The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-04-02
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" SBI iOFln llle arguments
IPTS pro and con in the question
81 Of world disarmament and an
" armal.,ut truce is not the
.swr.>s ,ulpcse Of This article.
X NJ It's pIrpoSe is to call at
C---0 tentiou to Il by-product of
t,,,. ,.rid-Widc discus sion of the dis
arluauent and armament truce pro-
posais-uhai the United States needs
IN the uay oI industrial improvements
10 increase its efficiency.
Engineers, efficiency experts, trans
portaiion managers and far-seelng
busincss men have had much to say in
a general way about the need for
greater production and better distri-
button. The possibility of disarma-
meut or Of an armament truce has
stimulated them to estimating what
the United States would save and
suggesting what it should do with
the money thus saved.
Here is AN example of the many
suggestions for increased industrial
efficiency. The United States geolog-
lea survey has been making an inves-
tigation Of the potential water power
Of the Eat. On the basis of its find
ings, Secretary of the Interior Payne,
lust before going out of office, sub
mitted to President Wilson Il report
covering the area from Boston to
Washington. He urged unified devel-
opment OF electricity, supplied from
both water power and steam-driyen
machinery. to effect an annual saving
of about 100000 tons of coal, run
12.0OO miles of railroad, light cities,
run street cars. factories and mines.
through the concerted development of
water power from tile St Lawrence,
Raquette, Delaware, Susquehanna, Po-
toriac rivers and streams in the Adj
rondacks.
Financial feasibility of the idea is
urged by the report on the following
estimates:
Electrlication of $4,000 miles of
railway at gross cost Of SoO0OO0,OoO,
reduced to $11.t9,0CJ,0O0 by salvage
of steam locomotives, while yearly
SAVINGS on coal and maintenance
would return approximately IA per
cent on the investment"
Incomplete data on 10000 power
using plants indicates saving Of 6OOO,
600 to 100000 tons Of coal Il year.
Electrification of hard coal mines
/. to save 100000 tons of coal yearly.
Public utilities to be saved 100000
tons of coal annually at average cost
Of $3.50 a ton. :.
Hudson Maxim assumes that the
United States would save five billion
dollars through five-year armament
truce and proceeds to tell what the
nation could do with those five bill
lions. Writing in the New York
World he says among other things:
"A billion dollars would build in the
United States $4,000 miles of concrete
roads 20 feet wide-five roads extend
ing east and west from ocean to ocean,
and six roads extending north and
south from Canada to Mexico and the
Gulf-roads connecting all the prin-
opal cities and towns in all the main
directions. The roads could be made !
~ feet wide. of the best and most |
substantial concrete construction. with |
The liberal allowance of 200 n mile. /
or Sl.OOo,000,000 for $4,000 miles
with our billion dollars saved. the
second year we could build the pro-
posed intercostal ship and barge canal ,
from Boston to Florida, running /
though Long Island Sound. crossing
new Jersey 70 the Delaware, on to
Chesapeake Bay, thence running be-
hind the chain of islands southwark.