POWER. 



119 



upon the welfare of the Nation, as treated in some length under 

 " Nationalization of industrial opportunity." ^ 



Table shoioing distribution of voter power in sections lacking in coal. 

 [Figures approximate and given in round numbers.] 



New England States (Maine, Vermont, 

 New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode 

 Island, Conneetirut). 



South Atlantic States (Delaware, Mary- 

 land, Virginia, South Carolina, Oeorgia, 

 Florida). 



Southwestern States (Arizona, New 

 Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, 

 Louisiana). 



PaciHc States (California, Oregon, Wash- 

 ington). 



All other States 



Potential water 

 power (percent- 

 age of total in 

 United States). 



Unmined coal (percentage 

 of total reserve). 



Unmined oil 



(percentage 



of total 



reserve). 



3 percent. 

 6 per cent . 

 6 percent. 



43 percent. 

 42 per cent . 



None 



1 per cent (practically all 

 in Virginia and Mary- 

 land). 



^percent (mostly in Okla- 

 homa and Texas). 



2 per cent (mostly in Wash- 

 ington). 



93 per cent 



None. 



None. 



52 per cent.o 



31 per cent. 

 17 per cent. 



o Includes Kansas. 



But in spite of the advantages of size and Avide distribution en- 

 joyed by water power, this resource has not been able thus far to 

 enter into serious competition with coal. Only some 10 per cent of 

 the total expansion in power consumption in recent years has been 

 in the direction of water power. The present production of hydro- 

 electricity in the United States represents roughly the equivalent of 

 40,000.000 tons of coal, whereas nearly 400,000,000 tons of coal goes 

 into the production of steam power and carboelectric power.^ The 

 water power developed to date is around 10 per cent of that readily 

 available; scarcely 3 per cent of the total open to development under 

 elaborate arrangements for storage.^ (See fig. 15.) 



The favorite explanation for this laggard growth on the side of 

 water power ascribes the whole trouble, either directly or inferen- 

 tially, to the handicaps imposed upon private initiative by the in- 

 adequacies of Federal legislation. The facts do not bear out such 

 conclusion further than to accredit this factor with contributive im- 

 portance. Federal permits are requisite to the development of 75 

 to 80 per cent of the potential water power of the country, the bal- 

 ance being accessible so far as Federal permits go. About 4 per 

 cent of the restricted portion and about 25 per cent of the part out- 

 side Federal surveillance have been actually put to work. The dis- 

 crepancy of 21 per cent between the two is impressive, but even 

 granted that this is attributable wholly to Federal interference, 



1 See pages 1.34-138. 



^ The term carhoelectricitp is self-explanatory ; it is used to cover electricity grneratcd 

 from the carhon fuels, such as coal. It stands in contrast to hydroelectricity, electricity 

 generated from water power. 



3 Estimates of this kind are provisional only, for the amounts of the " readily avail- 

 able " and " total " are not accurately known nor definite. 



