Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-01
y. s. to Aid POlUer
Shortage Here
Continued from Page One

! Continued from Page One
/ lain of New York during part of the ad-
/ ministration of Mayor Mitchell
At the outbreak of the war he came
/ to Washington and served as power ad-
! wiser to the shipping board as dollar
a-year man. He has performed invalu-
able service, shipping board officials
say.
Clash Began Six Months Ago
The present controversy going on in
/ Philadelphia over the necessity for the
Philadelphia Electric Company increas-
J ing its facilities had it's inception six
months ago in n plan of the power COM
pany to build n big addition to its plant.
with the aid of funds 1t planned to OBJ
/ tain from the Emergency Fleet Corpor-
alton, ii was learned here today from
officials of the shipping board and war
! industries beard.
The Philadelphia Electric Company
about six months ago advised Admiral
Bowles of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration. that Il would require an ad-
ditional plant to supply the power needs
of the Fleet Corporation and private in
dustries when the peak load period was
reached next winter. Shipping Board
officials said today.
Admiral Bowles accepted this state
ment as a fact, apparently. it is said,
I because n contract was drawn up pro-
viding that the Emergency Fleet Cor
| poraton should furnish the Philadelphia
! Electric Company with s20,000,000 TO
build an additional power plant. Other
! shipping board officials whose signature
1t was necessary to get to the contract
were not favorably impressed with the
matter and the proposed expenditure
was reduced to $l5,000,000.
Loan Cut to S6,O00,000
Subsequently shipping board officials
succeeded in making a provision that
the proposed new plant should cost only
SIS. 100000 and that the Government
would lend the company only 40 per
cent of the total cost. or $4,000. 900. at
an interest rate between Az and 6
per cent. Thus the plan to obtain the
whole $2O.O00,000 from the Emergency
Fleet Corporation fell through and the
Philadelphia Electric Company was to
obtain the S6.000.000 from the Govern
ment at low interest and 100000 from
other sources at interest rates of Sl2
or per cent.
| In this shape the matter came up
to Chairman Hurley and the trustees
OF the shipping board some three weeks
ago. They baked at lending this as
| sistance to the power company until they
could be shown beyond all reasonable
| doubt that such a development was
| absolutely necessary. They shuddered
when they contemplated the origtna
| contract agreed to between Admiral
Bowles and the Philadelphia Electric
! Company by which the fleet corporation
was to lend s20,o00.000 to the company
At this point Doctor Maltbie and
| Baruch were called in by Chairman HUI
lev and asked for advice.
Doctor Maltbie came to Philadelphia
and spent all of last week there in
vestigating to determine % whether
| the power needs of Philadelphia exceed
| the apparent supply, and (2) whether
| the proposed contract should De put
| through of having the Emergency Fleet
| CorDoration assist the Philadelphia
| Electric Company to increase the size OF
its present plants and build new one.
Doctor Maltbie made his report to
Chairman Hurley last Monday declaring
| there is sufficient power in Phila-
delphia TO supply the city's needs and
| simultaneously the Philadelphia Electric
company announced its plants were ull-
| able to meet the supply and that cur
rent TO business houses and homes must
! be curtailed.
Doctor Maltbic found and reported that
the maximum electric power demand for
philadelphia this winter n91s-ls) Will
be 1856. 900 kilowatts day and Inc
production capacity of the various plants
of the Philadelphia Electric Company
between 200, 900 and 100000.
With the two new electric genera
tors at Chester in operation the Philadel-
phia Electric Company will have sufti-
cient power to meet the greatest pros
pective demand OF Philadelphia this win
ter Doctor Maltbie reported. One Of the
new generators at the Chester plant is
already in operation. and the other will
be IN service in December, producing
SO, 900 kilowatts each, he reported.