Page:The Fourth Estate, July to December 1917.djvu/198

 A MIWIPA?U rot Till MAKHI Ot BtlWirAPnt AMD llrTISTOIS IM AKmTtlllia Kr^^r^f- %9 •rdHil cliiai miitlrr in tke New York Pose Of&ce, Uarch SB, 1M4. !»k^i*d evef T Faturrfay by The Fourth F jlate PublttbinB t'ntni'any. ErntH F. HirminBhim. f'tnulrnl and TrMMir»f. FjemoDI W, Sftetfi ViCV- Pmi i .ml Srrrriar;, tS3 W'n' tilth Street, New Yofk City. 8«l>MH»ta matter) whirb g.^tt to all oAcea. Back Mpii*en-T« Ihaa I anattt (M. ttcealai aiore lkai> • iaa«CkaMa.n caoi.

OFFICES AKD PRIMTIMG MOOSB Broadway and 59th Street TatavksiMt, T7«a. T741, 17i» Colninbiaa. mnsT F. imSSmS?!M>MJlr I* iB- ADVERTISING KATES. TraaalaBl, M ctaM a Mn*; aaatt aaaa- ure <14 Ibtee to the inch; 140 linca to the column; 6M linrt to the p4i9a). Oae pafe, ttSO; Front (nfe, 44W. Dijcounta for eoaaccutivc inacrtieika: One tnonlh. 10 per cent; two naontbt. tO per cent; three month*, 80 per cent; aix ttnontba. 40 aer cent; one y*r, f-o i><r cefli. Dluountfl Meed upon ailvir.LC ;<ayaient. Snial] advertuemeota under claatified headlofi. auck aa Help Wanted, For Sale, To Lei, loalTiictioin. Writera, Correapond' •Bit, OAea NttatalHa. I* cenl* a Una Slot T annda). aaekinaaitiant «lkm net. SGSkteS oHce. No. 1224. VliK Tilt WtKK F.NIUNC .VCl'ST 11. 1917

For many years various interests throughout the United States have been trying to compose a controversy over unlocking the water powers of the United States, but it has only been recently realized that this accomplishment might be able to do more to lower the price of news print paper than any other single thing which has been or might be effected. Lately the paper committee of the American Newspaper Publishers Association has been working in cooperation with varioin in;erc«t6 and aa a rvKiitt there hat been intr^uluced into Congret* the Waltih Btll. the Sinall Rill and the Shield* Bill, which, their .advocates My. mrcl exactly the Tpqtiiremenl* nf newapaperv Rive capital the miniinum remm ncces!*-»Tv and pretersc and protect the public intereat and domain. The A.N.P.A. l»per committee aayg It it hi teach wilB nasy intereata — h&fh brae aiid imall — who are will- ing tn prncecd imncdiatclr with nich develonment and increase the paper lonnaBie of the Ufliterovided only that they arc gucti the necessary Icgi'lil^>c cnn't-- tinnc. such aa are given tn paper inillt and other induttrira in Canada. Nor- wav. Sweden and other eountriea which potacH tuch water powrrt at does the United Stale*. Water power leittaiation is tome- thine that is aeknowledgcd by prac- tieaH]' everybody in the country tn be dcairabte and necesaary. b<it it hat in the pati atilTered from its friends. It is hoped this difBcultv has now bcea obviated, but to help matters ■leoK naNlibera are aahed, betide* smtpornnr the Mil, to imint out In their columns how the ttnlackins of these water |t-:iwfr* is a piiMic and war necessity and deserve* to be put through during the prcwni session at a war meatnre. It lecnii that there can be no denial today than the development af fta water powers, for this is the basic nn<l fundamental rnnrlitinn of accom- plishinjt other ncces-sitiea. The ..N.P... paper committee points out that: The relcate of these water powers win at this time relieve one-tenth of the freight cart on railroads which ■ay be elcctriSed, » wm all litirt of coal, at a time when coal ia iirgcnily needed. It will develop resourcet of ferti- lizer and increase our food produc- tion. f)f the B0.7rt0.000 water hone-now- rr in the I'nited StBtta, but SjWO,- (Nio, ,:,r K s per cent, baa thua far Irt-rn cl vpcd. Of ilic 4o.rififi,flno w.i:ir hanse !■ ,wfr c'lnt.'ilnfii within the PuciHc Coast stales, being 70 per cent of all the water rower of the United Slates, but T27.000 horse power, or 1.8 per cent, has thus far been devcloi>ed. The atates of OrcKiin atid Wash- ioKtun contain more availahle water power and rnnic pulp wnnH than .iny other two st.iic. in the I'n-.in. Out of the 1 7.500.000 horse-iKiwer within the borders of theie stales, but !.6 per cent in all hat thus far been developed. Tiw Govennnent (orrat rcacrve* ia Ibeie tiro aiaie* contain over dd.BM.fltW.ODO feel of tintbcr suitable for the manufacture of wood pul[i. It seems almost incredible that an cnllirkTnr!! (Tnvcrnnicnt like out* «hou|,I Itrrp 'a-AS in force which bar
 * hc way to the development of thi»

