Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-02-25

If Pennsylvania had let all it's coal go outside the state IT
would not to-day have its Pittsburgs and Bethlehems. II YER
to be transmitted to neighboring States, it would lose the
opportunity to develop it's lesser P%ittsburgs. In that event we
has endowed this commonwealth to help us meet the COMPETE
ton of States more ~favorably situated in other respects.
Pennsylvania is becoming aroused to the fact that us
coal supply is not inexhaustible. 1t is agitating the PROPOSE
tion to impose a tax on coal exported from the state a pro}eeH
mia for fuel supply to raise the point of unconst1tutonahty
against nas such of + q tax sd0 0n intsrstS whic cS% Verment,s white coal has
over Pennsylvania's black coal is that use does not annihilate
it reaches our %neighbors, and the more white coal we can send
our neighbors the more we have for our own use before 1t
leaves our borders.
This being the situation, it is not Just that we should be
mont by letting them monopolize our best water powers and
transmit the energy thereof by electric current to supplement
the power of those same waters further down stream to our
%neighbors' gain and our loss.
All Vermont asks is that we be permitted to enjoy the
benefit of the waters in our own State during their passage
for the upbuilding of industrial interests within our borders,
that our villages may thrive, that our farms may have the
benefit of better markets as well as electric power, that our
railroads and other transportation lines may have more bust
ness and that the merchants and other business interests of
our cities and commercial centers may have their rightful
support from the surrounding country. Surely that is not an
unreasonable position.
That being the case, It is not the part of patriotism for
any resident of Vermont to seek, especially for pay, to estab-
fish within our boundaries control of watersheds and fowage
rights, for the benefit of other States and outside interests
to the perpetual exclusion of our own commonwealth. 1t
follows that the Legislature of Vermont should be the last
body in the world to grant any, right or privilege which would
mean such perpetual deprivation of our own commonwealth.
When a foreign corporation gains absolute control of a waters
within Vermont, for use outside our boundaries, our own peo-
pie can never develop that water power for ourselves.
1t is significant that the United States government has
Just taken steps to dlspossess certain corporations which en-
croached on federal lands in the development of water power,
tant for the individual States than for the nation.
The most important stream in which Vermont is con-
cerned is the Connecticut river, and New Hampshire is as in
terested IN the use OF that great source OF power to draw
industries northwards as is Vermont. Industrial centers
developed along the Connecticut help both States, and there
should be hearty cooperation in any movement to conserve
this great natural resource for their mutual advantage on
the other hand lack of such intelligent cooperation would
work to their marked mutual disadvantage.
Few people have any adequate conception of the posi-
biities of hydroelectrc development on a large scale. The
greatest single project of the past two years in the north
en region is the Cedar Rapids plant on the st. Lawrence
river, which is planned to reach an ultimate capacity of $780,,
600 horsepower, of which half is to be supplied under con-
tract to the Aluminium company of America, to supplement
the great plant at Massena, n. Y, the remainder being trans
One of the most remarkable feats is the setting of a
new record of 100000 volts by the opening. to service of
the 24O miles transmission line from Big Creek, Cal, to Los
Angeles. Transmission at high voltage also made a note
worthy advance in Asia, a line having been placed in service
in India between the Tata plant in the Chats and Bombay,
the power developed approximating $4,000 kilowatts being
largely used in cotton mills. The Keokuk plant on the Mis-
sissippi, already discussed in these columns, has doubled its
horsepower to 300, 900, much of which is utilized in st. Louis.
Vermont is especially interested in water power of great
head, and in this connection it is worth noting that Switzer-
land has a power of the greatest head in the world, 5,4OO feet.
But thirty cubic feet of water a second are necessary to de-
velop the full $4,000 horse power.
AS often happens the people of a community are the
last to appreciate their own opportunities. Vermont is ex-
periencing this for itself in connection with the development
of water power. While we as a people have so much money
we hardly know what to do with it, and are scattering it all
over the country to help build up other States, most of our
waterpower development represents outside capital that has
eyes where we see not, the Vergennes development being a
noteworthy and gratifying exception.
Burlington and other capitalists went to sleep and al
lowed outside capital to electrify our street railroad and de-
veop the greatest water power on the Winooski river at Es-
sex Junction. We are indebted to that capital, however, and
we hope to cooperate with it in developing industries for this
region which will make it's investment a profitable one.
One of the most important water power developments
in which our State is concerned is that of the New England
Power company, which in a way is in our State but not of it.
1t has gained rights to control water in the State, having
constructed a great storage reservoir at Somerset, but its
Wa ut hp nant - o 80 ~. tMe oornora tien a." dern M o,eat ;n.
dustries in Vermont.
Concerning the situation on the Deerfeld the biennial
report of the Vermont Public Service Commission. just is
sued, says the great reservoir constructed by the New Eng
land company in Somerset is an earthwork 1000 feet in
length with an extreme bottom width of 600 feet and a height
of 100 feet, the area covered being approximately 1000 acres.
The report continues:
"This dam with reservoir has yet no power plant in.
stalled Herewith but is used to equalize the flow of the Deer
field river. The New England Power company has three
nlants ~ this riuar near Shelhurne EallS MaSs J haNinu q