The Delta independent., 1925-03-27
Should The Development of
Nations Water Power Be By
Corporations Or Individuals?

In a carefully prepared paper,
Millard Fairlamb, at the last meeting
of the Round Table, gave his views
regarding Government ownership and
control of our public utilities. The
article has a number of statistics and
for the benefit of our readers, with
Mr.. Fairbanks permission, we are
publishing his paper herewith.
| A. ID. Fairbanks, Jr., took the other
view but space forbids publishing his
views. We hope to have his permiss-
ion to publish them in our next issue,
This subject is evidently intended
to bring out the respective advantag.
es of the development and operation
of hydro-electric plants by private
capital and public means. 1t is there
fore within the scope of this discus
sion for us to contrast both costs of
construction and operation and the
relative merits of service to the
public under private and public op-
Grafton of public utilities.
The Importance of this subject to
us who live in land of high gradi-
ents is apparent. Water power
which means hydro-electric power
is peculiarly the inheritance of lands
of high attitudes. 1t is not alone the
question of the quantity of water.
but the amount of fall which determ-
ines the existence of suitable sites
for locating hydro-electric power
plants. Our entire state, therefore, is
intensely interested in this subject
because wherever there is water in
this state, sufficient fall exists so
that if the power of the falling water
were harnessed, so much additional
energy would be subject to the do
minion of man. The mathematics Of
hydro-electric energy is very simple.
Theoretically each cubic foot of wat
er per second of time which falls
seven feet is capable of generating
one horse power of electrical energy.
We thus see that in our city water
plant in which something like a foot
and a half of water is dropped in ey-
| cess of forty two hundred feet from
the springs on Garnet Mesa which
furnishes our supply, to the pressure
basin on Orchard Mesa, that this
water power if harnessed, would
amount to 900 horse power, or six
times in excess of that consumed in
the city at the present time. It is
true that the water works system
would have to be worked over by
using pipe capable of withstanding
heavy pressures and the same water
would have to be picked up and used
many times in operating power
plants in order to develop theoretical
possibilities, but it is entirely within
the realm of possibility that such
may be done, and this hitherto un.
used source of wealth brought into
our midst in the course of time.
Between the City of Gunnison and
the East Portal of the Gunnison Tun.
mel there is a minimum of 1000 feet
of water per second of time falling
400 feet. If all of this available
water power were harnessed there
would be 100000 horse power de,
yeloped, or double that now used on
the American side Of Niagara Falls
You will notice that these figures
have in contemplation a series OF
dams and hydro-electric power
plants, and that such plants have
only contemplated the use of the
minimum flow Of the stream with
out developing further power by stor.
age. Electrical engineers figure that
each horse power when harnessed
has with the equipment for hydro
electrical development value OF
100000. This would make poten.
tial valuation of the power that may
be developed at all times by the use
of the water Of the Gunnison River
between the City Of Gunnison and the
East Portal of S2O,0OO,OOO.OO
Wherever we turn in Colorado we
see this same untapped and almost
untouched potential wealth which
tells us that some day this energy
will be utilized and vast manufactur,
ing enterprises developed by the use
Of the cheap and constant power OF
these rushing streams.
The negative side of this question
calls for the development Of this
potential wealth by our national gov.
ernment. Obviously If funds are to
be secured for this development work
they can only be secured from the
people. and that by the process of
taxation. Whether installation OF
such plants could be done as eco.
nomically by our government is a
question that would make most pru-
dent men feel somewhat in doubt,
but the funds to construct these pow
er plants could only come by being
taken from the people against their
will and by methods similar to those
in present vogue which to large
extent impede industry and discourage
thrift. Then, after being construct.