Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-13
NEW INDUSTRIAL ERA
Ry Frederic j. Haskin

of the steam engine is predicted by
engineers as a result of the project
ed big-scale conversion Of coal into
electric power at the mines. WheI
electric power Is made universally
available at q materially reduced
cost inuumerable small manufacture
ing establishments will be opened
that car compete with the greater
plants in the larger centsrs of popu-
lation, and the tendency will be
toward the decentralization of city
populations, the building up of rural
Industrial centers and the working
out of tremendous changes in the
economic and social fabric of the
nation.
The influence OF cheap power upon
small industry is illustrated by the
case of a young man in a small New
England town who recently invested
in three lathes and set himself UP
In the business OF manufacturing
A second man remodeled an old
barn, employed a force Of ten coun-
try girls and began the manufacture
OF shoe laces. A third ventured into
the lace industry on a small scale.
A long step toward the new order
Of things Is expected to result from
the survey that is being made by a
Pennsylvania commission of the
power resources of that state and
the best methods for their utiliza-
ton. This commission is headed by
Morris l.. Cook, who organized the
power section Of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation. He IL assisted by
Robert H. Fernald, director of the
Department Of Mechanical Engineer
ing of the University Of Pennsylyan-
IL, and Frederick K. Newell, former
chief Of the United States Recla-
nation Service.
Governor Pinchot Is himself a
member of the commission, which
also includes Attorney General
George w. Woodruff; w. D, B. Ainey,
chairman of the Public Service
Commission; Frank Willis; Secre-
tary Of Agriculture: Royal Meeker,
Secretary of Labor and Industry,
who was formerly at the head of one
of the important bureaus of the
Federal Department of Labor; State
Geologist George H. Ashley; and
Deputy Attorney General Phillip p.
Wells.
This commission will devote eigh-
teen months to Its task before maxi
ing its recommendations to the PEN
sylvania legislature. II will look
thoroughly into the problem of gen.
Grating electrical power at the mines,
and incident to this will make O
study of the best methods of extract
Ing by-products from coal. The en-
gineers look forward to a time when
raw coal, taken from the mouth of
the mine, will go through a process
whereby its gas, tar, oil, ammonium
sulphate and coke will be extracted
after which the remaining fuel will
be used for power. Henry Ford Is
said to be accomplishing great things
In this direction, although he trans
ports his coal from his Kentucky
mines to his Michigan plants before
he puts 1t through the process for
removing by-products.
An attempt is to be made to de-
wise a plan that will do for power
what the railroads have done for
commodities OF all kinds, that is, to
make available at every mans door
plenty of power at low prices. Elec-
IRRIGATION of the railroads and a
direct connection between them and
the power resources available will be
considered by the commission. 1t is
the belief of the engineers that the
general efficiency of the roads would
be greatly increased by electrified
tion. One-third of the, present rail-
way tonnage in Pennsylvania is coal.
1t is cheap tonnage. BY eliminating
much of this freight the railroads
will have nor facilities for other
traffic.
The losses of the railroads on the
freight on coal would be largely off,
set by increased revenues from
freight originating in the smaller
cities and towns from the new in
dustries. 1t Is also commended that
employment will be stabilized by the
development of giant power stations
at the mines, and that a more ex-
tensive use of power will result from
lower rates made possible by eco
nomic production conducted on the
largest possible scale.
One OF the biggest items in the
cost OF producing electricity is the
transportation of the coal which
furnishes the motive power. If this
cost could be eliminated and the
coal utilized right at the mines, pro-
ducing energy to turn wheels hun
dreds Of miles away, operating costs
in every factory would be reduced.
"Our first concern will be the
small user, particularly the farmer
said Governor Pinchot, in discussing
the work of the commission. mo
system of electrical development
would be technically sound IL not
built on estimates of the industrial
power load. Just so our system can
not be considered socially sound II
1t ignores the more or less immed-
late requirements of the zoo, 00O
farmers and perhaps as many urban
and semi-urban householders in
Pennsylvania now without current.
Power means wealth, comfort,
safety. progress. Great blocks of our
people fail to get what they should
out of civilization because they are
able to get and to use far less power
than they should. Giant power
means that more people will get
more power than eve before. 1t IL
the open door for better living to
all our people. and that is true not
only of Pennsylvania but of the
whole United States"
W. S. Murray. a consulting engin-
eer, who made a study for the Geo
logical Survey of a s~uperpower sys-
tenn for the region between Wash
ington and Boston, reported that the
10000 manufacturing establishments
within that zone could by 1880,
through the maximum economical