HIGHWAYS AND HYDROELECTRICITY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 264, 4 August 1919, Page 6

HIGHWAYS AND HYDROELECTRICITY

MR. 'W. S. MORTON IN U.S.A. From New York the City Engineer (Mr. W. 11. Morton) has written to tho Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) stating that he had done a lot of travelling and had seen mauy wonderful things. He had just been to Niagara, and the mast wonderful tiling there was the vastness of the scale on which they utilised the water power. In tho utilisation of the Water power Canada seemed to have done much better than U.S.A., as tlio former appeared to have, most of the power at their disposal. Tho city of Chicago had, however, been draining a large amount of water from tho lake, and they diverted it into a canal which connected Lake Michigan with tho Illinois River. Tho water was being used .for diluting the sewage of Chicago, which is ultimately (by way ot the canal and the Illinois Eivcr)' 'discharged into the Mississippi Eiver. The inference in the letter is that "tho action of Chicago in operating so heavily on Lake Michigan had reduced the body of water at Niagara. Mr. Morton v rites that tho asphalt streets and highways were very fine, and have gvcatly encouraged tho use of automobiles. There was one car to every twelve porcons in the cities, and owners were charged an annual licenso fee of from 2s. (id. to 3s. per nominal horse-power (the charge varying slightly in the different States), ami such money was utilised for the upkeep of tho roads.' The cost of laying down thoso asphalt roads was borne by the owner whoso properly abutted on to it, and they wero even taxed to pay for tho maintenance of the samo. Mr. Morton was greatly impressed with the American power-houses, but had found nearly every city dependent on a hydroelectric scheme, with the possibilities of which lie was now much more impressed than ho had over been before.