Water power Author:United States Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: aid tho committee all you can trying to shape the hearings in such a way as to have, a complete hearing and yet not one of the endless- chain variety, one hearin... more »g bringing on another. It was expected that the three Secretaries who are mentioned in the proposed substitute bill as the commission and who prepared the substitute would be heard first. Secretary Baker is in Europe, Secretary Houston is out of the city ; and while we expected Secretary Lane to open the hearings this morning. I have received word that he is unable to be here this morning, but will be here some time during the week. In his absence Mr. Merrill, of the Department of Agriculture, whom I understand has assisted in preparing the proposed substitute, is present, and in the absence of the Secretaries he will be heard first. Mr. Merrill has given the matter considerable- attention, and no doubt will be an interesting witness, and perhaps the members of the committee will wish to ask him questions, and therefore there will be no attempt to limit Mr. Merrill this morning or to-day. When I spoke about a limitation I had reference to other witnesses than Mr. Merrill. So Mr. Merrill, if you are now ready, you may proceed. Mr. B. J. Reynolds. Mr. Chairman, may I make a request before the hearing starts? I asked the chairman the other clay if the committee would extend an invitation to Sir Adam Beck, of (he hydroelectric commission of Canada. Our people have asked him personally: but as he does not belong to our Xation. he feels he should have an invitation from the committee. The reason I ask it is this : He has made a wonderful success of the hydroelectric commission in Canada, and probably a word or two from him would be very advantageous to us. as we are working along the same line that they have made a very gr...« less