Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-01-22

guarding the ultimate interests of the State and preserving
to the immediate locality the first rights to such power
There grand opportunities for such development at
various points Vermont similar to that at Vernon as al
ready described not only in the Connecticut valley but also
elsewhere in Vermont
Still another noteworthy hydroeectric generating plant
rvang size the great power house recently placed in
Grafton Keokuk the Mississippi river that approach
ing completion on the Lawrence river at Cedar Rapids
thirty miles above Montreal canal 10000 feet long takes
the of the St. Lawrence above the rapids at Mas
sena N Y already described in these columns and dis
charges it through house which dam at
the other end of the canal below the rapids The water
drops through twelve $500 horsepower water wheels
driving dynamos attached and the station planned to de-
velop and transmit to Montreal 100000 horsepower
We might take pride in similar development in Yer
mont but undertaking like the damng Of the Lamole
river Morrsve with the development of beautiful lake
and the construction of hydroeectric plant furnishing
light and power for industries in various villages
for Vermont than would the whole Cedar Rapids power
generated in Vermont but transmitted other States.
has been well said that the deterioration of of
Verrorts rural communities dates from the closing up of
the various small industries which formerly afforded local
market for farm products Of the neghborhood 1t follows
as matter that the development of water
of small industries in the larger villages will help to
store many community in Vermont to its former prosper
ty.
The only wonder to us is that so many opportunities
the development of water power and the transmission of the
electric generated have been permitted run to waste
The most reasonable explanation to is that people in
communities concerned have failed to act through force Of
habit, inertia aided in not few cases by lack OF
practical knowledge how to the project of developing
hydro-electric power.
We said yesterday that the great need of many
munies the assistance of State engineer to aid in the
development Of small water but people have fail
ed to use the service the engineers their command in the
State university and agricultural college Just they long
failed of the agricultural aids at their
in connection with that institution.
The various towns in Vermont have precisely the
right to Dean ! College of Engi-
neerng for information and aid in developing water
they have ask for the assistance Of Dean L. Hills of
the College of Agriculture to call the State Laboratory
of Hygiene to anayze towns water supply The idea
of State university involves the of the facilities of the
institution for the benefit of and already at work
throughout the State well for boys and girls who
preparing for the duties of life within it walls and
later people will to full realization Of the
sbtes of State university for extension work of all kinds,
though the institution be not large of the
western State universities.
We that in this running counter to the
ideas President Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia Uni
versy who has never forgiven Of New York for
developing Cornell University and thus helping Ezra Cornell
to found institution where any person could gain IN
sructon Gin any thing with colleges Of arts agriculture,
architecture, mechanical engineering civil engineering and
so on, and lattery it's College Of Medicine.
President Butler has continued to remain the impacabe
of the State university idea throughout the East but not
only has that idea to the great advantage of the En-
pre State but another Of his ideas that State university
would not requests from phanthropc people has also
been utterly shattered at Cornell repeatedly.
One of the noteworthy demonstrations of this the
breaking of the will of Jennie Mcraw Fske bequeahng her
famous and magnificent mansion the university for art
building with fund to maintain it Charles Bacon, bright
young lawyer associated with the late David B. Hill having
discovered the limit of endowment fixed in the charter
of the university had been reached through philanthropy
Another demonstration the recent donation of $4,000
the Cornell University College Of Medicine the char
ter endowment limit having been eliminated.
any doubt about the right of towns to call
upon the State Unversys College Of Engineering for both
civil engineers and electrical engineers to help them to To-
cate and develop water just they call the col
lege Of agriculture for assistance necessary only to
point to State in the consolidated institutions
title to the repeated recognition Of the university Estate
institution" in the statutes to the control of the institution
through State members of the board Of trustees both cleo
tive and ex-ofco and
We hope to the day when all Vermont through the
States university engineers will have its Lake Lamoies
with summer cottages the shores and with the escaping
generating power for attractive streets well
industries that will in turn mean the upbuding OF sur
rounding rural communities.