey received from Japan ssmples of odd rose holders and for a week or more a fore of Japanese has been busy In one factory In Portland making these holders and when they are filled with choice blooms are expected to attract much attention and admiration.. President Currey has several pic tures of these new holders filled with roses. The arrangement la such that as many as to roses csn be placed In one holder and the roses are so held In position that the Individual beauty of each bloom Is brought out. There will be a large number of these new holders, capable of holding from ten to to or (0 Individual rosea, as distributed throughout the hall. Navel Exhibit Pleased. The "One Rose Exhibit" le an en tirely new Idea Introduced In the show this year. It never naa been attempted at any otner show In this country or abroad. It is an original Idea of President Currey. It was designed primarily as an exhibit to show the wide extent to which rose culture Is followed In Portland. ion of tha business methods and ac counting of the operating concerns. ReaseaaMe Profit Permitted. The public will be satisfied If these corporations obtain a reasonable profit, because, after all, that la what every body Is looking for, provided their methods are reasonably well conducted and efficient. It doea not desire to control or operate these plants, as that would Involve a governmental ma chinery far too complicated and cum bersome and might entail evils greater than such excessive rates as may ob tain In aome cases. It therefore seems, to me that the state and Federal Government should not embark on a policy of wholesale construction and development of tha new water powers with a view to using such action as a club over the private Interests already operating, but should preceed, first, to perfect machinery to eupervlsa and regulate these latter In the Interests of tha general public, with due regard to the legitimate rights of the Investors In such concerns, and, secondly, methods should be devised for the development of the new powers to keep pace with the growing needa of the community. Whether the development of the new water powers can beat ba handled by public or private means la a matter for consideration. In some cases private capital can probably be used to the best advantage, subject, of course, to regu lation and control. In other cases, where Urge comprehensive schemes be yond the scope of private enterprise are Involved, the work can be best handled by Federal or state authority. It seems the me, however, that no arbitrary rule can be made covering all cases, and It appears particularly Inadvisable in evr present Incomplete knowledge of tha technical features of any proportion to dogmatise as to its merits or demerits. Cesssslaelaa Is Fa verve. Tha point on which we will probably all agree is that soma expert body OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND. OFFERED AT THE 1912 ROSE SHOW at Armory Exhibition Open Three Days Japanese Holders Introduced for First Time. It has been appropriately named "The One Rose Exhibit." Tha object la to show E00 roses from as many dif ferent gardena of Portland. An espe cially constructed table, arranged with glass holders, burled tn moss, will be erected In the center of the Armory. There will be five tiers of roses, each rose entered In the section being it signed to Its Individual place, and each ross will be especially staged under the direction of Mrs. Alfred Tucker, who Is an expert In the harmonious blending of colors. The object of this one display is to get from as many gardens ss possible the prettiest rose in that garden on the day of the show. Irrespective of Its type or color. In this way the Rose Society hopes to get the choice single rose of 100 or more gardens. Every person who Is a member of the Rose Society will be permitted to show roses In this section as well as In all other should carefully consider and welgli these matters and try to devise a plan for recommendation to the atste gov ernment, possibly to Congress. My present Idea Is that the state should in any event appoint a public-service com mission empowered thoroughly to scru tinize the business of all light and pow er corporations operating In the state, and should legislate to compel all such corporations to make regular reports to the commission and to submit Its aceounta to the Inspection of the Com mission, as msy be required, and to fix no rates for sale of power save with tha approval of the commission. This seems to be the first and most neces sary step. It will establish the prin ciple already partly established tn oth. er states, that these concerns are not of a purely private character; that the public affording them facilities to carry on their business. Insists on a share of control of the business and reasnnsble rates. This principle once established may be capable of wide extension as recognition of the rights of the public becomes enlarged. In addition to the control of existing power companlea by a. publlo service commission, we are faced with the ne cessity of providing for the develop ment of the new powers, this develop ment being now prsctlcally held tn abeyance through a deadlock between stste and Federal action. The state claims to own and control all waters of tha state and has provided legisla tion and machinery for the purpose. In the