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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1940)
Th OREGON STATESMAN, Satan. Oregon. Sunday Morning. March 31. 1940 PAGE THREE TVAO $500,000,000 Baby Lifting Face of By DON 'WHITEHEAD t KNOXVILLE, Tenn'., March 30. -iff)-Tl w deal's 1500,000,' 000 baby, the Tennessee Valley Authority, will be seren years old on May 18, and already it has outgrown Its rompers. ! ConcelTed as the nation's first m a J o experiment in planned economy two months after Franklin - D. Roosevelt became president, the authority has grown" until today many Tennes see valley inhabitants consider it a vital force in tbeir lives. There are few persons in the area from the Mississippi delta to the highlands of east Tennes see not affected directly or in directly by the growth of the gi ant corporation and its numer ous projects involving power pro duction, navigation, flood con trol, agriculture and social ad justment. Some, from the lowliest share cropper to the industrial tycoon, Salem Scout SCOUT CALENDAR April 1 Marion district meet- Ing and court of honor. Stay ton, 8 P. m April 1 Special executive board meeting, chamber of com merce, 8 p. m. April 5 Merit badge exposi tion, St. Joseph's hall. 7:30 p. m. April 6 Merit badge exposi tion, St. Joseph's hall, 2:30 p. D and 7:30 p. m. Troop nine has the Pioneer merit badge for the exposition. The Owl patrol is to build a cabin and a small kitchen in it. The Elk patrol will build a bridge capable for holding 200 pounds. The Eagle patrol is to have a knot board on which all 12 knots are displayed and the four spli ces on one piece of rope. By ED NEWMAN. The Boy Scouts of troop 11 demonstrated first aid for their sponsors, the Englewood PTA, last Tuesday night. Richard Ven cent was seated on the stage while several of the scouts tied band ages on him. Some of these bandages were: Foot, hip. Jaw, head, thigh. Ankle, hand and the arm sling. After the meet ing the scouts of troop 11 re ceived refreshments. By "BUCK" EILERT. Dr. B. F. Pound, chairman of the organization and extension committee of the council, held a charter review of the new troop at Salem Heights, last Tuesday night. The new troop will be troop 19 and is sponsored by the Salem Heights Community church. Dr. Pound also gave a short talk at the regular troop meeting that night. By JOHN COTTON. Cascade Area council will hold its first merit badge exposition in St. Joseph's hall on April 5 and Editorial Comment From Other Papers McXARV'S CHAXCES We can't agree with those who dismiss the effort to secure the republican presidential nomina tion for Senator McNary as mere ly a combination of state pride and wishful thinking. In fact the prospects today we believe to be brighter than they were three or four months ago, when the movement was first launched. At that time, this department could see very slight chance for Oregon's senior senator to get the presidential berth, but we did 6ee a fair chance for the vice-presidential. This Is still our opinion. But in view of the developments since that time, the presidential possibilities for McNary have in creased, because those of the three leading republican candidates haven't. We mean by that there is, to date, no popular enthusiasm among the republican rank and file for Dewey, Taft or Vanden berg. Little likelihood there will be when the republican conven tion opens. Every likelihood that as time goes on these three can didates, now undeniably out in front, will be disposed more and more to kill each oHier off. And if that happens, and no dark horse of formidable propor tions emerges, meanwhile, then we can think of no compromise can didate with a better chance of be ing struck by lightning than the capable and popular senior soion from Oregon. As Johnny Kelly has pointed out In his column. Senator McNary has strong friends in both parties, strong enemies in neither. He is well and favorably known among the farmers. He is a genuine pro gressive, without being- in any sense radical, and in view of an unbreakable convention deadlock, would be a "natural" as the best way out. We still hold "Charley's" REAL chance lies in the direction of the second place on the ticket (if he wants It).' But It is also true the possibilities of his grabbing the brass ring, it the convention de velops into a rough and tumble - merry-go-round and IMPROVING as time goes on. Medford - Mall Tribune. - . ; Teachers Reelected At Aurora School AURORA The faculty -of the Aurora grade school, reelected for the coming school - year are Nela Anderson, principal; Miss Serena Simon,. Joan Gibson, Mrs. Bernita Hunt - . - '-'-- ... .:, , - SJ Dr. Arthur E. Morgan : "Contuma cious," said President Roose velt. So TVA got a new chair man. think of TVA as a symbol of a new era in which the historic Tennessee valley is having its face lifted and its future carved anew. Future Is Controversial What the future will hold, of Press Notes 6 at 7:30 p. m., Friday and Satur- day, and a matinee on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 following a pa- rade which will be held at 1 o'clock. This parade will organ ize at the YMCA. This exposition is under the direction of a committee which consists of Gardner Knapp, chair man; Vern Mathis, Vern Kirk land, Bob Lange and Jack R. Taylor, secretary. Many of the sponsoring bodies are aiding their troops