The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-22

to operate its mill, forty miles away
from the source of the power. In order
TO get this power from the government,
however the Inspiration Company had
10 agree TO take 10000 horsepower for
ten years, and to pay for il at the rate
of $50 horse power per year. The
company had also TO advance the money
| to build the transmission l;uc. this
money to be returned to the company
| in installments deducted from power
bills, until the government will finally
own that transmission line. The compa-
ny was obliged also to build at its own
expense the sub-station plant and all
| the accessories for its operation. The
government docs not bind itself TO de-
liver power except when it has it, "and
gets a price nearly twice as high as any
customer for a smaller amount Of power
would have TO pay in the State Of Mon
| tana at an equal distance. twice the
| distance or three times the distance
from any Of the larger power develop.
nents." The Inspiration Company had
to buy all this equipment and advance
large sums therefor, the government
agreeing only to take over the trans
mission line and this in installments
after the company had built it.
| In contrast with this, Mr.. Ryan
guarantees continuous service; will
make rates that are the lowest in the
world under like conditions. They have
made a contract with the Federal Gov
crnmcnt, the same authority with
which they dealt in Arizona, TO supply
the operation in Montana Of a plant
TO be used in the construction Of the
Sun River irrigation project. In place
of requiring the government to build
all of the accessories, transmission line
and the like, as the government re-
quired the Inspiration Company to do
in Arizona, this Montana company
builds line eighty miles long at the
company's expense builds a sub-station
and delivers the power to the govern
ment. sat a price and under terms
which cannot possibly give us more
than $50 horsepower a year.
There is a contrast indeed, and Mr.
Ryan shows that his company In Mon
tana is doing twice as well by the
government rs the government does by
his company in Arizona for the same
sort of service. Mr.. Ryan explains
that he is not criticising the govern
ment, or the way it does its business.
He contends that it is doing the best it
can in selling it's power, which is by
product of the reclamation service. at
it. 1t has the right to sell that power
at price which will meet the cost of
producing it. But the advantage that
private corporation has is that il can
better afford to make prices which are
away below what competition could
offer, because the competition is with
steam, which is very wasteful and e1
pensive. FAnd low power prices build
up business, and small profits on
large business will be Just as good for
us as big profits on a small business. -
And Mr.. Ryan concluded this part
of his address by saying, "The use of
the water by the power companies robs
it Of nothing, and develops power to be
distributed and sold over the greatest
part of the State, to the greatest posi-
BILE advantage of the State and of its
citizens
Mr.. Ryan proceeded thereupon to
show the double use of the water, first
for power and then for irrigation. He
showed the impossibility of any mo-
nopoly of the water powers Of Montana
States The truth is, that the govern
ment has held up water power sites
very largely upon streams that are ca
pable only of moderate development be-
cause of their small flow. AS to these
small streams, it would not pay any
private corporation TO develop the wa
ter powers and provide transmission for
them, because Of the limited power that
could be had; but all are indiscrimi
natcly withdrawn, whether they are
susceptible Of this development or not.
Again, the government never seems
to consider that the water power is de-
sirablc, and accordingly it never de-
yelops such water power until some
company shows a disposition to utilize
that power; then an uproar is raised
that a monopoly is being created; but
even then the government is slow TO
act, and acts imperfectly, with nothing
like the thoroughness and economic,
businesslile procedure that private
corporation puts into the same enter
prise
Mr.. Ryan 8 speech ought to have gen
cral circulation throughout the couDtrv.
1t is largely devoted, to be sure, 10 the
Montana enterprise in hand
but it is broadminded, practical, and
sensible. 1t presents facts rather than
theories, and develops from these facts
the inevitable business deductions that
cannot be escaped. If our conservation
faddists and our government officials
could be brought to sense the impor-