power: its significance and needs. 23 
the welfare of the Nation, as treated in some length under “ The na- 
tionalization of industrial opportunity. 1 
Table 2. — Distribution of water power m sections lacking in coal. 
[Figures approximate and given in round numbers.] 
Potential water 
power (percent- 
age of total in 
United States). 
Unmined coal (percentage 
of total reserve). 
Unmined oil 
(percentage 
of total 
reserve). 
New England States (Maine, Vermont, 
fa New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode 
'Island, Connecticut). 
South Atlantic States (Delaware, Mary- 
land, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, 
Florida). 
Southwestern States (Arizona, New 
Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, 
Louisiana). 
Pacific States (California, Oregon, Wash- 
ington). 
All other States 
3 per cent 
None 
None. 
6 per cent 
1 per cent (practically all 
in Virginia and Mary- 
land). 
4 per cent (mostly in Okla- 
homa and Texas). 
2 per cent (mostly in Wash- 
ington). 
93 per cent . 
None. 
6 per cent 
52 per cent .a 
31 per cent. 
17 per cent. 
43 per cent 
42 per cent 
a Includes Kansas. 
But in spite of the advantages of size and Avide distribution en- 
joj^ed 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. 2 The 
Avater 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. 3 (See fig. 2.) 
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 prUate 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 pp. 38-42. 
2 The term carbo electricity is self-explanatory ; it is used to cover electricity generated 
from the carbon 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. 
