Water-Power Development of the St. Lawrence River

An analysis of the proposed official plans for the development of water power along the International Section of the St. Lawrence River, is contained in this paper. Since the Wooten-Bowden Report in 1921 on the development of the propose d St. Lawrence Waterway, there has been controversy between the United States and Canadian members of the various engineering boards that have made reports on the development of the International Section, in regard to the relative merits of a single-stage and a two-stage plan of development of the water-power resources. The American engineers have consistently advocated a single-stage plan, and the Canadian engineers have consistently advocated a two-stage plan.

In December, 1931, the Joint Board of Engineers (United States and Canada), consisting of an entirely new membership of the Unite d States Section and of the original members of the Canadian Section, was reconvened and in March, 1932, was instructed to reach an agreement on a plan for early execution. On April 9, 1932, · the Joint Board submitted the “Reconvened” Report on which the treaty now under consideration is based.

If this analysis is correct, the value of the two-stage plan will be nearly $95 000 000 less than the alternate Joint Board plan for a single-stage development at Barnhart I s land, and at least $154 000 000 less than the New York single-stage plan. The advantages of the various plans are not adequately discussed in the report of the Joint Board, and no reference is made in the Joint Board Reconvened Report as to why the two-stage plan is recommended. The reasons set forth in the Conference Report (Canadian) seem entirely inadequate to offset the aforementioned disadvantages. If the reports and this analysis is correct, it will be a very serious mistake and a misfortune to both the United States and Canada, in the writer's opinion, if the treaty now pending is ratified on the basis of the Joint Board Reconvened Report.