Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-11-23
WATER POWERS
NOT COLD MINES
Steam Plants Compete Closely
In Electric Production.
BY HERMAN B. WALKER.

nation exists as with reference to the
pending water power legislation. The
Shields and Myers bills propose terms
under which capital will be encouraged
to build water power plants. Oppo-
nents Of these measures would pass
laws the effect of which would be to
discourage investment In these enter
prises.
Nobody denies the Importance of our
water powers or that it is well to have
them put to work. To be told, however,
rs the country has been told, that wa
ter powers are so important and valua-
BILE that great trust is seeking to
grab and control them all in order that
II may dominate all power using indus
tries In the country, is ridiculous to one
who knows anything of the question.
In the first place, water power is not
always cheap power. In many sections
Of the country 1t Is cheaper to generate
electricity by steam than to develop the
local water powers. The steam turbine
and other improvements in machinery
in the last dozen years have brought
about this situation. The average cost
of building a water power plant Is from
500 to $3.50 per horsepower. Some
very large water powers can be devel-
oped for less, but they are the excep-
tons. A big modern steam plant can
be built for $40 or $50 per horsepower
Counting interest, taxes, depreciation,
obsolescence. etc, on this additional
Investment, 1t often happens that 1t is
cheaper to build and buy coal for a
steam plant. The actual economy in
use Of water powers Is confined solely
to the saving in coal and labor bills
Then, too, the question Of which kind
Of power is cheaper depends very
much upon the use made of the pow
er. Electric current in large quaint
ties cannot be put In storage and kept
until needed. 1t must be generated at
the moment of use. Where electricity
is used for chemical. metallurgical and
other industries which run day and
night, water power may be cheaper,
even counting larger interest and over
head charges. 1t doesn't cost much
more to. run water power plant con-
~
day. rhe more continuously it Is OPP
Grated the less is the cost per kilowatt
of the current generated. Where pow
er Is needed for general utility pur-
poses-house lighting, street cars and
industries that run only eight or ten
hours day-the water power plant is
not economical, because its full capac-
tty, which must be used to make the
power cheap. cannot be utilized, and 1t
is often cheaper to generate current in
steam plant which can be shut down
In overhead charges.
1t Is like farmer borrowing money
to buy tractor to do his blowing. If
he has farm big enough to keep the
machine busy most of the time. it is
a good investment and saves him mon
ey. If he has only few acres to pillow,
and the machine stands idle most of
the time, 1t would be cheaper for him
to do his small blowing with horse.
For the reasons given a big steam
plant is now being built in Buffalo, al
though Niagara Falls, the biggest wa
ter power plant in the world, is only
few miles away. Buffalo's utilities
and industries, running only part of
the time, can get power cheaper from
coal, while big chemical plants which
run day and night have located at Nj
agara because for their purposes the
power Is the cheapest available.
Where there are water powers that
can be developed and operated advan-
tageously 1t frequently happens that to
use them to advantage these water
powers have to be supplemented by
steam plants. In some cases one
stream will have a low water season
at a time when another stream is run
ming in food. If these two water pow
ers can be united In one system 1t is
possible to get more constant and
uniform supply Of power than If they
ARE under separate control.
Chief Engineer o. c. Merrill, of the
U. 8. Forest Service. explains the ad-
vantages of monopoly In the power
business In recent report to the Unit.
ed States Senate, as follows:
Monopolixation of the supply in any CIV
en- territory makes possible through in
terconnection of stations and through
diversifcation of load. economies of OPP
Grafton that would not be possible for iso-
lated Independent stations. Interruptions
to service may be lessened. the needs of
the customer may be better served and
rates may be lower with a single power
system than with several. No better serv-
Ice 10 given and no lower rates charged
than in California. where. notwithstand-
ing the considerable municipal develop
ment 80 per cent of the total primary
90 nod NV n,,hI arxtiaa
porations or In Montana, where 50 per
cent Is owned by two AFFILIATED corpora
tons.
Water powers are not always gold
mines by any means. The records
show that something like 1925, 900, 600
is invested In water power plants In
the United States that have been In
operation for a number of years with.
out having paid dividend to the stock
holders and In some cases without hav