Evening star., 1925-04-29

current. 1t is then sent down about
500 feet to a second station. where it
yields 900 additional horsepower. A
third plant is now planned. some dis
tance below, that will produce 500
more horsepower, making 5000 in all
from this one reservoir.
Becomes Aid in Cane Fields.
When it has yielded it's final unit
Of possible electric energy, the water
is turned into canals, and, with care
tul daily measurements, distributed
through the cane fields. Not a drop
reaches the sea save through evap-
Grafton and rainfall.
But this is not the whole story of
the water fmpounded by the CARTE
dam. About Une.ffth of the electric
current produced by the CARTE de-
velopment is used for municipal light
ing, nine towns getting the current
for this purpose. Four-f1fths of the
current goes to industrial uses, chiefly
to the operation of irrigation pumps.
Wells are driven into the subsoil
in the cane fields and the water that
has been spread over the fields and
has seeped to the lower soil strata is
brought back to the surface and used
over again for irrigation. Thus the
mountain streams impounded by the
CARTE dam, first worked for the pro-
duction of electricity, are spread over
the cane fields and then are recovered
by means of the current they have al
ready created and are used over
again. This is an instance of the
triple expansion" hydraulics now in
creasing the fertility of the Porto
Rican soil.
The exports of sugar from Porto
Rico during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1924, were valued at S47,-
792.602 1t would be difficult to figure
Just how much of this enormous yield
was due to irrigation. Perhaps 1t was
half, which is a fair estimate, or put
it at quarter, which is more con-
servative. That is $12, 1000, 900. The
present irrigation plants in Porto
Rico have cost at the highest compu-
tation no more than that, and are
working season after season and will
continue to work for countless seasons
to come.
Yielding Inexhaustible Wealth.
The golden streams OF Porto Rico
are yielding inexhaustible wealth.
While some of these irrigation and
power projects are undertaken wholly
by the inSugar government, as that
now under way in the Isabella devel-
opment, in the northwestern corner
of the island, mainly they are of a
virtually cooperative character, with
the insular government as executor.
Demand is made for an irrigation
project in a certain section. The San
Juan authorities examine the ground,
compute the number of acres that re-
quire irrigation and the cost of the
work. 1t then submits the question
of construction to a vote of the peo-
pie and the interests involved. If
approved by two-thirds of the voters
OF the district and also by the owners
of two-thirds of the property affected,
the work is undertaken, being paid
for by a bond issue. The charges for
power and water are regulated by the
amount of the loan and special taxes
are imposed upon the entire district
| in proportion to the expenditure.
| Thus a sinking fund is established,
and the debt is reduced annually, the
| annual charges are thus lowered, un-
| til the entire obligation is liquidated.
Behind the desk of Commissioner
| Esteves in his office in San Juan
stretches a great blackboard on which