THOMAS ROOKE, eX XCIX.. 
have been equivalent to about 5% on the £84 per kilowatt 
expended on utilization of water power, and in addition to 
this there are the extra costs of maintaining the trans- 
mission line and the loss of power in transmission. In this 
particular instance it is not easy to see that any great. 
advantage has been derived from the use of water power. . 
The load factor is low, for each kilowatt of machinery: 
might have generated say 7,000 units instead of 1,600 units 
in which case the water power would have had an advan- 
tage over steam power, but up to the present it has not 
been possible to obtain this load factor owing to the nature 
of the demand. 
California possesses not only splendid water powers but 
possibly also the finest liquid fuel of the world, the dis- 
covery of whichisrecent. InSan Francisco at the present 
moment, there are in operation not only the transmission 
companies but also the Edison company using liquid fuel 
to operate steam plant. Up to the present time the water 
power plant has not killed the steam plant, nor is there 
any apparent likelihood of its doing so. 
Some interesting figures on the comparative costs of 
electricity produced under different conditions have been 
collected by Mr. J. B. C. Kershaw, and it may not be out 
of place to quote some of them here. Taking the best 
results obtained by means of water power, gas and steam, 
he arrives at the following figures, representing the cost 
per electrical horse power per annum. 
Source of Power. Lowest Estimated Cost. Country. 
ss 
Water oS Canada. 
Steam 418 8 Hngland. 
Gas (blast furnace) Ad 5G Germany. 
Gas (producer) a0) 0 England. 
: Lowest Actual Cost. 
Water fg 70 Switzerland. 
Steam Ali oT U.S.A. 
