Evening star., 1924-09-01
SUPERP0WER LINES
GAIN IN NEBRASKA
Dozens of Towns Abandon
Own Plants to Tap In on
High-voltage Wires.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
LINCOLN, Neb., September I've
braska is being gridironed py tht
transmission lines of power conpa-
nies, all of them hooked up with one
another, and AS result, doZens VI
the smaller towns are abandoning
their locally-owned and municipal
plants and buying power from the
large companies. In some cases the
latter are supplying all equipment,
but in most instances the towns are
using their old distribution systems
They can all buy current cheapeer
than they can make 1t.
Fear Of this resulting in monop-
oily that will later seek to enforce
higher price schedules has resulted
in a movement among public owner
ship advocates for law that VIII
enable three or more municipalities
joining in a group development. AT
present the towns are restricted to
supplying those within its own bor
ders. Gov. Bryan is leading this
movement.
Still Rely on Steam.
Water power development in the
state is declared too costly and haZ-
ardous by the engineers. and while
nearly all of the companies have
water power development dams, they
are relying upon steam operated sta
tions to manufacture the greater part
of the current. Only about per
cent of the current now sold is de-
veloping by water plants.
OF the 277 water powers developed
in the state but so of them are
operated. The sand in the streams
and other physical deficiencies made
most of them Improbable or imprac-
III R~ fc - q 10
and the topography of the country is
against any hope of large develop
ment, engineers say.
Superpower has come to Nebraska.
This means the interconnection of
existing electrical producing plants.
and means with respect to power just
what it does with regard to trans
portation. Complete inter-connection
would mean the free flow of electri-
cal energy over all the lines of inter-
connected companies as railway ira
fic goes from one end of a state or
the country to another over many
different lines.
The four large companies. operated
by as many groups of Eastern capi-
talists, the Central Power, with head
quarters at Grand Island: the Ne
braska Gas and Electric. with head
quarters at Lincoln: the Nebraska
POWER Company, Omaha, and the
Western Public Service Company,
Holdredge. These all send current
from one end Of each others system
to the other, hundreds of miles, when
there is a shortage or breakdown.
Hits Isolated Plants.
The whole proposition is narrowing
down to the most economical produc-
ton, and this has been found in the
building of large generating stations
and the sending of current over hun
dreds of miles of wires without any
appreciable loss of energy. The
isolated plant is believed to be
doomed. because it cannot compete
with the low cost central stations of
many units.
The farmers are rapidly becoming
users of electricity. Many farm
homes along the line leads tap the
wires at convenient point, and use
the current for lighting their houses,
barns and outbuildings and running
machinery. In several counties farm
ers have formed electrical districts,
bonding their farms to build a dis
tribution system and taxing them
selves for maintenance. The current
is bought from some central station
plant.