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<br />OJ
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<br />9,37'
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<br />WASHINGTON R/11'ORT
<br />
<br />R~ Eo's Right to Serve Loads
<br />
<br />Of Any Size Being Challenged
<br />By WILLIAM B. ROBERTS, EdItor
<br />Rural Eleetrll1e:atlon Ma~e ',-'
<br />00 BOOAL' ELECl'BIVS BA VE mE RIGHT TO SERVE ANY ,
<br />LOAD In ill. normal service area, or shoUld they _,be restricted to
<br />~g tarmi and smli.U custOmers!" '.
<br />The answer to .that' question will
<br />~~..;,:,:..,~th,;."'': 1.~ Anti-Co-op Groups
<br />~.:.;~~~.";~':i S'oo' k 'Pena"ty' Tax
<br />tJiat - they,. are capable, oJ: providing
<br />dependable, ~llclent ~oe for srnan -Ch!eago--One of- the stuteBt tights
<br />rural Ihdusbies, tetevlslon 8~t1on8, tn thiS ceritury Is !acing U. S. co-ops
<br />pUmping operatlonS_ and other sizable In Co~ thIs.,year, Jerry- Voodlls,
<br />loads as weD as faims. the 'Cooperative, League'_s executive
<br />_Because Ibey serve an averap of director, told members - of b1s board
<br />only. tbree- cutomem per mUe, on a here last month.
<br />. naU.on.wlde average, such loadS pro- Antl-co-op groups have united. to
<br />vide lmport$,nt nee4ed reven~. It levy a penalty talC on money tlmt a
<br />wDI -spread :tb.e cost oJ: amodlalng co-op refunds to Its cusoomfll"S, he
<br />~ arid lower power costs tor tbe said. ''They., seem to.- have. -plenty of
<br />oo-ope:. money. imd'letters they 1nspJre, are '
<br />However, the rlght of electric co- already lilttlnC the desks of COIlgl'llSS-
<br />ops,to 8_erve any large load Is. being. men." , ,
<br />c~~. I-!1d thus' tar the co-ops ,Voorhis said he didn't fear that
<br />haven'~ been able to. stem the. tide. any commIttee would propose a punl-
<br />An example.ill the starI:Ung and stag. tive. tax .on co-oPs. The danger, Is, tha,t
<br />g~..blow'lowered-'a" the,In4lSna a bill may ~ hurriedly amended ~
<br />nirlll t1eclrlt:s'1ast m~mth.. The state's Uie Senate' or House rushes to meet
<br />P\lbnc ,-Service 'ConunisSlon bnposed some deadline, he said,
<br />a Umltatlon In-the form of It whole. ''The best,detense against th1s,sort.
<br />sale rate penalty on any loads oVer of thing Is well.lntormed co~op memo
<br />230 kw served,by the Indiana C9-0ps. hers -a.nd good, long.range relations
<br />The -Indlsna'commlsslon has general. wIth Congress," said Voo.rhl!J.
<br />l)', ,over the years, protected' the .
<br />rights 01 electric co-ops to serve rural
<br />areas _throughout the statl::. 'I11e new
<br />ruling would have the result of strip.
<br />pIng ,them of potential "cream" In
<br />their own territories.
<br />indiana Is but one example, Else.
<br />where, power compaDiel! are building
<br />llne8 deep Into rural etectrlo oo-ops'
<br />tenitol1' .to'reach Ute IMger. more
<br />prolitable loads aIteadJ served or In
<br />a poalUon to be served from e:dstlng
<br />co-op Ones. Alone pae way. they ba,ve
<br />eomeUmes tried 10 pick up other co-
<br />opmeni.ber8.
<br />, Rural ~rlc leaders rank Ihl.IJ "pl.
<br />racy," or what might be termed viola.
<br />tlons of their terrltorll/J. integrity, as
<br />one of the top Issues 1aclng the rural
<br />electrWcation program today.
<br />Some power company IfPOkesmen
<br />argue that the electric co-ops were es.
<br />ta.pllshed simply to serve farms. .The .
<br />limiting term "farm" Is not used In
<br />the REA Act; even after 20 years
<br />they refuse to co~e to the success
<br />and abUtty ot rural systemB.
<br />Tlte-eour~ which this power com.
<br />pany viewpoint foDows, aIrea-dy demo
<br />onstrated llflvera1_ Urnes, leads to
<br />eventual ab;sorptton of the eo-ops
<br />when thelr fann and 'other loads aN
<br />proflt:Pble enough. That was forecast
<br />In Ute early days of the REA pro.
<br />gram. .
<br />Not onIy are theluture rates oleo-
<br />operative members endangered by be.
<br />lng deprived of "cream", loads, the
<br />members of the co-ops are laced with
<br />a threat 10 their Independent owner.
<br />sh.tp and control 01 the\relectrlc serv.
<br />Ice. Co-opJeader& are l1lembers them.
<br />seIve& They are' working hard to
<br />meet any cl1allenge to their c~ps'
<br />territorial IntegritY In order that the
<br />future ,existence of farmers' systems
<br />wW not be un<;1enntned. EUort!J to
<br />whIp the challenge will _be mainly
<br />e10ng state :fronts. But the concIu.
