Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-30

loss and shame Anticipating what
might happen, the last Legislature wise
~ passed a law prohibiting corporations
except by special act of legislation, from
transmitting beyond the State or selling
To be 50 transmitted any electric cur
rent generated by any water power in
the State AS efforts may be made to
repeal this law or make il ineffective, |
believe that the State Board of Trade.
standing as it does for the industrial In
tegrity of the State, should throw all it's
influence in favor Of UNFOLDING the law
and what it stands for. Electric current
is not like other products. The potatoes
we can't eat we should sell, but electric
current is like the very nerves in our
bodies: it is energy in the most highly
developed concentrated form II will
drive wheels and turn shafts and keep
men busy and produce wealth. Vast as
this potential energy is. uses will, am
convinced. be found for it AS fast as il
is developed. Manufacturing plants of
all kinds given cheap and sufficient
power, can find no better locations than
in many of thp cities and towns of Maine
and if the power is here the factorie,
will come. If the current is carried to
other states the people of Maine may
get the job to keep the conduits in re-
pair but not much else.
In Connection with the question of the
uses to he found for what II possible to
develop here 1t is interesting to learn of
the plants In Norway and Germany for
the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen.
Common salt or lime 10 combined with
nitrogen taken from the free air OF
Heaven. plenty of which we have in
Maine. and nitrate of soda or nitrate of
lime is produced. the latter containing
1870 Of nitrogen while Chill saltpeter con
tains but 15fc. One such plant now
building in Norway will Use no less than
10000 horse power developed by head
Of 1900 #. Who will say that there are
not possibilities for using In Maine all
Of Names water power energy in ways
perhaps yet not discovered or even not
imagined?
There win doubtless be other proposed
legislation regarding water powers and
i'm this matter our Board and all the
Boards of the State should take an ac-
tive interest: first. to see that the rights
of the future small consumer of power
and light are well safc-guarded. and
secondly. that no serious obstacles are
thrown in the way Of those men who
combining capital and brains willing
to undertake the development of our
many undevelOped powers.
As business man of Portland. what |
most WGnt to see is an increase In Our
population~al over our State. Think OF
oklahoma with 1900 thousand people and
old Maine with only about 100 thousand
w" want to bend our energies In two
directions to this end. Keep our own
young men and women here at home
Encourage immigration. We can keep
onr own and attract the others by Civ
ing them something tn do. either on the
farm or in the factory Along with the
establishment of Agricultural and fnd,IS-
trial High schools. lot US talk IN the
Identification Of our Stale. Don't TT
those magnificent falls on Inc uppcf
kpnnnbec and on the East and West
Branches Of the Penobscot and on many
other streams run forever to waste as
they are doing ut this moment. Harness
those willing tons Of water and make
4 hem serve MS or IL not us. our children.
in ord,r not that two blades If grass
may grow whore ono grew before. but
that TIVE people may be happy and pros
pcrons and useful where one was before.