Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-04-12
Power for America
By ReImon NORM

one winter afternoon q young
Kansas farmer summoned his
wife, Sprinted from the barn
and into the house.
From the living room win
dow the two could see some
men stringing a wire to q pole
in the yard and connecting 1t
with another line along the
high-crowned country road.
A moment later, Harold and
Verna Ottensmeier raced
through the house flicking
electric switches. First they
turned on the lights, Then the
electric range in the kitchen.
Next the radio.
They remember exactly
when this happened Feb
ruary 3, 1949 a Thursday
.. about 4 o'clock.
On that day, and for the
first time in his life, Harold
Ottensmeier knew what it
meant to have electricity. He
was 26 then. All his life his
home had used camp stoves
or woodworking ranges for
cooking, gasoline lamps for
lighting, wood or coal for
heating.
Now the push-buttons do 1t
all and more.
1T was just like coming out
of darkness into the daylight"
he says.
This was in America, little
more than four years ago, in
the center of a Nation that
prides itself on technical skills
and the highest standard Of
living in the world.
The Ottensmeier farm is
about 100 miles from Abilene,
Kan, where Dwight D. Eisen-
hover grew up, and less than
80 from Independence, Mo-,
Harry Truman'S home. Yet, it
is no rare or isolated case. The
power line that went down the
road that day brought cleo
tficity to other farmers in the
neighborhood for the first time.
And there were many more in
other States.
Great Change
The Department Of Agricul-
ture says that less than 20
years ago only one out of
about every nine farms was
receiving central station cleo
tricity. BY the end of World
War II, eight years ago. half
Of them were still without
power. Today, the figure for
; electrified farms is over IS
per cent for the country as
a whole. In IS States the de-
partment's figures show near
~ total coverage. Michigan
(98.9. Indiana (97.0, New
Hampshire (97.D and Iowa
Std were leading the list.
The great change was
brought about largely by Gre
ating farmer-owned cooper
atives. financed by the Fed
eral Government. This was a
dream of men like Senator
George Norris of Nebraska
and Clifford Pinchot Of Penn
sylvania more than 40 years
ago. But it was not until 1886
that the Rural Identification
Administration (REA) was es-
tabliShed.
Since that time, the Depart
ment says, nearly 4 million
more farms have been con-
nected to cooperative systems.
Farmers have received $2.7
billion to build transmission
networks or buy power from
private utilities and Federal
hydro-electric projects.
A cooperative usually has
80 years to repay a loan. plus
interest. AS Of last October,
the department reported. the
farmers were more than $50
million ahead Of schedule in
repaymentS.
Why REA Was Born
What brought about the
REA?
A transmission line can cost
from $500 to $4,000 a mile
to build. It is expensive to
maintain, especially in winter,
when storms tear at it and ice
lays a heavy hand on the
strands.
Consequently the lines grew
first in the towns and cities,
in thickly settled communities
where there were hundreds Of
customers to the mile.
To serve farmers scattered
over hundreds of square miles
was a problem in costs. AS w.
L. Porter. vice president of the
Kansas City Power Light Co..
put 1t today:
1.-THE companies would have
bankrupted themselves II they
had attempted to cover all
rural areas with distribution
lines"
So, in 1886, the REA was es-
tablished.
It loaned money to farmers
at low interest, gave them long
repayment periods. The CO.
operatives are exempt from
Federal income taxes but do
pay local taxes.
At the same time the Gov
eminent gave the co-operativeS
preference on electricity gen.
Grated at Federal dams.
The movement grew slowly
at first and then moved ahead
with gathering momentum. 1t
hit the farmS-and industry as
a whole-with terrific impact.
It has interesting social impli-
cations.
Giont in the Born
Here's what electricity means
to a farmer:
The house where Gensler