The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1940-08-01
SAYS REA POWER
LINES OF BENEFIT
TO INDUSTRIES

CONSTRUCTION OF rural power
lines by the Rural Electrified
ton administration contributes
"the final. and perhaps the
most important, requirement OF
an industry" which wishes tc
locate in ~non-urban regions
where electricity has not pre-
xfously been available, accord
ing to an article in the July
issue of the Rural Electrified
ton News, issued recently.
Decentralization of industry
has long been advocated for
the benefits to employers and
employees in moving factories
from crowded cities to rural
Places" the article declares.
"Economists assert that decen-
t~ralization would mean 4 bet
ter balanced national economy.
And today, decentralization of
vital industries is viewed by
many as essential to our ma
tional defense
A recent survey OF REA-fi-
nanced systems revealed that
three-fourths of the reporting
systems listed one or more
"large-power" users - $500
separate establishments-many
of them having great present
Or potential value to national
defense. These consumers, which
REA has classified into lis cat
egorieS, use more than 20 per-
cent of the power distributed
over these systems.
REA-financed electric lines
serve the following types of in
dustry: chemicals, munitions,
stone, clay, and glass products,
textiles and textile products,
mineral products, and numer-
'ous others.
Many additional establish
mentS on these -REA-finauced
lines serve farmers. These in
ciude hatcheries, machine shops,
feed mills, cold storage, and
locker plants, etc.
"These new establishments
perform services for the farm
qer, for which he pays" states
the article. Before they were
set up, the farmer had to go
outside his own community for
these services. and that meant
part of his income was being
spent elsewhere. The new eStab-
1ishments help keep dollars. at
home.
"The many and diverse pro-
cessing plants which have been
set up since electric power lines
were run have also benefited
the eommunity's economic life.
When fruits, vegetables and
other products are washed, gra-
,ded, elevated, and ginned,
packed, etc., in some place 9TH
er than the community in which
they were produced, this COM
smunity receives a lesser part
OF the selling price. Today there
Is q tendency to take large pro-
cessing plants in cities, break
them UP into smaller units, and
move them closer to the source
OF production - availability OF
electric power being an essen
tial condition"
Still other industries, accord
ing to the article, are being at.
tracted to rural areas, although
they do not serve farmers di-
rectly. nor utilize any local pro-
duct or resource. They are at
tracted there solely because OF
the advantages of location.
--lsI~ -~~n1rInc.
ut is not yet possible to pre-
dict the long-range results OF
these trends. One effect will
doubtless be an increase in the
number of part-time farmers:
This will be further encouraged
by the fact that introduction
of electricity to the farm makes
farm work lighter, and mater
tally reduces the time taken by
farming. Many a factory work
er will have time to cultivate
truck crops or raise poultry in
his off hours. and many far
mers will find themselves able
to work in the nearby plant
during a part of the year.
'One Cnmg is certain: Deceu-
tralization is one step toward a
better economic balance be-
tween urban and rural areas.
New service industries keep a
greater part of the farmers dol
lar at home. Processing plants
increase the community's share
in selling price of its output.
Other industries bring an alto
gether new source of income to
the farm town.
Decentralization car offer
much to our national defense
through dispersion of vital in
dustries. Economically and stra-
logically, it will help build a
stronger nation"
This issue of the Rural Elec-
trification News also includes an
article on Bonneville Dam, by
Gustav H. Beiesner, agricultural
engineer for the Bonneville
Power administration; "Elec-
tricity's Part in Americas First
Industry" bv Exine Davenport
OF the Colorado Agricultural
extension service, and other
news and feature items.