New-York tribune., 1918-10-29
Finance 50 Economics
WALL STREET OFFICE. Telephone
Mills Building, IS Broad st. Hanover 6Sf4

MiliS building, - brOad 81.
There is much Of interest in a re-
cent British investigation, showing
that of the worlds mechanical horse
power used in factories and general
industry the United States possesses
over one third-that is, about 29,-
100000 horsepower. The interesting
thing is that this is not much more
than the census estimate of our ac-
tual horse, mule and oxen power.
In other words, all the steam en-
gines, waterfalls and other sources
of power used in industry are only a
| little more than the animal energy
used on our farms and in the vari-
Gus forms of transport by animals.
Even if we add in all the motive
force of the railways, the total is not
one-half greater. That is, in brief,
the result Of a century and a half Of
steam power development, for the
proportion generated by waterfalls
is small and steadily dwindling.
1t is an amazing contrast to find
that the horsepower represented in
the automobiles Of this country alone
is practically equal to the whole
worlds possessions Of steam power.
The latter is placed, by the British
estimate, at but a little more than
a hundred millions; water power az
around 100000, or total of 120,-
100000 In all. The worlds railways
use but 21,000,000, and shipping but
about 24,000.000. Against this, con-
slider what brief twenty or twenty
five years have meant in developing
the auto. There are over 100000
registered motor cars and trucks in
tho United States. A low limit
for each machine is twenty horse
power. The average is probably not
far from twenty-five horsepower.
That means a total of 125,000,000
horsepower for autos in the United
States alone. The figure is at least
ten times the motive power of our
railways.
Of course, the figures are admit
tedly misleading. Whereas the
larger part Of steam power is in use
fifty to one hundred hours of the
week, throughout the year, the aver
age auto probably does not average
one full hour per day, and possibly
not half an hour. Even the latter
would represent something like 1000
miles per auto per year, which would
mean 800 gallons of gas per ma
chine. The motor car is probably
the least used and economically the
most wasteful kind of machinery in
widespread use. But the fact of its
steady and confounding growth
shows Enthusiastically that here is the
great motive power Of the future.
The possibilities of electrical expan-
sion are insignificant compared with
the substitution of auto power for
horse and oxen the world over. This
country could easily absorb three or
four million tractors, if the latter
could be made as generally efficient
and useful as horses. If kerosene
or alcohol motors could be brought
into general use, that might greatly
reduce the present cost Of operation.
1t is almost certain that if anything
like the present high cost of food
and fodder is maintained, some
means to the wider utilization of
what may broadly be termed flash
power will be found. All of which
points the path of future industrial
development in q different direction
than that Of the last three-ouarters
Of a century, That was distinctly
the era of steam roads and steam
ships. 1t is scarcely without signif-
cance that the oil-propelled motor
has had greater development in
quarter of a century than steam in
six times that period.
Rumors and tales of heavy wagers