THE COLUMBIA RIVER CONTROVERSY

Abstract

This article focuses on the struggle between Canada and the United States to secure as large a share as possible in the power that inheres in the river waters of pacific regions. It treats the competition for cheap power as the root of the problem. After outlining certain features of the river itself and the development of the attitudes and views contributing to the controversy on both sides, the author concentrates on two specific questions: 1) does an upstream state have an exclusive right to any or all of the waters of an international river, and 2) does an upstream state have the right to any benefits accruing to a downstream state from the construction and operation of works on the portion of the river in that upstream state?