New Work -for Niagara

New Work for Niagara In his deliberate backhand,Secretary of State Dean Acheson put his name to a six-page treaty. Then Canada's Ambassador H. Hume Wrong added his signature. Thus, in a matter of moments last week, the two nations agreed to embark on the biggest international hydroelectric power project in history. When completed, the power of Niagara Falls, much of it now wasted, will be almost completely harnessed to supply both countries with nearly six times as much energy as huge Hoover Dam generates; none of Niagara's scenic beauty will be spoiled.

At present, there are seven electric power plants near the falls, five on the Canadian side, two on the U.S. They generate approximately 10 billion kilowatt-hours annually, with Canada producing 60% of it. The treaty will make it possible to multiply this power to 23.1 billion kilowatt-hours a year and divide the power equally between the countries.

The U.S. Senate is expected to ratify the treaty. The big fight will be whether the U.S. part of the development will be public or private power (Canada has already decided that its part will be public, under the Ontario Hydroelectric Commission). New York's huge Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., which owns the two U.S. plants at the falls and controls one of the five on the Canadian side, has already drawn an ambitious $150 to $175 million plan to step up power production.

But the Federal Power Commission must approve any development, and the FPC, studying the situation since 1947, has its own $300 million project for public power. Its main feature: two and possibly three tunnels, starting three miles above Niagara Falls, which will divert water to one of two proposed Government plants at Lewiston, N.Y., five miles below the falls.*This development, said FPC, would make it possible to cut the region's power costs by one-third to one-half, and perhaps supply cheap power to northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. But the U.S. public utility industry is already closing its ranks for a last-ditch fight on any extension of public power. In the end, Congress will have to make the decision. Last week President Truman left no doubt on his views. The President told his press conference, as far as he was concerned, it was a public development.

*Canada has a similar project. The two nations would share the cost of a $31 million dam, just north of Lake Erie's outlet, to control the flow into the Niagara River.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.