﻿1890-1900 
  

   per 
  cent 
  

  

  1880-1890 
  

   per 
  cent 
  

  

  1870-1880 
  

   per 
  cent 
  

  

  10.5 
  

  

  5.6 
  

  

  12.5 
  

  

  17.6 
  

  

  15.5 
  

  

  30.7 
  

  

  6.5 
  

  

  22.6 
  

  

  20.3 
  

  

  57.6 
  

  

  6.6 
  

  

  5.3 
  

  

  528 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Percentage 
  increase 
  of 
  water 
  power. 
  The 
  following 
  tabulation 
  

   shows 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  increase 
  of 
  water 
  power 
  : 
  

  

  Connecticut 
  . 
  . 
  

   Massachusetts 
  

   Rhode 
  Island.. 
  

   New 
  York.. 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  tabulations 
  show 
  that 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  States 
  enumerated 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  great 
  development 
  of 
  steam 
  power 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  thirty 
  

   years, 
  but 
  that 
  in 
  Connecticut, 
  Massachusetts 
  and 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  relatively 
  less 
  development 
  of 
  water 
  power 
  than 
  

   of 
  steam 
  power. 
  In 
  New 
  York 
  iState 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  water 
  

   power 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  ten 
  years 
  is 
  relatively 
  double 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  steam 
  power. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  statistics, 
  it 
  is 
  important 
  to 
  draw 
  the 
  right 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  — 
  an 
  error 
  perpetuated, 
  may 
  falsify 
  history 
  and 
  lead 
  to 
  

   the 
  adoption 
  of 
  erroneous 
  policies. 
  Let 
  us 
  examine, 
  therefore, 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  real 
  significance 
  of 
  these 
  statistics. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  they 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  twenty 
  to 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago, 
  in 
  Connecticut, 
  Massa- 
  

   chusetts 
  and 
  Rhode 
  Island, 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  available 
  water 
  power 
  

   had 
  been 
  developed, 
  but 
  that 
  manufacturing 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  had 
  not 
  

   by 
  any 
  means 
  reached 
  a 
  maximum. 
  Wlien 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  his- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  these 
  States 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  every 
  stream 
  has 
  a 
  reservoir 
  upon 
  

   it 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  power 
  has 
  been 
  developed 
  to 
  its 
  full 
  capacity. 
  

   The 
  developments 
  in 
  these 
  States 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  ten 
  to 
  twenty 
  years 
  

   have 
  mostly 
  been 
  those 
  that 
  were 
  not 
  developed 
  earlier 
  because 
  

   of 
  greater 
  cost. 
  Probably 
  some 
  developments 
  were 
  overlooked, 
  

   but 
  still 
  the 
  general 
  proposition 
  is 
  true, 
  that 
  in 
  any 
  manufacturing 
  

   community 
  expensive 
  developments 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  entered 
  upon 
  until 
  

   after 
  the 
  cheaper 
  ones 
  are 
  fully 
  utilized. 
  

  

  Comparison 
  of 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  water 
  power 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  

   with 
  the 
  development 
  in 
  Neiv 
  England. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  custom 
  to 
  

   consider 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  as 
  first 
  in 
  rank 
  of 
  population, 
  manufac- 
  

   tures, 
  development 
  of 
  water 
  power, 
  etc. 
  The 
  writer, 
  however, 
  con- 
  

   siders 
  that 
  Connecticut, 
  Massachusetts 
  and 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  all 
  out- 
  

   rank 
  New 
  Y 
  r 
  ork 
  State 
  in 
  these 
  particulars. 
  It 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  

   understood 
  that 
  a 
  comparison 
  without 
  regard 
  to 
  area 
  is 
  not 
  legiti- 
  

  

  