<br />dve action wUl remain In the hands
<br />at state -cqmmlsslons and state.legls-
<br />tatu.....
<br />'I'D GOLDEN CROP . . . Business
<br />Week says of the golden crop this
<br />year: ''Harvesting the smallest ,corn
<br />ac~ge of this century, termers ap.
<br />parently .ate picking the second larg.
<br />est, crop on record-nearly 3.4 bUllon
<br />bushe1s, Y1eld per acre, estimate at
<br />43,S bushels,ls the biggest ever,"
<br />SPAN OF LIFE . . . Ufe expec.
<br />tancles are fast. rising In this coun-
<br />try. An authority on the subject lor
<br />Rutgers University recently fore.
<br />casted that tr progress In health im.
<br />provements and modWcatioJlll of our
<br />modes of living continue at the pres-
<br />ent rate, the We expectancy of every
<br />man and 'Voman may approach a
<br />full 100 years toward the end of this
<br />century.
<br />Watching 'movies and TV or read.
<br />Ing In dim light may tire your brain
<br />and sUng your eyes, but they will not
<br />damage them.
<br />
<br />. , (010. IUfCIIllledric NIWI Mar.. 1957
<br />
<br />'..',.,
<br />
<br />Ru;oIEle' cfrics''',N,.,w" States
<br />, " , Back Hells
<br />Plan $7 Billion Canyon App~al
<br />I C . Washington - As Mend, of-.the
<br />n, onstructlon """,attorn."..,om! "',Ore..,
<br />'. and Washington_pleact,wlth:the U,s.
<br />Electrlc systems w h I c h borrow Supreme Court, February 18/ to - re-
<br />from' the Rural ]!ilectrlflcatlon Ad_. villw a tl?wer court decision involving
<br />mUli!l~atlon pIan -construction. in the Hells Canyon dam.
<br />amount-.ot,'$967 ,millloD__durlng Ute At the ~uest of Governor Alberl
<br />;fIve-year, period -beglnnlng July 1; ,BOSeninl 'of .washinpon'.aDd Gove_l'<'
<br />1957, ,the U. S.- Department of Agrl, 'nor Bobert HoImes,ot Ore..n. state
<br />culture has announced. . offlclalJJ ~. PosItlo~ tak_en '
<br />The estimate was. reported in:-,th~, previoUsly In-'ijae'.,dlspMe tiJlder pre-'
<br />thlrd.',annuaI survey made by"'"REA: 'vlOlll'covernors.<'SaId:'Bf;l6eIiInIl -.
<br />t_~' detern1lne eonstruct.!on-'plana" oj,_, "Blleause the. torm~r _,admlnlStra.
<br />Its aetiv_l!. borrowers.'. " tiO!l' fntervened' actlveIy.;1n taVOI: of
<br />FoJo'tlJ.e'1I-'St ot Ute ,,"ve years, 001I' ~ ldeh~ Pqf.ler _Company and its three
<br />stru~ bl' 988 active borrowe1'll Is ~'smaIl dMilll, we feel that the Inter-
<br />estknltted.'u 128" mUlIon; for the see- ests, of. Washington, which, clearly
<br />ond, '1M mIIIlon; the thb:d, '100 back the prlriclple .,f muIt!,purpose
<br />miIiioD.; 'fotirlh, '1M mUllon; and' dams for conservaj!on PUrwselil, have
<br />fUR.; $182 mlWon, not, been, Cl)).T(!CUy "represente:d. I
<br />Additional :findings 01 the survey feel hopeful tho.t~Fed-eral ~ower
<br />are' COmmission's declsion wlll 00 re-
<br />1: Applications tor loans to ,help versed."
<br />cover' costa of copstructlon and other
<br />capital needs over the five-year period prOVements may account ,for ,about
<br />(1lsca1. yearljl ;L95S62) wJll _apProxl. 30 ,per cent 01 con~tntctl.on expend!.
<br />mate $67li--mIll1on. This does not In. tures over the five years. ' ,.
<br />elUde '-aptillNl.t1oliir _that wUl' bEi' sub- 4." Power' _IYPe '-borrowers plan to
<br />mItted 'durlng this perlod for_ con. submit _ loan appll,cations totaling
<br />structlon after 1962: _ , '., $143.,millIo;",,!lur!-~'.tl\~,fl~e.y~.'
<br />2. ~ - ,_'Q),~" fisclll ._YW be~g: Investm.e!lt:hi ',geri~attO""a"p.4 tJ;1l)1S.
<br />.July 1. 1lN57,-'the, ell!ctdo_~'. mtssl~'fecllltles,.fi)l"a&:-bOmlwers'ls
<br />plan to submit 'loan -appnCattoris estirnated,.ti.t',$275-m_U'lro:n. ',This'
<br />to~'.112'lbfJlIon;'most or whIob . wQuld~-~pJ;'l!",nL28 'P!lr ;{lent of- all
<br />wUl ~ce construetIon aftln'.J,95& planne.d- copstructlon dllrlng the
<br />3. Expenditures for s y s t e m!ln- period.
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