Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1924-04-04

The South is ahead of other parts
OF the United States as well as ahead
Of Germany. Britain and other for
eign countries in one important re-
spect, writes B. G. Forbes, the finan-
cial writer, in copyrighted article In
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It has
Accomplished more in linking up DIFF.
fefent electrical power systems.
No fewer than seven companies have
had their transmission lines joined to-
gether.
The result Is that any part of hvs
states can now draw all needed power
from any other part of this vast ter
ritory.
Germany, Britain and the United
States all have been talking much
in recent years about developing q
super power system. While they
have been talking, the South, thanks
mainly to H. M. Atkinson, head OF
the Georgia Railway & Power Com
pany, has gone ahead and brought in
to being its "inter-conne:ted power
system"
These inter-connected lines have a
power of we'll over 100000 horse
power, with a main trunk line of
some 900 miles, thus coordinating the
rainfall Of three separate and distinct
watersheds.
Through this vast network of trans
mi icc %
utilize the government steam plant
at Sheffield, Ala, to develop power at
Raleigh, N. c., over 600 miles distant
Even laymen can appreciate the val
ue Of not being dependent solely upon
the facilities of one company, since
1921, parts of Georgia and North Caro-
lima suffered severe water shortage,
but full amount of power was sup
piled from the other parts OF this web
of electric power lines. But for this
inter-connected web the industrial &C.
and North Carolina would have had to
shut down, throwing thousands out Of
employment.
After good deal of persuasion and
|inducement, James B. Duke consented
I to hook up his important southern
power lines with this inter-connected
system No small part of the wonder
| full development Of the Carolinas dur
ling recent years has been due to Mr.
Dukes enterprise in furnishing power
to both small and large communities
at low cost.
The moving spirit, however, in this
far-sighted project has been Mr.. At
kinson, the creator and upbuilder and
still active head Of the Georgi Rail
way & Power Company. Mr.. Atkinson
has been the daddy of this unique
child. He early had not only vast
vision, but he had the persistence and
the ability to transform his vision into
reality.
In all such projects the raising OF
the necessary capital usually Is the
hardest problem to solve. Mr.. Atkfn-
son migrated to Georgia from Boston,
after graduating from Harvard, and,
as he had won the confidence, young
| though he was, Of number OF New
England men of means, he succeeded
in attracting funds for use in devel-
oping the resources of his adopted
state. Capital being extremely scarce
in the South in those days, he became
recognized leader in the world OF
business and banking.
He has been attracting outside cap
ital to Georgia ever since. A banker
in close touch with Mr.. Atkinson's al
fairs says that Mr.. Atkinson had been
personally responsible for bringing In
to the state for investment purposes
not less than $10O.O0O,00O.
When the railroad commission OF
Georgia conducted an investigation
some time ago, they discovered that
only two cities in the United States
had cheaper power than the sections
supplied by Mr.. Atkinson's company.
A "super-power" system of 1000
miles in length, 100 miles longer than
he system praised by Mr.. Forbes, was
recently completed in the Northwest.
Starting at Billings, Montana, and ex-
tending to the Puget Sound and south
to Oregon, it includes thousand
miles of transmission cables, and
thousands Of miles of distribution
wires and serves the greater part or
he population in the territory through
which the lines pass.
This is a noteworthy development
lin the power history Of the North
west" says A. w. Leonard, of the
Puget Sound Power & Light Co. Now
a scarcity Of power in any part OF the
Northwest is virtually impossible"
The companies involved are the
Washington Water Power & Light Co.,
the Intermountain Power Co. and the
Montana Power Co.