Evening star., 1938-01-09

1t possible for the average American worker
to earn nearly twice the weekly wages he
earned in 1914 while his average working
week has been reduced by about rs per cent
during the same period.
while mechanical power" said DR.. Pot
ter, has been instrumental in separating
the worker from his TOOLS 1t has definitely
created more callings and more employ
ment than it has eliminated The l8
major industries Of today, which employ
about Is per cent of those gainfully en-
ployed in this country, were absolutely un-
known in 1870. Science and engineering,
aided by mechanical power, have been re-
sponsible for the creation in the last 10
years, where nothing was before, Of such
giant new industries as those which man.
facture automobiles, radios, typewriters,
talking machines airplanes, electric re-
frigerators. air conditioning equipment and
telephones, as we'll as new utilities which
electric transportation and electric light
and power. These are creations, not mere
developments. These have not displaced
labor. During the past so years wage
earners in factories have increased more
than three times and wages have multiplied
more than IL times, while our population
has increased only two and half times
Perhaps the biggest of all users Of this
new slave power is in the field of trans
portation in which more than $4,000, ,o00,-
900 is invested. Some of the statistics pre-
sented before the American Association are
enlightening:
American railroads perform about two
thirds of the freight service, or haul about
$4,000 900, ,000-ton miles per year; the bal
ance of about 100000, 900, ,o0o-ton miles is
divided fairly evenly between highways,
waterways and pipe lines The bulk of our
passenger transportation is performed by
private automobiles.
The more than % million motor vehicles
in use in this country have an available
power of over one billion horsepower, If
the taxable horsepower is used in the cal
culations, and over two billion, If the
power actually available for work at the
engine shaft = taken into consideration.
These motor vehicles consume per year
more than 20 billion gallons of gasoline,
and their construction and use provide di-
rectly and indirectly employment for about
five million people.
The horsepower of all the $4,000 loco
motives, used for all services, is about 100
million. Electric locomotives represent
about per cent of those in use, and loco
motives using Diesel, or other internal
combustion engines, represent less than
one-half Of l per cent. The employees on
class l railroads of this country total
about one and one-quarter million. Di-
country give employment to at least
two and one-half million people.
American waterways and marine trans
portation require about 80 million horse
power and aeroplanes about five million
horsepower
About three e-quarters of one million rail-
way employees are engaged in handling
about 236 billion ton miles of freight per
year as compared with about two and one
half million truck drivers required to ham
die about IS billion ton miles per year.
Thus trucks provide Is times as much
employment per ton mile than do railroads.
Air traf1ic requires still more employees per
ton mile or passenger mile than other
forms of transportation.
Coal Is Primary Source.
The primary source of all this power
remains what it. was at the beginning of
the power age-coal. The United States
has buried in its mountains $500, 900 900
tons of coal, adequate for centuries to
come. It is found in mineable quantities
in 81 States. It is used to generate steam.
Steam is still the prime mover in stationary
power plants. Seventy per cent of the
power in central electric power plants and
about 80 per cent of the power in in
dustrial power plants is developed in steam
power plants.
The second most important source, Mr..
Potter stressed, is water power. It is
fortunate, however, that two-thirds Of the
practical water power developments in this
country are located west Of the Mississippi
in sections of the country where power re-
quirements are small. Also, he warned, the
~~~A "NSSA PO"CA 10 cu4d1 CO1updlCO WIFI
the power needs. And, by and large, water
power Is not cheap power. It costs more
than coal. 1t is more or less seasonal. It
Is expensive to transport.
Next in importance is the Diesel engine
Unlike coal, the supply Of oil is most as
suredly exhaustible. The same Is true of
gasoline which supplies the power for one
OF the most widespread uses the American
people make Of their new slaves running
automobiles and airplanes.
The electric power industry, which was
started in 1882, is next to the motor vehicle
in the amount Of power it makes available
tor use in this country. The installed
capacity of the American electric central
stations is in excess of $4,000, 900 kilowatts,
or over 46,50o,oo0 horsepower While this
is less than one-twenueth Of the power
available in the automobiles Of this country,
the actual energy used per year by the Gus
toners Of electric central stations Is slightly
in excess Of that actually developed by cur
$4,000, 900 motor vehicles, - the automobile
IL used at full power only . small amount
Of time during any one year.
D.