Evening star., 1923-01-16
BIG POWER PLANTS
ENTERING NEW ERA
Increased Industrial De-
mandS to Force Vast
Amount of Expansion.
BY y. C. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, January 16.-The buy,
ers of the United States have got 'en
working nights.
Industrial records compiled todaI
indicate plainly that, except in on,
or two states, where Industrial oper.
ations involve out-of-door work af.
Tfected by the weather, plants are moi
only working full time during the
day but are putting on night shifts td
| meet consumers demand.
That trend is thoroughly confirmed
by operations of the electric lighj
and power companies of the country
Power and light production of those
| companies has broken all recordi
with every month since the middle oi
1922. For the twelve months the
companies marketed about 81, 900, 900.
| 900 kilowatt hours of power, an In,
| crease over 1921 of nearly II per cent
according TO officials of the National
Electric Light Association today.
Power Plants to Expand.
A large portion Of this power pro,
| duction in the last six months was
| from steam power plants, as tht
| hydro electric companies have beer
/ badly Handicapped in many sectiont
by drouth during the late summer
and fall. The handling of the steam
| reserve plants and the cooperation
= of steam and water power units has
4 been better than ever before, accord
| ing to- government officials today
| who declared that November and De.
4 cember operation of electric plants
| showed an increase of efficiency oi
25 per cent compared with CORE.
| spending periods of 1921.
| Power production, however, is fall
| ing behind industrial demand and the
y al f-i, tna 0f he VrU az
/ pect to expend between S800,000,00f
and $1,000, 900, 900 this year in addi
tions and betterments. OF this sum
| over $750,000,000 has already beer
| file with the Federal Power Commits
| sion involving projects to develop
1 17,692,000 primary horsepower, and
new projects involving development
Of 2,50o,o0o horsepower now ars
4 under way. The additional capital
| involved in developing, transmitting
distributing and marketing power
| from these projects will involve ap1
proximately $4,000. 100000 in the next
4 f1ve years when the necessary auxil-
| consideration.
New Steps I'm Industry.
| The development Of power facilities
4 in districts close to raw materials Is
revolutionizing the locations of manu-
4 featuring interests. The New england
| cotton mills are contemplating large
additions to their plant capacity in ths
\ south, where hydro electric development
| has been extremely active this year.
/ The center of the shoe manufacturing
1 industry is shifting from Massachusetts
| to Missouri for somewhat Similar rea-
\ sons Development OF power facilities
in the far west has been followed by
| tremendous development OF manufacture
1 in that section.
| This was strikingly exemplified in the
announcement today of the acquisition
of the Chile Copper Company control by
| the Anaconda Copper Company. Oni-
cials of the Anaconda Company said
that the production of the Montana
mines of the merged companies would
| be amply absorbed by western manu-
Chile copper would be available for sup
plying the American Brass Company,
| a subsidiary of Anaconda, and other
eastern and New England plants and
| for export.
Business Booms i'm South.
| ATLANTA. January 16 Especially =
The state of Georgia today opened
bids for $2,500,0oo state school war.
rants discounted at the beginning of
leach year and payable in the autumn
Atlanta bank clearings are register
ing large gains daily over corre'
show approximately s40,000,000 more
on deposit than a year ago. More
THAN a score of manufacturers of ma
tional scope have opened southern
headquarters and distributing sta
tions here since January l.
| Wants $4,O00,OOO Hall.
MINNEAPOLIS, January 16 (Spe-
jciaD This city plans the construc-
! ton of a 81 200, 900 municipal audi
torium, provided the state Legislature
Twill approve an increase of bonded
Indebtedness. A bill has just been IN
ltroduced in the legislature providing
Ifor the razing of the old state capital
to make way for new $75O,Ooa
lstructure.
Fruit Shipments Heavy.
HOUSTON, Tex, January Is (Spe-
IciaD.-Reports received today from
Ithe state department of markets IN
dicated plainly that an increased &C.
Itiyity in the movement of fruits anq
Vegetables for northern and eastern
markets from eastern and southern
Texas is in full swing.
/ Lower steel Prices Likely.
PITTSBURGH, January 16 (Spe-
iciaO.-The steel market here ~
strong and indications that lower
nrices cannot be expected to return
in the near future are stimulating
purchases. .>