The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-09-09
CONSERVATION
N EASURE
STUDIED
How Foreign Nations
Regulate Output
Is Explained

Striking at inefficiency and
waste in the production of these
utility essentials, reports indi-
Gated that some system of Govern
ment control such as is general in
Europe must be put in effect in
this country.
Meeting at the Department of
Commerce Auditorium, one group
of delegates took up the topic of
Conservation of Coal Resources
under the craftsmanship of George
H. Ashley, director of the Penn
sylvania Geological Survey.
Waste Is Enormous
The anthracite deposits in
Pennsylvania are already 30 per
cent exhausted, while the finest
seams of bituminous coal in the
Appalachians will be exhausted
in 80 to 100 years, according to
estimates made by various scien-
fists.
Already the most easily reached
coal has been skinned off, so it
is now more difficult to mine and
production costs are consequently
higher.
Inefficient production methods
in this country cause a waste
of 136,000,000 metric tons a year
in coal mining, experts have eSti-
mated. In the bituminous indus
try alone the waste is set at 10
per cent, meaning that almost
one ton out of five mined is
wasted.
This is explained as partly due
to the competition among some
5000 individual firms, many OF
them operating at excess capacity
cue to competition.
Oil Reserves Doubtful
At the section meeting on Con.
servation of Petroleum and Natu-
raj Gas" which was held in the
auditorium of the National Mu-
scum, John w. Finch, director of
the United States Bureau of
Mines, presided as chairman.
A report from the bureau point
ed out that while the proved oil
reserves are set at between II and
IS billion barrels, the exact
amount of oil cannot be estimated.
IT,, was warned that, while the
need of conservation is not quite
so urgent, the oil reserves will be
depleted in time unless waste is
checked.
The report pointed to the great
increase in the use of Oil, showing
that in the past 10 years the
amount Of gasoline produced by
the cracking" process has in
creased 203 per cent.
Under the present interpreted
ton of the law, only the States
have the power to regulate oil
production, and the answer to
this must be Federal regulation in
the interest of efficiency and eco
nomy, the report stated.
Municipal Ownership
Municipal ownership of public
utilities was advocated in the in
terest of consumer economy at a
third group meeting at which
John G.. Winant, of the Social Sc
curity Board presided.
Ezra F. Scattergood, director
of the municipal power plant OF
Los Angeles, pointed out that sur
veys have shown residential rates
from municipal plants are from
Is to % per cent lower than
from privately owned plants;
commercial rates from Is to Is
per cent lower; industrial rates
from Is to 26 per cent lower and
gas rates from 10 to IS per cent
lower.
Financial interests were as
sailed by Maurice Davidson, rep
resentative of Mayor LaGuardia,
of New York, and former COM
missioner of water, gas and cleo
tricity of that city, for failure
to protect the public"
Commissioner Davidson de-
clared that the interests have
taken control of the utilities,
floated securities for speculation,
and the consumers have paid the
increased rates. Public competi-
ton is the solution to bring
about fair and lower rates, he
declarde.
Controlled in Sweden
State ownership was also de-
Tended by Nils Main, of Sweden,
who declared that, while many of
the power plants in his country
are state-owned, fair return rate
has been set on private utilities,
while consumers are given a low
rate.
Viscount Falmouth. leader of
the British delegation to the con-
ference, declared that in England
the first thought of both public
and private utilities is a square
deal for the public.
While 80 per cent of all electric
plants in Italy are privately owned,
Marco Semenza, delegate from
that nation, pointed out that the
government has established regu-
lations which amount to state
control.
Foreign experts brought word
to the International Power Con-
ference here that everywhere,
more and more, government is
finding it necessary to take
hand in the management and con-
troll of public utilities. More than
a dozen papers, presented by rep
resentatives of as many countries,
revealed central governments have
found power production an indus
try which must be carefully regu-
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