majority of cases of the lsrge un developed powers In this and other Western states the sites axe still In publlo ownership, and these lands be ing withdrawn from entry In further ance of the policy of conservation and development being therefore Impracti cable. Present Condition Anomalous. The present condition Is anomalous and should be terminated. I know of many worthy plans for development that would have been started to tha great public advantage but for this deadlock. As mattera now stand there la no legal provision for regulating the entry of these lsnds. Tha present withdrawal must, therefore, continue until Congress takes action of soma kind. What this action will be is en tirely In the air. One school advocates the most radical ayetem of Govern ment ownership, while others would be willing to restore these lands to entry with little. It any restriction. It may however, be taken for granted that JUNE 2, 1912. x sections. Sterling silver vsses have been offered for first and second prlxe In this one rose exhibit. A vase for the best hybrid perpetual rose has been offered by Mr. Currey. whose taste runs to that type of rose on account of their hardiness and be cause certain varieties of the- class reach perfection In the climate of Port land. A trophy for the beat hybrid tea ha been offered by Alfred Tucker, secretary of tha society. With a gar den of only 101 roses Mr. Tucker has more then 75 different varieties, a ma. Jorlty of which are hybrid teas. Tha trophy for the best tea roses in this exhibit baa been offered by Mrs. R. B. Lamson. a member of the executive committee of the Rose Society, whose gsrden of Maman Corhet roses, one of the most extensive tea roses grown tn Portland, has attracted much atten tion. Decorations of the hall will be on an these power sites win never be opened to unrestricted entry as in the past. Home control and regulation will be established, and this Is where the stste ran greatly aid Congress by Its advice and co-operation. Under the new stste water code a system of fees has been established en all water power development, the amounts being proportioned to the power developed. While unquestionably this system is far In advance of what existed before, it does not quite appeal to me as being the kind of eontrol best suited to the publlo Interest. Whatever the amount of the fees may be. they are merely a tax on tha con suming public, it bslng evident that the power companies will ultimately shift the burden to the consumer. The en tire principle of establlslng fees is wrong unless we regard the question purely as a revenue-producing one and select power development for tsxatlon simply on this basis. As now applied. It Is similar in effect to that of an In ternal tax on coal paid by tha mine operators for each ton produced at the mines. In which rase there would be little douht that tha public would ear the burdea and not the mine operator. It seems to me we do not need taxation or fees, but rate regulation or public ownership and operation. In all prob ability both the latter will be benefi cial under the diverse conditions that obtain in different localities. Hate Rearalarloa Forward Step. Rate regulation Is unquestionably a long step toward public ownership, and It takes no vivid Imagination to pic ture the growth of one Into the other aa time goes on. It seems, however, to go a long way In meeting the desire of a large portion of the public for some kind of positive control by tha public of public utilities. It provides at the same time a reasonable outlet for the energy and activity of private enterprise and an opportunity for tha utilization of great masses of private capital available for profitable devel opment. Properly devised regulation of ratea means stable investments at reas onable profits because the prohibition of excessive profits through the action of a public service commission should entail a corresponding duty on the part of tha public to insure reasonable re turns on the Invested capital and full public support In emergencies. From an Investment stsndpolnt regulated corporations should snjoy a stability and assurance that will eventually bs , entirely different plane than In the past. Nothing will be permitted In the show but roses. No other blooming plant will be displayed. Commercial features of the show here been eliminated. No distribution of sdvertlslng literature wilt be per mitted. The society Itself mill Issue a handsome souvenir programme con taining no advertising. The programme Is Just off the press. The outslio cover Is In a stipple effect, with tha front rir Illuminated with a handsome Caroline Testout rose, the official rose of Portland. The pro gramme Is so arranged and spares left so that each visitor to tha show can write the name of the winning rose and by whom It was shown. The show will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It will open promptly at 2 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. Officers of the society have nhtslned found more attractive than the specu lative features Incident to those oper ating without regulation. Actual publlo ownership snd opera tion Is not. In my opinion, a thing to be entered Into too lightly. The ma chinery of the state and Federal Gov ernment Is not suited for such burdens, nor Is the public educated politically to a grade that will