by furnishing different equipment for the demonstration of the merit badge that the troop has selected. The Cascade area council Press club is sponsoring the lost and found department for the whole exposition while the SSS I Willamette will 6et up a fair aid oooth for practical purposes and for demonstration. The senior scouts and the Life Scouts or above will act as service scouts for the show. Notice to Executive Board Members "Because of reasons beyond our control, we were unable to secure Ralph McDermott as scout executive. Therefore, I am call ing a special meeting of the execu tive board for Monday evening, April l, g p. m. at the Salem chamber of commerce, to hear the report of the special committee which will submit another name to fill the office of scout execu tive of the Cascade area coun cil. Please see that someone rep resents your district. It is im portant. "Thanks for" your cooperation. "Cascade Area Council, "Boy Scouts of America, "HARRY W. SCOTT, "President." Nachman Never before have we been able to offer these famous mat tresses and box springs at so low a price. Only through a very unusual factory purchase could such a price be pos sible. Every mattress has been made according to our own exacting specifications, including the fine damask coverings. O 256 Nachman Coil Springs in Each Haliress O Springs Covered with 26 Pounds of Coiion Linler Fell, Reinforced wiih 10 Pounds of Quilled Sisal Padding. O Heavy, Pre-Bnild Qcilled Bor ders, Hany of Which Were Imported. O Covered wilh Heavy Imported and Domestic Damasks. O Substantial Handles for Easy Turning. O Brass Screen Ventilators for Efficient Aeration. O Finely Tailored, Besilieni and Comfortable. Remember, you get a regular Springs to match for $16.95 . Mattress and Box Springs for $32.50. "Trade & In Your 3 Old Furniture ii i) in o ww r o n n ttt Mompers: Jrroject Wm.Ie 3 course. Is a highly controversial subject throughout the nation, depending on the point of view and perhaps upon political align ments. Those who direct the course of the experiment foresee marginal thousands lifted to solid economic security, soil and for ests conserved, an entire region rehabilitated commercially and socially. Some others, of course, are less optimistic. The basic plan for accomplish ing this ambitious program was the unified development of the Tennessee river. By a series of 10 big dams the authority proposed to make the Tennessee navigable from Knoxville to the Ohio (almost 600 miles), control floods and produce electric power. All oth er activities stemmed from these projects. Hardly had the ink dried on the president's signature approv ing the TVA act when idealistic TVA chairman Arthur E. Morgan was at odds with his fellow di rectors, David E. Lilienthal and Harcourt A. Morgan. Dr. Morgan Ousted This dissension was climaxed four years later with charges by Dr. Arthur Morgan of misman agement and allegations that there was fraud in an unsuccess ful attempt by George Berry, then democratic senator from Tennessee, to obtain damages from TVA for marble lands flood ed by the authority's Norris dam on the Clinch river near here. Subsequently, President Roo sevelt removed Dr. Morgan from office for "contumacy" and a congressional investigation exon erated the directors of any wrong doing. James P. Pope, former senator from Idaho, was named as a director to suceeed A. E. Morgan. During this time, TVA was in open conflict with privately-own ed electric utilities in the valley, most of which were controlled by the Commonwealth and Sou thern corporation. The fight over the legality of the authority's power program and effort to set up a "yardstick" for electric power rates proceeded through state and federal courts until finally the supreme court in 1938 affirmed a ruling by a special three-judge federal court upholding the constitutionality of the TVA program. Rattles Obscure Progress The Internal friction, legal scraps and congressional debate over the new deal experiment to a large degree obscured the pro gress the authority was making during those formative years. With the strife at an end, the court battles won and with the aid of a congress sufficiently friendly to provide appropri ating, the authority's program emerged from the clouds of con troversy as well advanced. $32.50 Mattress OR a Box . . and you get BOTH the the regular price of one or f?&ZZL .iiiaw-f'f ii ii ii " in i i in in ii i n1 X .TT " " ' - ;a Km f v- J-?thi ' -5 1t-X X- y V U Xl .T 1 c". v-v - 4n - . -r - $ ' Wheeler dam, one of seven TVA 000,000 and was designed to provide cheap power and Irrigation for the section around Chattanooga, Tenn. Only three more dams, all near Knoxville, remain to be constructed. So let's take a peek at the sta tus of TVA on the eve of its sev enth birthday: Power : The supreme court decision holding the TVA projects con stitutional catapulted the author ity into the position of being one of the country's largest power producers, with virtually an ex clusive market for the sale of Its cheap electricity. Within a period of less than a year, TVA rounded out its "pow er" empire" by the purchase of privately-owned utilities control led by Commonwealth and Sou thern in Tennessee. Its custom ers Increased from a few thou sands to almost 400,000.' Reve nues boomed to an estimated 15,000,000 annually. Last December, the authority purchased