Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-11-18
VERM0NT'i WATER POWER
Senator Dillingham; Shows Its
Value 70 tho State,
TELLS NuriinstOo Mcrchnuts' .Assoc'a
ton Tint development Of Amount
io'p.. 10 Waste Would Ash
pOpc!as.Du md Wealth.

ING -1ernth WIN WHICH HeGdtoV w. r.
| Dil..ng,am WAS received BY the 'nembcTU
" the burlington Merchants association
and the citizens ~ Burlington at tho
Va. Mass IIoucc Thursday has not
| Soon oaual;cd in this city III sor!,o time.
Mr D'!l,nshs1,., spoke following the dinner
| az tho .LRsoca.ioc, which vas attended
! Iy ~. being intr.,1uccd by thc presi-
| don't. Il Il. fingar. He took rs enc main
; .hemc thn subject of the conservation Of
tho water power Of thip State. Of which
at he present t.lno engineer. who have
inn4,, :. study o: The o.,,b!crn estimate
| 100000 horsepower rs going t. waste.
Senator Dillingham; first spoke .! the
| contrast IT. the "ordi.jccs now existing
:, III. Unite. States ana those existing
IN Che European snuntrics. This 10 not
3'Jy apparep. AT this time. bu. 70 eyi.
! dent a: al times. Flo eaid IN pnr:.
THIS r.:n nnriona now nj var, not men-
'toninS p"oaia ana Bulgaria. occupy a
total area clua. to less tilen one-hnif
OF TINT Of .hr United Slater. Gn1 after
cnch If tho wars brought on IVY ire of
thcin r'nchirg oDt to grnsp cioyc terri
cory tho European rap has had To .,
changed In Tho Unite5 p,atas we a7e
strangers TO such war CONDITIONS We
have = Co.ern.1crts, the latte: wor.l
beginning With u capita! g, for am q
States rights r!ar tc the core. -nese
4s Governments ARE scsarei.7n n power
ccert in a few things watch gre left
&C ne Nat!onn! government. We have
riga. IN our States to produce without
Interference from the government, but
that government is given move: 10 regu-
late trade throughout the States that Ill
may receive equal rights. Agriculture Of
any nation is It's back bone of strength
and wealth. AS regards resources our
nation has an unlimited supply with the
cotton in the South. grains in the Cen
trail West, fruits on the Pacific coast,
cattle ranges. minerals in the Rockies,
etc
Down to 1850 New England was isolated
from the rest of the country, its six
States being a little nation by themselves
with farm land valued at SIS per acre.
Between 1850 and 1860, when direct con-
nection by railroad was established with
the centers and we found markets for
produce, the farm values rose 4S per
cent. so that the farms We're worth 500 80
per acre. In 1870, ten years after the
close of the war, farm values reached
$2i per acre, the highest figure they had
ever reached, and then for the next ten
years they dropped For 20 years after
the close of the war 100000 per day
was paid out on rail construction and
equipment. which opened the central and
northwestern part of the country. In
the last ten census years our Vermont
farms have increased 37ia per cent At
the time the College of Agriculture was
a he n rcit Of ha
students who elected that course were
looked down upon and laughed at, but
to-day a farmer is ashamed who is not
studying system and in many products
Vermont is leading in their production,
finding Z ready market in the large New
England cities.
1t Is not only in agriculture that the
New England States come to the front.
many respects. They manufacture G.
per cent. of the woolens Of the country
50 per cent. OF cotton materials, so per
cent. of brass and bronze articles, 20
per cent. of the jewelry of the country.
40 per cent. of the textiles So per cent
of the paper.
There Is still the water power OF the
State to be developed and used in Yer
which may be derived from 1t may add
to our wealth This water power. if de-
veloped, would double or even treble our
population and add wealth. the figures
Of which would stagger the ordinary
ina gination. 1t is estimated that 100000
horsepower is going to waste each year
In our streams If one-half of this
amount be conserved it would mean for
Vermont an increase of $24S,OOo,0CO per
year. figuring according to the last man
ufacturing census, which estimated that
each horsepower in the industry of the
country represents $94S paid out in wages
in year and sl,152 in value of the goods
produced. The last Legislature had this
matter brought to their attention and
appointed commission to Investigate
and report back. l give you these figures
to ponder over that YOU may be ready
for the question when the time comes.