350 LOUIS BELL 



ture of power and labor, in particular, highly skilled labor. 

 Besides these, there are also some industries in which the raw 

 material can be obtained locally. It is sometimes popularly 

 supposed that skilled labor is not easily obtained outside 

 of considerable cities. It is perfectly true that in certain 

 lines skillful workmen are now mostly to be found in large 

 industrial centers, but on the other hand, they are the easiest 

 class to get away from these centers when good employment 

 offers. It is the ordinary "lumper" who is most gregarious 

 and who is most unhappy when withdrawn from the asso- 

 ciations of the city. And in fact, in small places where the 

 workmen are stable and responsive members of the com- 

 munity the difficulties of the labor situation are at a minimum. 



To come to concrete figures, there are to-day many un- 

 utilized powers ranging from 200 to 500 horsepower that can 

 be acquired and developed, including electric transmission of 

 moderate length, for about $100 per horsepower delivered. 

 The}^ are cheap simply because they are on rather small 

 streams easily controlled in places where at present there is 

 a small demand for power. A factory wishing power can 

 thus obtain it, as the investment cost shows at a very moderate 

 rate, and in the majority of instances can get the few hours 

 of hydraulic storage necessary for utilizing enough of the 

 energy for lighting to offset no inconsiderable part of the ex- 

 penses. There are now not a few small industries clustered 

 about little water powers, but electric transmission has yet 

 to play its part in bringing isolated waterfalls into use where 

 there are existing facilities for transportation. It is almost 

 an untouched field, and one of great promise. 



As an extension of the same idea one should consider the 

 new phase of power transmission which unites into networks 

 the available powers of a considerable region. This is the 

 basic principle of some very considerable systems and applies 

 with equal force to smaller ones. Given three or four small 

 powers within a few miles of one another, and when united 

 they can not only furnish their aggregate power at one or 

 several points but are generally available for an amount con- 

 siderably greater than the sum of their nominal powers. It 

 often happens that one of the lot has available storage greater 



