CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



route miles of distribution lines of rural electric cooperatives consti- 

 tute over 50 percent of the Nation's total. This covers a lot of 

 ground. But even so, the rural electric cooperatives, higher costs 

 and other roadblocks notwithstanding, are intently interested in 

 undergrounding distribution lines. A substantial number of bor- 

 rowers have done some underground construction although few have 

 installed any sizeable lengths of primary cable to date. An inquiry 

 among these borrowers shows that they expect to install increasing 

 amounts of underground line in the future. In a memorandum 

 dated April 23, 1965, Secretary Freeman issued a policy statement 

 on natural beauty of the countryside. In this he promises support 

 of the President's program on natural beauty and included the fol- 

 lowing statement : 



The Rural Electrification Administration will increase its emphasis 

 on development of rural utility installation methods to maintain and 

 enhance natural beauty. A continuing effort will be made to de- 

 velop ways for reducing costs of installing underground utility lines. 



J. STANFORD SMITH. By making the restoration and preservation 

 of the Nation's natural beauty a part of our national purpose, Presi- 

 dent Johnson has extended a significant and exciting challenge. 



It is a challenge that will find a warm response from the electrical 

 equipment manufacturers and the electric utilities of the Nation. 



Electricity is said to be the cleanest and most versatile form of 

 energy yet discovered. Its intensive application to one after another 

 aspect of life has transformed the horse-drawn, steam-driven, gas-lit 

 America of Edison's time into the archetype civilization of the 20th 

 century. 



It is no wonder then that Americans have developed an almost 

 insatiable appetite for more and more clean, safe electric power, and 

 that the Nation's utilities are spending more than $5 billion this year 

 just for the equipment to generate it, and deliver it to the consumer. 



As they have since the age of electricity first dawned, the utilities 

 will use the major portion of their investment dollars in 1965 and 

 beyond for the transmission equipment which carries bulk power the 

 long distances from generating station to community, and for the 

 distribution equipment which reduces voltages to usable levels as it 

 delivers current to our homes, business establishments and other 

 points of use. 