afford reaaonsble assurance of sustained efficiency in the operation of great public works enter ing intimately Into the dally economics of the people. Almost the only Govern, mentbrsnch constructing and operating works that I know to be reasonably effective and economical Is the Recla mation Service, and I have a full ap preciation of the difficulties we live under in that organisation In keeping our record even passably good. There Is an Irresponsibility and Indifference to current eventa In the great publlo departments that la most discouraging. and I believe the relatively errective condition of tha Reclamation Service Is principally due to Its newness and Its relative unimportance among the other Government bureaua. If the activities of the Government were spread over a wider area It would be with greatly Increasing difficulty that a respectable average of efficiency could be maintained, unless the public Itself became more alive to the vital Interests at stake and enforced depart mental reorganization. Private Eaterprlee Fevered. I therefore advocate the utilisation to the fullest extent of private enter prise In the development of the water resources of this and other Western states, always providing that private Interests be subordinated to the publlo welfare, which should be always the first consideration. I believe by this means greater activity, energy and economy ran be brought to bear than it we exclude private capital from the field. There always will be, however, projects so vast In extent and Involving so many diverse interests that private capital cannot handle them satisfac torily. These should constitute the field for Governmental or state activity. Home of these larger projects may In volve the Irrigation of arid lands, tha atorage of water for Irrigation and power and be well within the scope of the Reclamation Service. . In such esses some form of co-operation be tween the Federal and state authori ties may be possible. Other projects msy be primarily for tha development of power with Irrigation as a mere In the services of tilne Judges. Instead if three as In past years. These Judge will be divided Into groups of three end each group will be assigned to Judging certain types of roses and tn this way It is expected that the Judging will he completed In an hour. On Wednesday the regular admission of 2S cents will be charged. The admission for the sei ond dsy will be 10 rents, and no charge mill he made Friday. The display o Friday will he as fresh and Inviting as on the first day. fcecreterv Tucker will he at the Arm. ory on Tuesdsy. the day before the opening of the show, to receive appli cations for entries and st other times can be communicated with st HI Sher lock building. No entries will be re ceived In the show sfter 10:30 on Wed nesdsy morning. Judges will be. for the most part, selected from outside the city, and some of them have officiated at the great International shows in Ixindnn. cident thereto. In such cases co-operation may be desirable hut can prob ably only be made feasible by new Congressional legislation. Other pro jects Involving power development for Interstate utilization msy also bo sub ject to such co-operation If legislation be passed. Projects Involving power development constructed and utilized strictly within the state limits do not seem to be a matter for Federal activity unless the principle be recognized that the ownership of the site by the United States establishes sufficient Interest by the United States to warrant the ex penditure of Federal funds. It Is evi dent, however, that the principle of co operation between the state and Fed eral authorities Is by no means a simple matter except In cases where the Irrigation of arid lands under the Reclamation Act Is ths principal mo. live. Legislation by Congress will probably be necessary to meet all other cases, but the problem Is by no means Insoluble, and tha Interests of ths state are sufficiently Involved to warrant the appointment of a commission of experts by the state government to consider the matter from all legal and practical standpoints and recommend definite lines of action. In order to enable private enterprise to develop the water power where the sites have been withdrawn by the In terior Department, Congress must pan legislation, and here again the voice of the state should be unmistakable. This Is mainly a matter for expert ad vice as to the best means to secure full public control of the essentials and yet render development a reasonably at tractive field for private enterprise. There Is no doubt In my mind that this problem can be solved If handled by experts and kept out of politics. It appears to me that any plan recom mended to Congress should Include In any event that the power sites now withdrawn be granted to ths state for entry and utilization, subject to publlo welfare rules, probably limiting the tenure, providing for approved methods of construction, utilization, operation and rate regulation. Prior to the open Ing of any of these sites there would seem to be necessity for action by a Joint commission of Federal and state officials In a complete examination of each locality affected, and decision as to policies to be adopted In such mat ters as the continued reservation by the Government of such sites as may be needed by tha Government or state. i