New York Omen

News that the Niagara-Hudson Power Corp. "Morgan Combine," had bought Frontier Power Corp., "Mellon Company" (see p. 41), sent billows rolling across the political sea. Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (Democrat) declared that the fact that 80% of New York State is now served by one hydro-electric corporation made it necessary for him once again to urge the Legislature (Republican) to create a body of public trustees to develop St. Lawrence waterpower for the people. He called attention to the fact that although the power company may own the bank of the river, the state owns the river bottom to the international boundary, that the state, not the power company will develop power there. In Washington Senator Thomas James Walsh of Montana, prime foe of the "power trust," declared that the merger was a long step toward unified control of the power possibilities of the nation to which the people are "not only indifferent but apathetic." He added: "It is an ominous tale as well to the 40,000,000 people marketing their products through the ports of the Great Lakes and who look for speedy development of the St. Lawrence route to the sea."