Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-04
Sell THE SURPLUS
SAYS PRES. WYMAN
WHAT WOULD mean
Especial to the Kennebec JournaD


Dover. Me-, June 3.-The meeting
of the Pomona Grange of Piscataquis
county at Wellington, today, was adj
dressed by President w. S. Wyman
of the Central Maine Power Co.
"There Is doubt in the air all over
Maine as to our industrial future"
he said in opening. Both labor and
capital seem to be pessimistic as to
the outlook. Tho they may not be
able to agree as to the causes or the
remedy, yet it is sure that the work.
ingman and employer alike feel the
uncertainty that hangs over them.
There are not enough steady jobs to
go around and apparently 1t is not
possible for the managers of our mills
to get the orders that form the al
basis of those jobs. Industries that
have prospered and grown for years,
never knowing what a shut down
meant, are on part time and the men
employed by them are suffering in
proportion. Talk with the manager
of any mill in Maine and the chances
are that you will find that he is
is going to be able to meet competi-
(iCti anu hCCP Ills tlliL
Now this condition Is not confin-
ed to Maine. 1t applies to a greater
or less extent to all the northeastern
part of the country. 1t means that
the newer south and southwest are
pressing us hard and that the whole
production business of the country is
undergoing great change. We here
in the northeast must find new ways
to meet that competition in order 10
maintain our Industrial standing.
Can we do it? That is question
no one man or concern is in a posi-
ton to answer. but from the stand
point of power company owning
large amounts of undeveloped water
power, we believe that a good deal
can be done to help both labor and
capital.
zone of the great changes that has
come TO industry in the last twenty
years has been the making use of
great quantities of electri city in cleo
trio furnaces and in the so-called
electro chemical works.
These industries require very
cheap power and at first were mostly
located around Niagara Falls. 1t
has been found. however, that there
are other places in the country where
ny HldhlIlS very idiS uSN6tOplIlSIlLS
power can be had almost as cheapiy
as at Magyar" 'o'ovided the power IS
all used, and the development of
these projects has greatly stimulated
industry in their neighborhood.
There are several opportunities In
Maine to create such big quantities
of cheap power. We own rights IN
the upper waters of the Kennebec,
where such a chance exists and it is
because of that ownership and be-
cause of our very great interest in
the future of Maine that we are aG..
vocating a change in the ,2w against
taking electricity out of the State.
Now we have been accused in this
matter of being moved by selfish in
terests contrary to the best good Of
the people. 1t Is hard for us to I'M
derstaId how anyone who thinks at
all about the matter can believe this
is SO. Central Maine Power Com
pany has more than S30.000,0OO in
vested in property in Maine. BY ar
the larger part Of that money Is in
vested in kind re property that will
be almost a total loss If the state
does not prosper. 1t is property that
will not be Of the slightest use for
taking power out of the state. 1t
ScbAoA5tS VI VI 1ul1CS Ol us
tributton lines running to the houses
and business places here in Maine,
of street lighting systems on our
town and city streets, of rights II
way ID Of thousand and one diff
ferent kinds Of things that would lie
hardly worth moving, or In many
cases could not be moved if they
should no longer be useful to furnish
light and power to the people Of
Maine. Can anyone be so stupid as
to really believe that we would advo-
cate course that would lessen, the
value of all these millions Of proper
ty? No, we believe absolutely that
If surplus power could be freely sold
outside the borders Of Maine, it
would result in great Industrial
step forward in more and better jobs
for labor and bigger opportunity for
capital.
In order to present the idea prac-
tically let us consider one site owned
by Central Maine Power Company
and located at Bingham on the Ken
nebec. Here 1t Is possible to build a
huge dam and develop something
ike 100000 horse power of really
cheap power. Power which will cost
only about third as much per
continuous horse power as the best
or our other developments. provided,
and this Is very important, that the
available power Is all used. Now
consider the benefits that we here in
Maine will get from building this
plant, which will be-
!. The spending of ten or fifteen
million dollars on the plant itself over
period of about three years, a large
part OF which will be spent for labor.
2. The making available of a hun
dred thousand horse pow r of cheap
power in shape so that 1t can be used
by any industry that Is able to use
1t. and remember that this Is power
so cheap that it can compete even
with Niagara Falls.
8. Taxes on this property to the
towns. county and state which must
run to several hundred thousand
dollars per year.
4. Employment Of labor by the
plant itself and what is much more
important by the industries that will
come mere In the future to use the
power and by industries that will
later come to use the products NJ
those industries as raw materials for
more finished "rticle.
Very cheap power in large uuanti-
ty Is the foundation stone OF MANY
modern industries and we have only
to look at a place like Niagara r.
City to get an idea of what might
come to us here If we encouraged ~
development.
Now, then, why not go ahead and
develop this power? What has ex-
porting power to do with it anyway?
wen, let's see. Suppose Central
Maine Power Company goes ahead
and spends $12.000,OOO developing this
Bingham power. In order to build II. y