ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE U. S. 



237 



increase of 50 per cent will actually take place under pres- 

 ent regulations as rapidly as the market permits is clearly 

 evident by the fact that no applicant can hold even a 

 preliminary permit without an investment in surveys and 

 plans and evidence of good faith, while for the final 

 permits, construction must be commenced within a given 

 time or the permit lapses. 



The report, while indicating a rapid concentration of 

 waterpowers in the hands of a few large companies, also 

 indicates some of the reasons for this concentration. 

 Fixed or permanent investment in waterpower is much 

 greater than for steam power, and in 1912, only 24 per 

 cent of the installation capacity was actually used or 

 marketed, due to the necessity of providing for "peak" 

 loads, maximum demands for service, and growth of 

 service. "'To secure advantages attendant upon diversity 

 of demand is one of the chief reasons for joining many 

 plants and many markets into one combined system." 

 Public service corporations in 191.5 owned 90 per cent 

 of primary power in the western States as against 50 

 per cent in 1912. In the country at large 35 corporations 

 control by direct ownership one-half the total public 

 service powers and 6 corporations own over one- fourth 

 of this total and in addition there is "a marked tendency 

 towards association or community of interests, particu- 

 larly between principal-holding companies that cannot 

 be viewed without concern." 



Perhaps the most significant fact brought out in this 

 report is that 120 public service corporations out of 1,500 

 claim to own or control 3,083,000 horsepower undevel- 

 oped. This equals 80 per cent of the total waterpower 

 developed and used in public service operations in the 

 entire country. No permit restrictions prevent the imme- 

 diate development of this unused zvaterpower which is 

 annually tvasted. Under government permits these water- 

 powers could not be held without development and use. 

 The report does not discuss waterpower legislation or 

 existing policy and regulations, but the facts set forth 

 cannot fail to remove many prejudices and enable Con- 

 gress to approach the subject on a clearer basis. 



NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 



TI I E National Conservation Congress has called a 

 conference for the mobilization of America's re- 

 sources for national defense to be held in Wash- 

 ington, D. C, May 2, 3 and 4. The conference is an- 

 nounced for the purpose of devising an answer to the 

 following question : 



"The world crisis has awakened the American people 

 to the imperative need of immediate steps toward greater 

 national strength and efficiency. The first step is the or- 

 ganization of the country's natural resources. Can the 

 magnificent resources of the United States men, indus- 

 try, power, and the riches of the earth be organized 

 into a single co-ordinate unit that will be the sure de- 

 fender of democracy in her hour of greatest peril and 

 her greatest support in time of peace?" 



The idea of the development of the country's re- 

 sources will loom large, so the call for the conference 

 states and it adds: "President Wilson has been advised" 

 of the plan and will be invited to speak on the subject. 

 Foremost government and state experts in every line of 

 industry and commerce are already at work with a view 

 to laying before the conference, immediately on its as- 

 sembling, the exact status of the country's resources and 

 plans for their development and use with the idea of pro- 

 moting the greatest possible national strength and ef- 

 ficiency. 



"To the conference have been invited the Governors 

 of the States, Senators and Representatives in Con- 

 gress, members of the Cabinet, the Justices of the Su- 

 preme Court of the United States, the heads of State and 

 government departments and bureaus, representatives of 

 the leading organizations of the United States and ex- 

 perts, leaders of commerce and industry, transportation 

 and labor, scientists, college presidents and noted men 

 generally, whose expert ability in special lines of the 

 country's resources is widely recognized. 



"At the conclusion of the conference, it is hoped there 

 will be ready to present to the President of the United 

 States and to be given out to the country a practical plan 

 for the mobilization of the country's resources for what- 

 ever purpose it may be desired. The conference will 

 awaken a greater interest in America's resources and will 

 instill a spirit of greater patriotism. 



"The conference will continue three days. The first 

 day will be devoted to topics tending to bring out the idea 

 of a patriotism for national development. On the second 

 day, will be taken up plans for the mobilization of the 

 country's resources. Accurate data on the mobilization 

 of resources from authoritative sources of the states and 

 of the government and from outside experts will be 

 presented and given to the public for the first time. On 

 the third day, the conservation of human efficiency will 

 be considered. Besides addresses by the leading men of 

 state and nation, there will be reports from every sec- 

 tion of the country relating to every phase of the national 

 resources. A special feature will be addresses by promi- 

 nent representatives of foreign countries, now naturalized 

 Americans. 



"At the evening sessions and other times, there will be 

 illustrated lectures with thousands of feet of moving pic- 

 ture films, showing the development of the nation and 

 also the possibility of its further development." 



NORWEGIAN FORESTERS COMING 



A DELEGATION of forestry experts from Norway 

 is to spend six or eight months on the western 

 coast of Canada and the United States this spring, 

 obtaining information as to the various kinds of timber 

 and pulp wood tree species growing on that part of this 

 continent which are likely to prove suitable for plantation 

 in western Norway. Western Norway is but sparsely 

 forest covered and it is intended to replant it. 



