Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-01-31

Maine and the whole nation owe
more in this sphere of activity than
Coffin and Trip, and fortunate in
deed it is that no embargo could be
placed on their genius by the coun-
ties of Somerset and York.
In developed water power. as I
said in an earlier letter, Maine now
stands fourth among the states, but
l fear she is dropping behind. 1t is
true that Names average wage
Garner has back OF him far more
mechanical help than the wage
Garner in any other industrial state,
fact explained by the predominance
of paper and pulp mills, with their
relatively larger consumption OF
power. The establishment Of other
industries. the improvement OF trans
portation, and the increase In at
tractiveness of rural life are all
things to be desired in Maine, and
take 1t these are the ends sought by
those who advocate holding on TO
Maine rivers for Maine use. The real
question is how to bring about these
results most certainly and most
quickly.
In the industrial contest Maine has
none too many advantages: we are
iNl 1Ioth ihdEhCk ditu ali lto
handicap our products, though our
excellent harbors give us an advan-
tage for shipments by water; we
have little raw material except for
est products on which to base manu-
featuring industry. and our textile
mills ship in about the same tonnage
of raw materials that they ship out
of finished goods. Only in the re-
sources Of labor and power can
Maine be said to compete on equal
terms with the rest of the country.
Generally. I believe. the supply of
skilled labor in Maine is far above
the average and the supply OF I'M
skilled labor Is adequate. The po-
tential water power Is also ade-
quate far beyond any present de-
mand, yet it can not be made avail
able except by a large expenditure
of capital. The industries of Maine
must have an abundance Of the
cheapest power possible to keep the
State in the running. While the
average power equipment OF labor
in the United States is about IA
horsepower for industrial wage
Garner, in Maine it is over horse
power, and il we wish we'll paid
labor and cheap product we must
keep up and even increase that ratio.
So the real question comes down to
this: How can we induce capital to
harness these idle rivers?
/ believe that capital will invest
in any large project for the use Of
Maine power only as an immediate
market can be seen for the output.
Such a market can not be assured
unless the Maine system of power
distribution is made a part OF
broader system in which large
steam plants are interconnected with
large water power plants, serving
many diversified communities and
interests over a wide territory. Such
a system is doubly economical be-
cause it means saving in generation
of energy and saving In consumption
of energy. But the citizen living in
a town on the banks of the Penob-
scot, the kennebec, or the Andros-
coGgin needs to remember the fact
that for electric current at the same
price the energy will preferably be
sold and used near the place OF its
generation. simply because more
distant market is handicapped by the
cost OF transmission and the actual
loss of power incident to long-dis-
tance transmission. II costs to ship
electricity away from home just as
it costs TO ship hay or numbering
home buyer will always be preferred
to the full extent OF his needs. NO
Maine statute is needed to make
seller OF anything obey that economic
law.
One phase of electric progress in
this country that is beginning to at
tract attention Is the decentralizing
influence OF the superpower plan OF
wide distribution. The invention OF
the steam engine brought men to-
gether in big towns under the fac
tory system. With power lines form
ing a network over the country, the
small shop out in a hill village,
where every man can own his home,
can be supplied with power as cheap
ly as the big factory in a crowded
valley. surrounded by tenement
houses. IN our grandfathers' time
there were cooper shops on many
farms: today. with motor driven
woodworking machinery. neighbour
hood shops would again seem an
economic posi- flity.
And consider the advantage of
abundant power in rural Maine. The
coming Of the electric hired man" to
Maine is something TO be desired,
yet the application of electricity to
the farm progresses too slowly to
warrant the building of great dams
and generating stations; no power
company could afford to invest mill