The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-13
TO ENCOURAGE WATER POWER WORK
By HOLLAND

Aoout three weeks ago representatives of
 the government visited Niagara Falls
 for the purpose of placing contracts for several million pounds of electrodes. This
 article is vital in the manufacture of
 chlorine gas. And this gas is to be SUD-
 piled to the American army in France.
 The complete outfit after the electrodes
 are secured is to be manufactured at
 Baltimore. The government representa-
 tives were told that on account of re-
 strictions which had been placed upon the use of electric power at Niagara Falls
 is would be impossible to manufacture
 the 100000 or 5ooO.OO0 of electrodes which
 the government needs within a few
 months. There came a few days ago
 authority from the government to release
 an additional amount of hydro-electric
 power at Niagara so that there would
 be no delay in the manufacture of this
 article.
 l The Chamber of Commerce of the I United States, which represents a little
 over 5o0,O00 American business men has
 recently, and especially since this Mag
 ara Falls incident, sought to obtain in
 formation from business men of a kind
 which would justify the Chamber in
 sending representatives to the committees Of Congress that may be considering
 measures which, if adopted, will develop and conserve the water power resources i of the United States. There were sev- erai questions which the chamber was anxious for business men to pass upon. th. .r enormous quantities of unused energy,
 which is also inexhastible, for water power flows on forever, be industrially practicable? Again would it be possible In the case of any exploitation of water power which is expensive to initiate and is heavily burdened with fixed charges, to work out any kind of contract which would protect the interests of the public while at the same time it made water power propositions so attractive to capi- tai as to secure their development
 Occasionally within the past few months reports have been made in this column respecting the agitation for the development of the many millions of unused water power energy and as a re- suit of these reports many communica- tions have been received from various parts of the country, chiefly from busi- ness men. which go far to prove that PophS AhtCiCct III WdleT pOWeT U6VelOp- ment Is now very great, although there remains considerable doubt about the ability of Congress- to perfect legislation which. while it would protect the pub lie interest would nevertheless be so formulated as to tempt private capital to make investment in the development of water power. The Chamber of Com merce has special committee upon water pdwer development. The member I Ich r>f% te- men who have achieved greatly as en- gineers and as manufacturers, and the chairman of 1t is L. s. Gillett, who is an engineer and manufacturer of Min neapolis.
 This committee has made a careful study of the water powers of the United States. It has taken into special con- sideration the fact that water power, un- like coal, is an inexhaustible resource. There may be an occasional drouth here and there which would, to a limited extent, affect the water power but it is inconceivabIe that all over the country there should be such climatic conditions as to reduce appreciably water power en- ergy. This committees recommends tion. which undoubtedly reflects the views of 5oo.o0o business men of tlfe United. States, strongly urges federal legislation, not delayed, but Immediately CfidStcoS TUT tff0 QSVcfOpI1cfft t0I WaLer powers. This legislation should contain a proviso whereby permits should be Issued for period not less than 50 years for the utilization of this water power The government should receive a req sonable toll on developments which are Eon the public domain or which are bene- fitted by headwater improvements main- tained by the government There are other recommendations which will be
 tx kl,> III tees of Congress. But so far as the pulp lie is concerned the interesting fact as- sociated with this report Is that the Chamber of Commerce of the United States regards the subject of vital im- portances and finds that it Is supported in that view by many thousands of the business men of the. United States.
 One of the best estimates that have re- gently been made fixes the undeveloped water power of the United States as con- siderably in excess of the total steam power now in service, It is a strange fact that while the federal government controls probably the greater part of the water power resources of the United States nevertheless the governments at titude toward these powers has hereto fore prevented their development instead of encouraging 1t. The committee has discovered that a belief commonly pre- Ndiio tidt any water power now running to waste can be utilized at small ex- pense. That view. however, is erroneous in the opinion of the committee The firss cost of steam plant is about one half. sometimes one-fifth, of the cost of a water power plant of the same ca- pacity. This is a point which private capital takes into consideration when contemplating investment in the develop ment of water power lies in .hc fact that after it has once been installed the ex- pense of maintenance is very much less than the cost of maintenance of steam power for it requires much smaller amount of labor to operate water power plants and there is no cost at all for the use of coal.
 Intimation comes from Washington that Congress has at last awakened to the importance of giving careful considera- tion to legislation which will make it possible not only to protect the inter- ests of the public and to secure rev enue to the government but also to offer tempting inducements to capital and es- pecially to communities to develop water