The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-05-30
Water Powers in Maine

| Is it necessary for the advocates Of
| the development of water powers by
the State to make sweeping state
ments which are in a large measure
untrue and clearly misleading in order
to maintain their position on the Wa
ter Power question?
In the first place the development
at Rumford Falls was not an entirely
new development, which made the cost
lower than it would otherwise have
been and in the second place the cost
of development at Rumford Falls is
not a fair illustration from which to
make comparison, for at Rumford
Falls there is water fall of one hun
bred feet and at Rumford Falls the cost
of development is cheaper than is any
other power development east of the
Mississippi River, excepting at Mag
ara; moreover, the cost was MORE
THAN ONE MILLION DOLLARS,
how much more was not stated and
the paper quoted was not warranted
in assuming that it was but little
above that sum, But on the basis
SldlGd lllC uCNClOpIiCHG AZ 1NoIA1oAo
Falls presents other phases of the
question which enter into the cost of
development. For example, the Rum
for Falls Power Co., owing to the
class of customers it serves, is prac-
tically required to develop more than
the amount of PRIMARY power avail
able as safeguard gainst accidents,
thereby reducing the cost per horse
power installed, as against the power
earning revenue, in proportion to the
excess developed.
A statement that cannot successful
ly 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 AZlscohos
Dam cost one million dollars, and the
amount of power available at that
dam if developed for power purposes,
is stated to be 1000 horse power, SO
that the cost without F L L M ES,
HEAD GATES or ELECTRIC EQUIP
MENT is still S131. 90 per horse power.
Again the impression is given that
because power may be generated
comparatively cheap at one point that
the consumer is paying an exorbltant
price for lighting his house or for use
of power Why should not the issue
be met in fair spirit?
The writer of the article quoted must
know that it costs large sums OF money
to transmit electric current from its
source to the place of use; that it re-
euires pole lines, transformers, service
lines, meters, ETC.; that the dlstrlbu-
ton to the customer is one OF the
+ largest items of cost and also of mann
tenance; that there is also loss OF
power between the point OF genera
ton and the meter of the consumer;
that the labor cost is largely charge
able 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 800
days in a year, is very different mat
ter from power that is sold to house
holder for lighting purposes or to
user of motor for few hours a day,
and where the amount used is but a
small fraction of what the service
corporation is obliged to be ready to
furnish at any time?
Before making statements charging
persons who are developing electric
power and trying to meet the needs OF
the public with illegally over-charg-
ing the public, why not investigate
what a power factor means, what the
difference is between primary and sec
ondary power and a few other facts
about which these people who develop
water powers have to inform them
selves before they can embark on the
enterprise.
Is this paper quoted above willing to
commit the people of the State OF
Maine to undertake a development
costing millions of dollars on the
amount of information possessed on
i this subject as shown by the editorial
cited?