HYDRO ELECTRIC INSTALLATIONS LXI. 
It is certainly a neat idea that the same water which 
irrigates the land should also be used for making artificial 
nitrate manures, and who knows but what this may be 
realised first in Australia. Huge plants are being put down 
in Kurope for the manufacture of these artificial manures, 
and the President of the Acetylene Association stated in 
February 1907, that over one million sterling was at that 
time being invested in equipping water powers and factories 
for the manufacture of cyanamide. 
Carbide of Calcium.—A promising scheme was got out 
some time ago for a carbide of calcium factory at Cairns, 
the current to be supplied from Barron Falls, and such 
factory is quite justified, because the present Australasian 
consumption is well over 5,000 tons per annum and increas- 
ing rapidly every year. In areport which the writer pre- 
pared in connection with this matter he showed that about 
one and a third tons of carbide could be produced from one 
horse power year, so that the 5,000 electrical horsepower 
which the Queensland Government contracted to supply, 
would produce about 6,000 tons, at a cost under £8 a ton. | 
The selling price is more than double that figure. 
Cost of Current.—Power was to be generated at 12,000 
volts and delivered at Cairns 12 miles away, for £2 15s. 
per EHP year. At 300 days and 24 hours a day, this works 
out at about $d. per B.O.T. unit, whereas the lowest price 
charged by the Sydney City Council is one penny. Of course 
a lighting or power load having a load factor of 257 is very 
different from an electric metallurgical plant running right 
through the 24 hours and giving a load factor of nearly 100%. 
At Niagara the charge per E.H.P. year is £3 19s, and at 
Lachine Rapids, Canada, £311s.9d. At Meran in Austria 
and at Sarpsfos in Norway it is £2 7s. 6d., but there are 
still cheaper rates at some of the Scandinavian water 
powers. Asan example of what can be done from a fuel 