Krr.ii natural resource. Canada, Norway and Sweden have been developiiw their water pow- ers, and the Unilcd Statea census showB that over iOMM tna of wood pulp were iasportcd inta fhc United Slates frOM dioia eenalrlea during I9IS. A n.itural rcHntirire. which may not (>e uw-l, might .is well not exjai. It like a wouIiI-Ik' b.inlicr. who mia- takes the safety deposit holiness for banking, and locks up all the money in the vaults and keeps it there un- used, to the detriment of both de- positom and tiie public- Tn short, the irreatext single pomsi- hilily of 'he country for cccmomv and for nurf.nir the hieh cosi of living iilld 'A'.' .^r-n anrj s<*v rrc War COn- iiit^on'i ir luiuij iiSiowed lo be wasted. On the paper aide the economical nanufacltm of sews priai bincea on roar fhinRt; The l-^w coat of WWmI. Trinsii'irtation, Management. Low cost of hydro-electric power. There are hundreds of opportuni- ties in the United Stales, which have .ill Ihese conditions, except the pow- er. and the only netrssily to give them this rcouirameal is B«wcf laiia- faitioa, whieSi the A.K.pX iwpar committee iieUevci liaa beta worked i.iit in the Walrili Snail and Sfaietds Hills. This proposition embodies the re- leasing of public lands for such jKfw- cr development and involves the pro- per relcaaiai of navigable streams. Nature has largely segregated her natural rcsosrces in the far Wcitem stetci» There the forest* necessary to the manufacttire of wood ini!p and p.>per line the banks of ;i,c f,." n^r ■■^..trr Karm ore sr^nlce, l.irch -md hcnil'U-k timber ia coming to fruitton and wait- ing each year in our W'catirn {oics-a, eonliguous lo also wasting water- powcrs. more than snfficint to pro- duce, at cheapest coat, all the wood pul|> and paper required Ity the news- paners of this eOttOtry. Why not give those who would de- velop our wasting water-power the right to work, the tight to htiild and expand and develtip, the right to help create a greater and more powerful industrial nation? Why not give them lawi to work under, which, while placina them un- der the constant tupervinon of the public authorities, and safe guarding every public interest, yet shall be of tuch fair and businesslike charac- ter that under their operation men may hope for a Kcnerniis return for their work and their risk in a necea- «owcr-tc«Matoi under wbTch capital eould be ob- f.iincd for development punM>ae», the crcriion '-f pl.tnts for prrwiuclion of wckkI pnip and news print paper would be iindc-tnlcrn, f i cnpacily sufficient to supi'Iy the rcfi'.iire- mcnls of this country without im- portations, aad at firir ptieg& The point of Imuc, Bi the laws governing water imwers now stand, is that it is Imoossible to secure capital investment for the reason (hat the Secretary nf "he Interio r has the power to r.-.nrrl rontr.irlcd righli government water I'owera. practically without notice. Capitalbis sriU not invest their money and aland Hie pos- sible chance of losing it. The prooosed Walsh Bill, the .Shields Bill and the Smalt Rill In the House and Senate, that have been endorsed by the .mencan Newspaper Publishers A»«ociation, the Southern Newspaper Pnhli«hcrs «sori,"iI:ori, and (.ithcr nriraniz.itions, provide for the passage of a law au- thorizing the Secretary of the In- terior to issue permits to responsible cilitens covering a period of SO years, or more or letO as the per- mittee would elect to water power Ksnda. which will allow ihe making of improvement.s and guarantee protection hv (he Gnvernment. 'ITic^r pr >. -fli. 1., :Lr.; the whnle nnlk ol thr nut. When in ^c>lurs can be guaranteed protection for theif aMaer, there ia boaad lo be a ireal mifc to pot capital iMD water power enterprises. H. M. .ldl.:.<.,-ll of Harris, Forbes & Co, investment hankers of New York, makes the fallowing statement frfim a banker's point of view, Mr, Addinsell is also chair- man of the Water Power Commlt- lee of the Bailltn' Association, and spcalcs a« a conaervative banker a«d aeiM a promoter At power com- panies : "The ititrrrst of the invr«1ni<-nt houses in thif malirr <■> after all not a tmrely srllk^b one. as if ihia optiortitnity for in- nstaoit on a safe basis is not avail- iMe, tbe iBveatmeni funds in any event will gn Into o, and I subnut thai money and water make thr water wbeela go. Money M-rka and denunda Ike aatcal invest- M* aMwr tmpmmtml tfttttmiMit. CM- M Mdt M« wMHSSTmi imtil A. ■wsey tn.f nat be ai'^iloMr tkeref->r, •'Ki.' l"*- if^vritmrnt ho«kerj are anjr to Jiv tiii/ lAttnt HalttrdJ riiaurce cf ! th€ .-i-Muro drzricfed, ^fcaure if b'iJJ d/fflt n^t d-NtV tkrir fu^-.n,-!j, ^N^ IB* rfctly the buixnf'j f<rv:fcr::: antt re*- nomie *Mus 0f tk4 enure ruHHrr^." The pidliishers of the I'mtcil Slates so far have not given the water power project of the A N. P. .. the support it deaervct. All that i« asked is editorial endoraement and
 * i ^in.ill campaign nf public education
 * r the renders in the news col-

