The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-06-12
A LOOK into The FUTURE SHOWS IT WILL BE A STRANGE
WORLD indeed FOR OUR P0STERlTY.
Anthracite Cone Soil Wasted, Electricity the Savior
BY the Time City 3 rs Mature Suns Rays Will Be
Conserved Watercourses VIII Be Chains Of Reservoirs
and Air Will Fertize Earth-So Says DR.. Steinmatz.

and rivers. That is what we will have
to do when we face the possibility OF
freezing.
There are hard times coming for
future generations. We can see now
We think now IT Is not worth while
doing these things, but the time will
come when they will have TO be done.
They won't live in houses such as we
have now. They will have TO collect
the sunshine. They will appreciate
that IL takes lot OF electrical power
to produce a little heat"
But in DR.. Steinmetz's opinion
there is a vaster problem facing the
nations of the world-a problem
which only electricity can solve.
That has 70 do with the exhaustion Of
the soil. It's cardinal principle
that you've got 10 put back into the
soil what you've taken out IL you are
going TO keep the soils capital intact.
That hasn't been done in this or other
countries. New England, for instance,
is no longer a farming country. The
capital there, according to Or. Stein
metz, has all been taken from the
soil. The time will come, too, when
the West will be exhausted, and we
can go no further.
"We will face the Pacific, and be-
yond that" said the speaker, the
millions Of China"
The attempt to fertilize the ground
: put back, Dr.. Steinmetz held, only a
small proportion of what was taken
out, and II would be only about ten
years when the supply of saltpeter.
used in fertilizer, will have been ex-
hausted.
when the capital OF our farms"
said the speaker, "is exhausted, we
will have to produce fertilizer A
large part of what we take out OF the
soil we dump into the rivers as sew
age. Billions Of dollars OF capital Is
carried down by them into the ocean.
But we cannot hope to utilize all OF
this.
Electrical power n the only means
that will combine the elements Of the
air necessary for a fertilizer. That
process we are just reaching-the
production OF fertilizer from the air.
IL is not practical yet; the cost of
electrical power Is too great. This
fertilizer is produced only In Sweden,
where electrical power is extremely
cheap. Every year we can see the
necessity Of restoring the capital to
the farm. That situation will have
to be met within our lifetimes."
Referring again to the possibilities
in our water supply. DR.. Steinmetz
said:
I'VE may get an enormous amount
Of power by collecting the water.
There will be no more creeks and
rivers. The rivers will be lakes Joined
by power stations. 1t will not be a
question OF saving the beauties Of ma
ture but OF saving human life. All
will have to be utilized, even the
spring floods. in restoring what has
been taken from the soil. We might
be able to get along without physi.
cians-the human race would prob
ably continue-but We would not be
able TO get along without the elec-
tricians."
DR.. Steinmetz, speaking of the de-
velopment Of the uses OF electricity on
railways, said that it's effect on the
social life Of the Nation had been and
would be incalculable.
ITO realize it," said he, "go out
into the country. An enormous
change is gradually taking place. In
the old days the country districts
were becoming depopulated; the peo-
pie were moving to the cities. Now
conditions are changing. The city is
rapidly sending its people back to the
country. The overpopulation Of the
cities is being relieved by the country
becoming practically part OF the
cities. The city is fast becoming the
place OF business, with factories
office buildings and boarding houses
for bachelors. The families will live
in the country. This will progress
further and further until the Nation
will again live In the country but
work in the cities and towns"
DR.. Steinmetz believes also that
the application OF electricity TO rail-
roads and TO street car lines will ulti-
mately afford the solution Of the
labor problem on the farm.
AT present" said he, the farmer
complains that he hasn't enough
help; that the farm has been depopu-
lated. He wants man for only
few weeks In year, and then he Is
through with him. BY operating be-
tween the town and the farm the cleo
trio roads will make II possible for
the town man to meet those periods
OF demand and to work In the fac
tories the rest OF the time. At pres
ent this isn't feasible. but the time
will come when we will have TO econ
omize. The time will come when we
will have TO cooperate In systemically
distributing according TO the season
the work that is to be done. Then
we will combine the city and the
town. New York Sun.