El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-05-20
Cheaper PO1ger
Mea11SLOzgeYing
Of Li0ing Cost
Water Power Bill Drawn
To Save Waste In Trans
portation OF Fuel.
Bv FR7lDERIC J. HAskTN.

Washington, D. c., May ga new
method Tor reducing the H c. OF J.
may be added 10 the thousand or more
that have already been suggested
Government scientists now say that
the price Of all manufactured commod-
tiles will come down when the United
States learns how TO make economical
use Of its power resources
Millions Of horse power are being
wasted in cur streams, and congress
has been al work for years, more or
less, on the water power problem But
now a drive is being started to en-
! courage the development Of electrical
power at the coal mines, thereby saw
ing the billions 1t costs US TO haul
coal about the country by rail
War Showed Danger.
The United States is rich IN the
natural resources which produce pow
er, and the development OF power
has proceeded in a haphazard way.
During the war. however, the nation
came perilously near a power short
age The government ordered series
Of power Investigations, the result
OF which show that a tremendous
amount Of power is going to waste in
this country.
The water power bill providing for
the development Of water power IN
der federal control, is the first step
10 remedy this situation The next
step VIII be the generation Of cleo
generating it in hundreds Of individual
steam plants
LHbor's ErrOr.
Increased power means increased
production, and the only way 70 lower
prices is 10 produce more goods One
ganized labor has ever made, accord
ing TO government officials. is 10 op-
pose the Introduction Of power and
thereby machinery. This It has stub
- - . y
Introduction Of machinery decreases
the number Of jobs II is true, Of
course. that IL does decrease the num-
Der Of unskilled jobs, but IL increases
the number OF skilled jobs, paying
higher wages The American work
man produces more goods than the
European workman. and his standard
OF living is corespondingly higher.
Secretary Lane Of the interior. de-
clares that there must be a large in
crease in power production during
the next few years Il the United
States is TO survive international COM
petition.
aOnIy by increased economy IN
the production and distribution Of
power viii II be possible for our
manufacturers to decrease their
production expenses and compete
successfully in the worlds mar
kets,1 he says. ssmainfnininE Mt
the same time the American stan
unrd OF wages and liF1nG."
Coal is the source. OF most OF the
power generated in this country, and
IL IS one Of the best examples OF in
dustrial extravaganza for which the
consumer ultimately pays. One-third
OF the work Of our railroads Is haul
ing coal from mine to market IN the
markets, as much as one-1ourth OF
this coal is used TO generate cleo
tricity. Electricity is the only com
modify IN everyday use which IS not
shipped in its refined state. II has to
have a special kind OF carrier.
Use Power Wires.
Because this special kind OF car
ried did not exist, our industries have
followed the line OF least resistance
and have continued to import their
electricity in the form Of coal The
economical thing to 90 IS 70 make
the electricity at the coal mines and
send It to adjacent cities by wire The
system has been tried out IN recent
years IN various places and found 20
be practical At present the maximum
distance at which electricity may be
successfully transported to the mar
ket from the mine IS ESQ miles
Two years ago. two large electric
power plants were supplying the city
OF Youngstown, Ohio, and auJacent
small cities extending into Pennsyl-
vania, with power. They saw that a
great waste could be eliminated II
the two plants combined into one
power plant at tbs coal mine Such
plant has now been built at the mouth
of a coal mine near Wheeling. On the
Ohio river, and is operating at great
" reduced costs Electricity IS being
generated there, and sent TO severtl
nearby cities by a system OF wires.
Il has been found that, In addition 20
saving the transportation charges OF
shipping coal by freight. a great saw
ing in coal at the mines has been
affected.
These steam power plants At the
coal mines can sell electricity at
lower price than can several plants
scattered in various cities OF the dis
trict, paying freight charges on coal
II electricity Is generated at the
coal mine the railroads will not wear
out so quickly, and Il VIII not be nee
essary to build SO many new ones 10
keep pace with the ever increasing
demand for steam power. Any great
expansion OF the railroads react
against the consumer in two ways;
The rates ara raised to pay for the
new construction; and the demand for
large capital to finance the construc-
ton sends interest rates up.
Water power, where the natural site
IS good, is the cheapest power re-
source OF all In the Alabama coal
mine electric power plant for ex-
ample, which makes electricity much
cheaper than IL could be made BY a
half dozen plants receiving shipments
Of coal from the mines. It takes 20
men, working in two shifts, TO mine
the coal and generate the electricity. |
In a water power plant In the same |
state Il takes just y men. working !
IN two shifts. to produce Just four
times as much electricity.
The water power bill now before I
It IS prophesied in govern |
ment circles, viii be passed during the ]
next session. II so, many valuable |
water sites will doubtless be de-
veloped during the next few years 1
under federal control
.SnLnntion Arn,n Hotel