The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-03-30
WHOSE PROPERTY?
BY MILO HASTINGS.

many people iapor under the notion
that water power must. from the very
nature of 1T, be cheaper than steam
power. AS a matter of fact, only about
one-tenth OF the fifty million horse
power used in the United States comes
dominates for the simple reason that
ii is cheaper to dig coal and build en-
gines than to build and operate dams,
turbines and power transmission sys-
tenn.
According to the photographer of the
United States geological survey, our
streams have minimum flow avail
able for water power purposes about
equal to the total power consumption
OF the country at the present time, but
the final limit could be Increased to
two hundred million horse power by
| the building of reservoirs to retain the
spring freshets
Our power consumption is doubling
every decade. and coal supply is
| limited and Its exhaustion a matter of
| calculation AS a result, we know that
water rights, which are today of lit
tie or no value, Will in the future be
| worth fabulous sums, for. as the price
/ of power rises and. with improved
| equipment the cost of operation falls.
/ Oil cNct iItTtdSiHS amount Will De lett
| to credit to the suns energy, which
| lifts water to the mountain top, whence
1t may run down and make the wheels
| so round.
This earning power of nature is
known to the economist as rent. and
| the increased value of a natural re-
| source that comes from humanity's in
| creasing needs is the unearned incre-
| ment.
| Upon the fundamental wrong to the
many that comes from the few, thus
| capitalfzing7 mans growing needs for
| natures bounty, Henry George based
| his justly famous plea for single tax,
which virtually means government
| ownership of all natural resources, thus
securing the unearned increment for
| the people.
Against the theoretical Justice OF
| single tax no economist has ever been
able to frame a successful argument
| but the problem of the private owner
| ship of our farm lands has not wor-
| ried us because such a very large and
| representative part of population
| have been land-owning farmers; and
| knowing that he is robbed in so many
! other ways. even the city consumer has
| been tolerant with the farmers getting
| SNe une6TneQ Increment on MS land
The monopolizatlon of forests and
mines and power sites is a thing alike
II principle, but different In fact. The
private ownership of land by farmers
| breeds homes and democracy, but tbs
private ownership of such resources a:
| form the basis of gross corporate
| wealth breeds political corruption ant
solicits foraging expeditions from the
/ emasculated nobility of Europe.
/ The present conservation policy O.
the retention of such resources, eithe
for governmental development or to b.
| leased for private development under
government supervision, appears TO b.
a serious effort to sever the chain tina
has bound progress TO poverty.
After all, the difference between tn,
radical the progressive and the homes
conservative Is not much mattel
of what each wants to do. but of how
fast he believes 1t can be done. Be
ttween the radical, who would knocl
the props out before he builds new
ones. and the conservative, who has {,
hustle to keep the weeds of corruption
from growing faster than he uproot
them. surely there is speed of actor
that will get somewhere without
pardon the MISUNDERSTANDING tn,
Goddess of Liberty over the dashb board
the first time the front wheels strike
rut in the road.