the North Mississippi Electric properties of the Missi ssippi Power Co. for $2,000,000, and last month arranged to buy h e Alabama Power company properties in North Alabama for 4,100,000. Under the agreed plan, the au thority purchased generating and transmitting properties while the Box Springs lo Hatch Also Only $16.95 Both for 1.50 dams now completed. It cost $33,- municipalities and cooperatives became owners of the electric dis tribution plants. All Power Contracted With this huge market, the TVA has under contract about all the power it can produce until the giant Kentucky dam near Paducah, Ky., is completed in 1945 or 1946. Cheap electricity and an in tense rural electrification pro gram spurred the use of electric power in urban, rural and Indus trial areas alike. Sales of electric appliances rached new heights. During 1939, residential consumers of TVA power purchased $7,072, 000 worth of appliances. Consum er use of electricity per residen tial customer Increased from 104 kilowatt hours at the beginning of the year to 113 kilowatt hours at the close, at an average cost of 2.16 cents per kilowatt hour. Flood Control: Already the authority has sev en of its dams completed and in operation, Wilson, Cbicamauga, Wheeler, Guntersville and Pick- wick Landing dams on the Ten sf 5-s2"PK' trfCfcJ'n eyee Sears Old in May nessee river, Nbrri dam on the Clinch river and Hlwassee' dam on the Hlwassee river. This leave only . the Kentucky dam at Gil bertamie. Ky., the Watts Bar dam and the Coulter Shoals dam near Knoxville, all on the Ten nessee, to be completed. I When, the "chain of -dams, with their great' storage basins, are finished the Tennessee river will be harnessed, changed from flowing stream to a series of still lakes. At floodtlme, the dams will take the crest of the high water that sweeps into the Ohio river. and release It gradually. The an thority estimates that the Ten nessee, uncontrolled, contributes as much as 25 per cent to t h e flood crests in the lower Ohio and the dams will reduce flood crests at Cairo, 111., and on the lower Mississippi from two to three feet vital Inches when the father of waters is on a ram page. Navigation : With completion of the series of dams, a nine-foot navigable channel will be provided from Knoxville to the Ohio river. There is some traffic already on the river by boats of shallow draft, but when the channel reaches its maximum depth, the authority anticipates a heavy flow of freight by river, with Chat tanooga as the major port. Regional Recreation : The development of the Ten- nesse valley into a vast play ground on a regional basis is a future aim of TVA, but con gress must give the agency the authority for this work, already recommended by President Roo sevelt. Under the plan, TVA would de velop the lakes for boating, fish ing, swimming and other forms of recreation, with cabins for va cationists and park facilities for tourists. Norris lake now is a recre ation center for thousands in east Tennessee, southeast Ken tucky and southwest Virginia. There are 1800 boats, valued at more than $300,000 and rang ing from skiffs to 40-foot launch es, on the lake. Agriculture x The gullied and scarred coun tryside in the valley gradually is being rebuilt under the direction of TVA and other government agencies, as part of the author ity's program of water control on the land. There are 26,000,000 acres in the Tennessee valley watershed of which 18,000,000 is farm land. Of this tillable soil, 7,000, 000 acres is subject to erosion. To combat this, the authority has engaged in an intensive pro gram of reforestation, farm ter racing, erosion control and im proved tillage to conserve the lattes Construction U IS Senator James P. Pope: Dr. Ar thur's loss was liis gain; he be came director of TVA when Dr. Morgan was oatfed. soil and check the water. More than 88.000.000 trees bave been planted by TVA In co operation with CCC workers. Ero sion control has been practiced NEW LOCATION AT 370 STATE STREET 4 DOORS EAST OF OUR PRESENT LOCATION WHERE YOU WILL SEE GREETING CARDS A greater selection for all occasions. SIKES and HARTER POSTURE CHAIRS WOOD and METAL DESKS A new and greater line now on display. COMFORTABLE EXECUTIVE CHAIRS OFFICE SUPPLIES Books Fountain Pens Gift Items Etc. Formal Opening Raturday, April 0 1:00 to 0:00 V. M. (Hee Saturday Morning's Ktatcwmaa for complete OVfaiU.) COOKE'S STATIONERY COMPANY Now - 370 State Low-Cost Fanning Program Is Being Given Trial on 14,400 acres on $800 farms covering 1.314,000 acres. The problem of low rural in come was an obstacle, a study howing that between lt$ nad 1121 some 000 families la TVA reservoir areas had median net family cash Incomes of $140 to $211 per year. 4-Poiat Program Formulated Low-cost farm practices were essential and TVA Is bow en gaged la a program of (1) re search and demonstration of spe cial low-cost machinery for hand ling soli conservation corps; ( 2) research and demonstrations of local processing of the region's farm crops; (2) studies of cood- eratlve business, and (4) pro jects relating to the effective utilization of electricity. During the past year, the agency's extension service special ists conducted 775 meetings dem onstrations and schools on farm and home uses of electricity. The meetings were attended by 24. S17 people. TOMORROW WE WILL BE IN OUR Phone 4404 Scow 1