The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-05-30
Water Powers
In Maine

Gates OF the development of wa
ter powers by the State to make
sweeping statements which are
In a large measure untrue and
clearly misleading In order to
maintain their position on the
Water Power question:
In the first place the develop
ment at Rumford Falls was not
an entirely new development,
which made the cost lower than
1t would otherwise have been
and In the second place the cost
of development at RumfOrd
Falls Is not fair Illustration
from which to make a cOmpari-
son, for at RumfOrd Falls there
Is a water fall Of one hundred
feet and at RumfOrd Falls the
cost of development is cheaper
than Is any other power develop
ment east of the Mississippi
River, excepting at Niagara;
moreover, the cost was MORE
THAN ONE MILLION DOL
LARS, how much more was not
stated and the paper quoted was
not warranted IN assuming that
1t was but little above that
sum. But on the basis stated
the development ut Rumford
Falls presents other phases of
the question which enter into
the cost of development. For
example, the RumfOrd Falls
Power Co, owing to the class of
customers It serves Is practi-
cally required to develop more
than the amount OF PRIMARY
power available as safeguard
against accidents, thereby re-
ducing the cost per horse power
installed, as against the power
earning revenue, in proportion to
the excess developed.
A statement that cannot sue
cessfully be cOntrOverted Is that
the average cost per water horse
power in Maine Is not less than
$4,000 exclusive OF the cost of
transmission and distribution.
As an example, the great
AziscOhOs Dam cost one million
dollars and the amount Of power
available at that dam IL deyel-
Oped for power purposes Is stat
ed to be 1900 horse power, so
that the cost without FUMES,
HEAD GATES, or ELECTRI-
CAL EQUIPMENT is still
$131.00 per horse power.
Again the impression Is given
that because power may be gen.
Grated comparatively cheap at
one point that the consumer is
paying an exOrbitant price for
lighting his house or for use Of
power. Why should not the Is
sue be met In a fair spiriti
The writer Of the article quot
ed must know that It costs large
sums Of money to transmit cleo
trio current from its source to
the place Of use; that It requires
pole lines, transformers, service
lines, meters, etc. That the dis
tributiOn to the customers Is one
of the largest items of cet and
also maintenance; that there Is
also loss Of power between the
point OF generation and the met
er of the consumer; that the Ia
Dor cost Is largely chargeable to
the distribution system.
Why does the writer Of the
editorial dodge the fact that
power that Is sold on a constant
basis Of twenty.four hours in the
day and on 312 or 385 days IN the
year, is a very different matter
from power that is sold to a
householder for lighting pur-
poses or to user of a motor
for few hours a day, and where
the amount used Is but a small
fraction of what the service cor
poratiOn Is obliged to be ready
to furnish at any tlmei
Before making statements
charging persons who are devel-
oping electric power and trying
to meet the needs of the public
with Illegally Oyer-charging the
public, why not investigate what
power factor means, what the
difference Is between primary
and secondary which these peo-
pie who develop water powers
have to inform themselves be-
fore they can embark on the en-.
terprise.