46 OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



In 1920, the Federal Power Commission was 

 created, consisting of the Secretaries of War, Agri- 

 culture, and Interior, empowered to grant licenses 

 and leases for utilization of water resources on navi- 

 gable streams in Federal Lands of various classifi- 

 cations, including Public Domain. The Geological 

 Survey reported in 1927 that about 6,000,000 acres 

 of land in power site reserve under the Interior De- 

 partment would yield 15,000,000 continuous horse- 

 power, approximately half the power resources of 

 the United States. Companies holding permits 

 granted before creation of the Federal Power Com- 

 mission reported generation in 1926 of twelve per 

 cent of the country's public utility power supply. 



The super-power movement is developing with 

 some certainty of eventual achievement. Water 

 power under government lease or control will take 

 its part in combination with state and private sys- 

 tems so as to combine, interchange and otherwise 

 regulate power in such manner as to apply, with- 

 hold, and concentrate supply with the maximum of 

 economy and result. Plants operated by water and 

 fuel in every part of the country, connected by wires, 

 will make power chains which in time may even 

 cross the continent. 



Of deep interest to motorists will be the follow- 

 ing extract from the Geological Survey report of 

 1927: "The known oil and gas resources of the 

 United States are much more limited in extent than 

 the solid fuels. For years the maintenance of pro- 



