Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-01-04
GETTING BUSY
ON WATER POWER
Government Wants Great Hy.
draulic Power and First
Action Taken
FRTSBIE OF CORNELL
HEADS NEW BOARD
Ladysmith Has Opportunity to Get in
ON This Proposed Develop
ment

\ dispatch appearing i'll the news
papers Of the country on Monday has
aroused the interest of the people of
Upper Wisconsin and already been
taken up by the Chamber of Com
inerce, Of Ladysmith. The action of
the Council of National Defense comes
st time when the question is also be-
fore congress in the Shields bill.
Ladysmith has here. and in the i'm
horse power it is claimed, to be, or al
ready developed. Big Falls has
around 10000 and the attention of the
Nation is to be directed here if pos
sible
To Use. Surplus
The government is preparing to use
the surplus water power of the North
west for war industries.
A survey will be the first step. 1t
was ordered Saturday by the power
Committee of the Council of National
Defense G. O.. F'risbie, of Chicago,
president of the Wood Products Com
pany at Cornell, Wis, and head of the
Chippewa Valley Cooperative AssO-
citation, was selected for the task, and
will begin at once.
The power committee has asked for
the following information
How much power is developed from
government and private dams in Min
nesota and Wisconsin?
How much additional power can be
obtained by improvement of the pres
ent facilities?
How much surplus over the present
needs of industries and municipalities
can be produced?
Those Already in Operation
How much can the present users of
power curtail their consumption?
How much Of their supply will pres
ent users be willing to divert for gov
ernment purposes?
1t is believed the survey will disclose
thousands of horsepower readily con-
vertible to Industrial uses. Chippewa
Falls and International Falls are the
two points from which most is expect
ed, but close study will be made of
the entire field.
The hope is to obtain cooperation of
local industries and municipalities in
getting much needed power for new
war plants. Failing in this the gov
ernment will not hesitate to cOmman-
deer the output, as was done at Mag
ara Falls last week by President Will
son,
More Power Needed
The coal shortage makes it impera-
tive the government turn more to the
use of water power. New factories,
especially chemical plants, must be
built. and the only hope of operating
these at capacity and meeting the
other fuel needs of the country is to
utilize natural power
Until Mr.. Frisbie has completed his
work and made his recommendations
to the power committee there will
probably be no decision in the disposal
of surplus power from the high dam
at the Twin Cities.
The Shields Bill
The Shields bill, which provides for
the Improvement and development of
waterways for the uses of interstate
and foreign commerce and which has
passed the senate, provides for the
Improvement of navigation of rivers
under the jurisdiction of Congress
With private capital, as distinguished
from appropriations by Congress for
that purpose, and, secondly, for the
development and utilization of the
water power of those rivers resulting
from such Improvement as well as
that created by dams constructed and
| to be constructed under the authority
of Congress,
Affects Paper Industry
These development would tend to
create conditions favorable to the ex-
pansion Of the United States paper in
| dustry. and thus eliminate this c0un-
| try's dependency on Canada for the
greater part Of its supply of paper
unused water powers may take the
place of coal in the making of paper
and pulp,