The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-10
PROPOSE Y0KINC
H0USAT0NIC FOR
POWER PURPOSES.

Hartford, March 1O-One Of the
most promising and important pro-
jects for the development of the state
is now pending in the Legislature
The interpretations committee gave 1t
a hearing last week and reports it ia
Vorably by a unanimous vote, with
the endorsement of all interests IN
Volved. 1t will, no doubt, he passed.
This act empowers the Housatonlc
Power Co. to sell its rights and prop
critics to the Rocky River Power CO.,
subject to the approval Of the PUBIC
utilities commission When this IS
done the new company shall be known
as the Connecticut Light & Power CO.
The HOusatonic Power Co. is one OF
the concerns that the New. Haven road
is required to sell before 1919. 1t owns
the New Milford Power Co. on the
HousatOnic river and also a large
steam plant at Waterbury and three
or four undeveloped water powers on
the Housatonic. It is now generating
electricity and selling it to several
lighting companies for distribution to
New Britain, Waterbury and other
places, and also to the Connecticut
Co. for it's trolley service. The Rocky
River Co. owns four valuable water
powers on the Housatonic and another
on one Of it's tributaries.
At the hearing before the incorpora-
tions committee all the electric inter-
ests in the territory where the CON-
pany proposes to operate were repre-
sented and all approved the bill, which
is, in effect, a reinforcement for them,
as it is believed that this company
will be able to develop electricity
cheaper than many others can de-
velop - Tt is a fact that a 30,O 900
horsepower plant can make electricity
per horse power at less than half
what a. 1000 horsepower plant can
it for. The first advantage
that the company will have will be
the use in unison of the great flow of
the Housatonic river. All acting to-
gether can get more power from the
water as it moves down stream than
companies that do not work in har-
mony. Under this arrangement the
water will be working practically all
the way to the Sound. The second
advantage lies in the establishment Of
a steam power plant that will supple
ment the river in times when the flow
falls off. 1t is believed that for nine
or ten months of every year the river
will yield at least $4,000 horse power.
When the market is fully determined
upon, the large central steam plant
will be installed Negotiations have
been going on for some time looking
to supplying the New Haven road with
current for it's train service with a
possibility of taking over the electric
stations belonging to the road.
With coal soaring, the manufacture
ers will find this new supply of cheap
power especially welcome and urgent
appeals have been made by those in
terests to get busy at once. It is I'm
derstood that construction work will
begin early this spring after the pas
sage of the act. The development
will, however, he necessarily slow ow-
ing to the delay in obtaining material
and apparatus. The company is not
to he in competition with any others
and is to supply other companies,
merely selling it's Juice" to them
Any merger now or hereafter must be
approved by the utilities commission
The whole scheme is safeguarded in
those respects and is full of promise
for plentier and cheaper power in this
busy manufacturing state.