CONSERVATION OF NATURAL FUEL RESOURCES 13 



WATER POWERS OF THE WORLD 



The following Table is based on the area of the different 

 continents and on the assumption that the water power per 

 square mile is approximately 14 H.P. This value has been 

 found to be the average of a number of investigations in Euro- 

 pean countries. For Australia, however, this value is entirely 

 too high, and 3 H.P. per square mile has been assumed. 



TABLE I 

 WATER POWERS OP THE WORLD 



It is thus seen that the total water powers of the world rep- 

 resent about 700 million horse-power. This vast amount can, 

 however, not be economically developed at the present time, but 

 the tabulation merely shows the possibilities that may, in the 

 future, be derived from this natural source. 



CONSERVATION OF NATURAL FUEL RESOURCES 



One of the most important questions of the present time is the 

 one relating to the conservation of our natural fuel resources. 

 While in 1880 the yearly coal consumption in this country was. 

 only approximately 70 million tons, in 1913 it amounted to about 

 575 million tons, Fig. 5. The output of our oil fields has, during 

 the same time, also increased at the same astonishing rate, while 

 the growth of our population during this period was only about 

 85 per cent, or about one-seventh the rate at which the fuel 

 consumption increased. It is easily realized what a tremendous 

 drain this consumption has been on our natural fuel resources, 