umns, showing the public the wide spread advaataie to the nation of siicb a law p lus whatever personal inHucnee can be brought to bear by the publisher on bia Seaatora and Representatives to vote for the Water Power Bills. Some publishers seem to think (he water power proirrt is of no per- sonal importance to thrin. Tlicy are wrung. J his i^ a mat- ter of the utmost impoitancc lo evcv newspaper publisher in .Americ.i lU their combined aid only can the . N.P.A. paper eommittec accomplish its objecthrob It ia the biggsM tblnf of the hoar tn new nenrsiMper world. Let everyone get busy today and do his part to help the Water l'uscr Bills through Congress at iKii scs- s:on. Get int.i ttr.iih with the . . V. A. paper coimoittee. World Building New Yoric, for inttructiona. if you are not futty aeqaaintcd with the de- tails of ibe matter and find out bow you can beat help. If you know about It c*t on the job at once. ON THE RIGHT TKACK AT LAST The lone and hard wwk hf the newspapers tn maVe tte Adflrfwitfl- tion realize that its system of War news dislribu:i:n w.ax wrong SOCMS at last to ha', c t.-Lrnc fruiL There .>ic cctt.nn signs of the dis- integration >Tf the Committee on Public Information. It is admow- ledgcd by some of its meet aiacaf* friends and well wishers that die policy under which it has been eon- ducted has been a failure. The complete reversal of policy, by the committee, this week, by which it will hereafter supply the newspapers only with announcements made up of the bald ofBcial staiementa is welcomed by the newspapers. Hereafter newspaper men most work up their own stoiica (or Ibem- selves and do Ibdr own wiitiflc. as they did ia the dai« before the advcu of the CoBMBMce oa PaUicIafoeBa- tion. When the cnmmitlcc smarted bus- iness la^t .April, r.flrirs of tuagazinrs and magazine contributors were em- ployed to take charge of tha variein departments created and every day they furnished to the newspapers literally yards of statements and "stories" tellinjt of the various acti- vities of (he Government ill connec- tion with the war. Literarv men of wide reputation, like Wallace Irwin, author of "Tbe I-ciiers of a Japanese School Boy," were assigned to cover the varioiia departmcois, and they turned out a large amount of high-class copy. The great problem in newspa|Ktr offices was to determine what to d« wilh this large amount of "copy " There was too much of it to send over press wires already ovcrcrowrlcd J? newspaper circles that Mr. Creel has conferred a real boon on the Washington corretpoirfciits In suspending thia metbod. TkS FotWni BgTATK monlfas ago pointed out Ibat if Ihe committee was going In be able to deal properly »ith nj-uspnpi-rs it must have ji proper representation of newspaper men on ita eaocnlivo alall, and it aumt insuO a aewipaper system of aawg TMb ma aever daae and Ike tm- iuli ha* bcea a eonataat ccaUS be- Digitized by Google