Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-08-27

W illtl II tHtIc 10 llliDtl. lie -NOIlD
ern Pacific, on the other hand, has
followed the policy of disposing of
its timber lands BY far the largest
private owner of timber in the state
of Washington is the Weyerhaueser
Timber company. The bulk of the
Weyerhaueser timber holdings in the
state of Washington were purchased
by the late Frederick Weyerhaueser
from the Northern Pacific railroad
and comprise timber lands which
were originally given to the Northern
Pacific by the federal government as
a part of it's grant.
Would Develop Water Power.
''One Of the most important of the
state of Washington's natural re-
sources is it's undeveloped water
power, and I believe we will all agree
that we are not conserving, but rather
are wasting this resource, in allow
ing it to run on and on each day to
the ocean, embarrassed and unused
We cannot, in referring to water
power, say that we will refuse to
allow it's use at the present time SO
that it may be reserved for the
future; for no matter to what de-
gree it is developed, it will still have
the same power capacity in the years
to follow.
1.-The latest government statistics
show that the state of Washington
has a greater amount of available
water power than any other state in
the Union. The statistics place the
hydro-electric power possibilities OF
our state at 4,932,O00 horse power
based upon Is per cent efficiency.
There has been developed in the
state, up to the present time, 5000
horse power or approximately & per
cent of the available total.
"Inasmuch as the three Pacific
Coast states occupy much the same
position in relation to water power
and contain 43 per cent of the total
water power possibilities of the
United States, am going to take the
liberty of here presenting figures
showing the available water power of
each Pacific Coast state and also the
amount now developed in each state:
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., 4,932,000
h. p; developed, 100000 h. p.
Oregon-Available. 3,14S.O0O h.
p; developed, 10000 h. p.
alifornia--Available, 3,424,0O0 h.
p: developed, 100000 h. p.
Total for three states - Available.
11,5O4,O00 h. p; developed, $4,000
h. p.
"In Washington approximately 6
per cent of the water power posi-
bilities have been developed; in Ore
gon per cent; in California 8 per
cent.
"There are so many uses to which
water power can be put that it is re-
SIeltdOiS a SdlCI uCNCiOphCht
not been possible. In our own state,
water power development would
make possible, as a result of cheap
power for pumping, the reclamation
of large tracts of what are now arid
lands located at too high level to
be irrigated by gravity. We have
many such tracts in Washington, ag-
gregating hundreds of thousands of
acres.
II have in mind one particular
tract of about 100000 acres that
could be placed under cultivation by
the development of single hydro
electric project. All that is required
to make this tract as productive
district as can be found in the entire
state is water-and the water can be
had merely by pumping it up from
the Columbia river. Electrical en-
ergy developed by water power Is the
only possible energy that can be util-
ICED to put the water on the land at a
cost reasonable enough to warrant
irrigation and cultivation Of this
land. Almost any crop that will grow
in the temperate zones could be pro-
duced on this tract. I will not take
your time in figuring out the number
of families which could be sustained
on this 100000 acres alone. if it were
irrigated, but 80 acres would produce
a good living for a family of five. and,
with some crops, even much smaller
tract would make possible the same
result.
Railroads Would Use It
"In the state of Washington we
have 5,692 miles of main line rail-
road and 1884 miles of other tracts.
making a total Of 1886 miles of rail-
road operated within the state. / do
not include in these figures the cleo
trio ailways--interurban and urban