The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-01-04
CHAPTER VI.

{ OWucu NY Tic IuduO IOWeT COuPdu.
along Snake river. They are some
of the choicest power sites in south
ern Idaho, and their product take!
the place of various kinds of lights
and power. AS it comes to be ap
preciated and understood, electrical
energy is used in things that stant
| for less of man power and horse
power and better service. 1t stands
for less coal and oil and gasoline
and cleaner work and quicker re
suits. There was a time when E
printer had to fire up steam engine
when he wanted to print with q
large press. Then came the gaso-
line engine that started without
waiting to make fire and heat
water and make steam. Now we
have the power ready at the turn
of switch, and we have it cooled
and out of the way and danger cut
out by throwing the switch.
In railroading, it requires part of
the freight service to keep up the
supply of coal to fire the locomo-
tives. When roads are electrified,
it sets free all that part of the
trains and the workers that had to
do with the coal supply. The De-
cember estimates of the year 1922
state that if the railroads of the
United States were electrified, we
could dispense with the number of
miners that it takes to mine four
hundred million tons of coal. We
could dispense with the rolling
stock that it takes to carry that coal
to the places where it is used. We
could dispense with the coal yards
and tresstles and automatic leaders
used for placing it quickly into the
tenders of the engines as needed,
and it would save the dirt, dust and
cinders that so greatly annoy the
travelling public, the employees of
the roads and the people linving on
both sides of the roads all thru the
country. 1t would save the neces-
sity of building roads and bridges
so strong to carry the weight of the
which are heavier than
the loaded cars. 1t requires larger
investment of money to electrify a
road than it does to supply it with
steam engines, but the results are
worth it.
Electric power for operating
mines is in greater demand each
year, as well as for pumping for ir-
rigation, and these three sources of
railroads, mines and
are threatening to take !
away so much of the available cleo
,ric force, that it will be increas-
ngly difficult to supply all demands
or ordinary domestic use. 1t is only /
hOnf fWanfU Rrc
electric lights were used in Bingham |
county, and in that time the demand
or electricity has increased rapidly
md nobody who has once used it
'ver seems willing to again do with
tut it. The progress in the spread
o general use, of automobiles in the
'ast ten years is probably a good il
ustrat1on of what may be expected
n the increased use of electricity in
he next ten or twenty years. We
re apt to think of it as something
hat will hold it's place where it is
nd spread into some new places
might be safer guess to consider
hat it will spread with an intensity 1
f demand that will force capital
, pour into electrical development !
rate that will be startling.
When the automobile came and
aptured the country, 1t had some I
,atures about it that were different I
ON any other recent invention. 1t
ad the lure of beauty, of luxury, of q
tll1ty and it was business put on
lie cash basis by the manufacturers 4
Id kept there for the most part q
forthwith bled the nation of more
oney than anything else but war, n
Id did it quickly. The consumers o
I'd to get their moneys worth Z
lickly or quit losers, for each year Il
ere was something better or finer T.
offer, and once family have ac- a
tired car speed they are never a
ain content to ride behind e.
rise. The automobile is a tyrant q
at people refuse to be without. II
Electricity has some features of II
own, and it's coming among peo- W
e will have far-reaching effects Is
at we might better grasp early. n
is luxury, utility, it is expen- te
re in first cost, but great econ rf
1izer, it comes to stay, and the d
rson who plans to use a given o.
ant1ty of it, generally throws the IL
iginal plans overheard and goes IL
for greater quantity as soon as u
gets to know how good it is. The Ct
IN who starts in cautiously with a
,teenwatt lamp, very soon goes
for larger consumption and L..
axes it several hundred and is j.
I'd of it. Unlike his investment !.
the automobile, he never sees :
; day he regrets it. +.
The state has created a utility
mmission to stand between the
wer companies and the people and vi
r what the rate, or sale price of la
, product shall be. 1t seeks to
Ike the rate low enough SO people ga
| afford to buy it; it prevents ar nj
rary raises in rate after people II
5e had the houses wired for cleo da
,ity, and it seeks to keep the rate
h enough so that capital will not te;
driven out of the business by lack tn
returns on investments made.
f all the capital invested in our ste
YER plants belonged to people in Sn