Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-14
ELECTR|FY ALL RAILS
M'AD00'S SCHEME
Water Power. He Says. Must Lib
crate Country From Thrah-
dom Of Coal.

Washington, Aug. 1d.-Secretary Nc
hdoo said yesterday on his return 10 du,y
in the Treasury Department and tne
office of the director general oil ra,lroaus,
that his observation OF the vast resources
of water power during the two months nc
had been absent from Washington since
the close of the last bond campaign, had
impressed him with the idea OF electriiy-
ing the railroads Of the United States.
If the government was to continue the
administration of the railroads oi the
country for any prolonged period, ne
said he would be in favor OF rcsorting TO
the use of electricity just as far rs 1t couid
be practically employed.
POWER FOR SLIGHT COST.
Notwithstanding the great develop
ment throughout the country oi water
power properties there remained, Mr.. Me
| Adoo said, n tremendous empire of power
| We; 10 bc harnessed and turned To ac-
| count in moving the Industries and the
| TRANSFORMATION OF the American people.
| This power. now almost entirely tho prop
| ertv of the United States could he com
| mnndeered with n cost slight IN comparison
with the advantages TO be derived from
| II This. in view of the continually
| troublesome problems connected ~ith the
| supply and distribution of the coal neces-
snrv in manufactures and To heat MONIES
and city apartments, was oonsurnna'ioh
that sooner or later would be forced on
the country By absolute necessity.
Secretary McAdoo said that Tor the
present, nothing could be done toward
substituting water power Tor coai-pro-
duccd steam, but IT might come as a
nlain matter of necessity while this wal
was on IL would first bc desirable to keeT
IN the volume Of manufacturing power
and then it would be required to relievs
terminal needs. Ultimately electricity
would be principally employed hrst OF
all in simplifying terminal problems
MOUNTAIN STREAMS as POWER.
The fact that the topography oi th'
country was relieved by its many noun
tam ranges. all abound,ng in streams tha
would provide power, was a guaranty %
the practical distribution OF current "
the sections that were now forging rapidly
forward in manufacturing Importance
Some Of the virgin ground OF manu-
featuring development such as tho
South along the Atlantic seaooafu
cspec,ally invited the consideration OF thr
nlan 10 relieve the country from tn
thralldom of coal mining and shipment
accord,ng To MIR. McAdoo lie held that
even If there were no such great neoesslt,
To conserve our coal supply, the tact tina
TRANSPORTATION limits the available powe
of our coal would Of itself justify trans
forming many Of our railroads to eiec
triCal systems
MAY Br ELECTRIFIED ny Y. s.
The secretary suggested that probably
elcctri ificatlon would be actually under
taken while the government had contro
of the railroads, and that the problem
would be attacked at the most iavorabi
points in the country, where the stati
value OF water was most obvious ana to
cost of making the change from steam =
electricity would be comparatively sligh'
The saving i'm cost of subsequent on
Grafton. he said. would be such a con
vinring demonstration that elcctriica
ton as a general policy would toe dc
manded by public opinion. The incident
al economy 10 be obtained from the use c
electricity for manufacturing and trans
portation bv use of water power Youl'
come at first in the saving of labor. MI
NrAdoo exnlained Then the fuel need
Of the people could be fully met by tn
labor released from producing coal 10
manufacturing plants and the raliroads
This IN itself. he said, would be yer
large justification for embarking IN tn
experiment of clectrification, IT IT could b
: called an experiment in the face of tn
numerous private electric plants operate
bv water power with such success and sue
economy.
The history of the work of the govern
! ment in the great system of reclamation
: the arid West, MIR. McAdoo though
! amply supported the expectation that II
government could put through the COZ
servation of water power for the needs
manufacturing and transportation an
the welfare of the people In their home