The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-10-30
CeUOIOpe Water
POWer Projects,
Federal AdUiCe
10y BNStpN y TtMNONS.
NuLLd " aAnInE ION .urtraNnnI-ul


WASlllNGTON Start work ou
WalcrpowCr project, dty,lopc tho
naiious latDut resources and at
umr lessen unemployment
Ihhi may uy nation wide
slogan. notwithstanding thy iu.
dustrial depression and tho uua
certain fituauon. projects aEEr,raj.
ing l217OOO horsepower and o.
Investment uf approximately 800.
100000 are already under ruuHiru,.
ton tu Wisconsin. New York Ala
oamn, oregon aud california ag.
vordinE tu a statement of Secretary
OF War Weeks.
Many other states arc ,outcm
. plating stirtiuE uu projects u
eastern oklahoma project has
been planned tu supply Tu.sa aud
other cities with light ana power.
. Montana, gigantic In size. aud pos
aering numerous rivers capable uf
/ being harncssod, sees iu water
/ power q chance 30 become man.
/ uiH'turlng stntr when the present
/ doprcssior ends Almost every
etaic iu the union is lutcrcstcd ln
'Watcrpowcr dovclupcmcnt.
Secretary OF War Weeks in "a
statement just issued has told some
Interesting things about water
power developments
the passage OF the federal power
act ut June 10. 1920, to give IN
dlcatiun Of the effectiveness of thv
act In bringing about the dcvp-
lupcmcut of watcrpowcr," Scc-
rotary Weeks said "SIuco March
], 1921, the commission has author
izcd the Issuance of 30 lccnscs in
volving l269,0OO horsepower and
= preliminary pcrmits involving
. 4.
2,b49.O0O horsepower. or as much
az the aggregate of an applications
approved by the scveral executive
parties during tho 10 years proceed
| ing June 1920. Although handt-
capped by its laCkS OF authority 10
employ any personnel II has al
ready taken tinal action upon one
third Of the applications filed"
Several of tho applications ap.
proved under tho act involve pro-
tcctH for the construction uf which
specific congressional authority was
sought for many years, hut never
obtained. Notable among these are
projects on tho Niagara. on the
Connecticut river At Enfield Rapids
and on the Coosa river In Alabama.
Up 90 october s, 1891. there have
been filed with the commission 256
applications involving over I6.-
J 800, 900 horsepower ls primary
power and $500. 900 secondary
power, Tho great majority OF these
applications contemplate the dcvcl-
opmcnt and ealc OF power as
public utilities. Tho report Of the
bureau Of census for 1917 SHOWED
an aggregate waterpower develop
ment In tho United States In that
year OF about seven million horse
tho amount Represented by the ap-
plications before the commission.
In 1917 there were only 2b9 water
power stations OF capacity in cN-
cess ~ 1000 horsepower engaged
In the public utility scrvice. with
an aggregate capacity Of 100000
horsepower The average invest
ment in plant and equipment Of
these stations was $4,000 per
horsepower. II the average in
vcstmcnt required in the projects
before the commission IL only one
half as much, an expenditure Of
100000 900 will be involved. The
collateral expenditures for distri-
button systCme, for customers in
stallatlon, and In accessory indus
tries will be several times greater.
The country could not ~
course, absorb at once all the
power I'pI'ScnV'u oY the hppllCa-
tions before the commission, and
there are doubtless many applioa-
lions which viii never be carried
to completion" Secretary Weeks
said. 1T Is the belief. however,
that the greater part Of the horse
power involved viii eventually bc
constructed. with legislation which
has removed the restrictions hithcr- .
to existing, with improved indus
trial and financial conditions, with
tho development OF new industries.
with railroad clcctrlfiCatlon, and
with the gradual displacement uf
steam power by watcrpOwcr, II iE
TO expect In the near
future an activity In watorpowcr
hitherto unknown"