The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-03-09
Marietta Should Have A
Cheaper Electric Rate


The offer of Henry Ford to develop the million
horsepower at Muscle Shoals has brought out facts
and hgures that are startling in their preponderance
Scarcely more than year ago republican con
gress and senate were debating the question Of
scrappng the Muscle Shoals development where
millions and millions of dollars had been spent in
construction work during the war
Henry Ford put in bid for the property-not
ate the plant for the benefit of the people
Today there is scarcely ten-year-old school girl
IN the United States who cannot give half dozen
intelligent why the Muscle Shoals property
should not be developed
Henry Ford may not be successful in his ambition
to acquire Muscle Shoals But if he fails in this,
he is not through We will hear from Ford again
IN any event. He has the water power development
idea well conceived, and will become factor in
arryng out the work
We believe that Henry Ford has gone too for to
OPP. He does not admit that there is such a word
- failure, at least he excludes it from his cate
CORY.
Aside from the Muscle Shoals property on the
Tennessee river, the South has many other rivers
where nearly equal water power may be developed
Statistics show that in the State of Georgia there are
six billion kilowatt hours of power now unharness-
ed and running wastefully into the sea-
This waste cannot go on. The South needs this
power-the very life of the development of the
South depends largely utilizing the wealth that
nature has so abundantly given us.
This is an electrical age. Steam is fast being re-
placed by electric power We need electricity in our
homes, as well as in our factories and industrial
plants
The high cost Of coal, and the many disadvant
age OF coal as fuel has given great impetus to
electrical development
There is a demand now for electricity for heat
ing and cooking, and all that is needed to bring
about universal use of electricity is more mode
rate charge for the service
Development to the fullest extent Of Georgia ;
vast water power should be pushed to completion in
the next few years. The work should be started at
once and the fruits Of this development given to
the people There is nothing Of equal value that
car be produced 50 cheaply as electricity. and the
State and municipalities should awaken to the oppor-
turity that nature has SO abundanty given to Geor
gia
fact to be deplored is the high electric rate of
o. own municipality, which is prohibitiye of the
use Of electricity Eor heating and cooking With,
or attempting to define the cause the journal is
rca onably sure that there is no just reason why
cheaper rate should not be given In this connec-
tt it is interesting to note a recent action taken
by re municipal electric plant at Jacksonville Fla,
Is wen in the following from the St Petersburg
y S (FIorida)
''Jacksonvilie's municipality owned vlectrict
ant is to enlarge its activities in an effort to
,r4pleteIy electrify the home the city com
isson has decided The plan, it is. said, will
ect material saving in the cost Of fuel
the consumer .'.' o.,
The city commission recently adopted re-
orts submitted by a committee outlining
omprehensye plan for making available to
e housewife power for cooking and heating
supplement electric lights For cooking
. nd heating purposes the power is to be served
"a t net cost Of two cents kilowatt hour.