AN ALL-ELECTRIC CITY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2638, 27 September 1923, Page 4

AN ALL-ELECTRIC CITY.

(“Daily Mail's” New York Correspondent.)

Compared with England, the United States is almost a servantless country, but it is estimated that every American has at his beck and call the equivalent of forty horses in power supplied by steam, petrol, and electricity.

In producing this some 800,000,000 tons of coal are consumed yearly. The contribution of oil is probably greater. But in undeveloped water-power there are, according to the computations of engineers, more than eighty millions of horse-power going to waste every year.

The dream of the scientists is to harness this water to the industry of the country. They see the first, extensive realisation of this dream in the announcement made a few days ago, from the headquarters of the great electrical interests at Schenectady, that work is about to be started on the exploitation of the waters of the Columbia River in Ihe State of Washington. The scheme aims at the mobilisation of 800,000 h.p. in electricity. With this it is proposed to convert one hundred thousand acres of harsh and arid land into flourishing farms; to run dozens of immense industrial plants; and to establish a large and brand new city which shall be coalless and smokeless and spotlessly clean.

The site of this city of electricity is Priest Rapids. At this, the greatest water-power site in the United States west of Niagara, there is to be constructed first of all, at an estimated expenditure of £0,000,000, the greatest dam in the world, not excepting the Assuan dam across the Nile. The dam will be two miles long and ninety feet high. Simultaneously will be constructed the model electric city of the future, with houses for an initial population of 40,000 workers and factories without chimneys.

It, is estimated that the town will cost £2,500,000, the electrical power station £2,500,000, and the factories another £4,250,000. Two of the industrial works to lie thus established will be devoted to electro-chemical and electro-metal-lurgical processes the rights of which have been acquired from Europe. They will require 150,000 h.p. It is proposed also to manufacture steel, abrasives, ferro-alloys, woodpulp, paper, cement, glass and pottery, among other things. For industry, 400,000 h.p. will be utilised; for irrigation and farming enterprises in a now arid soil of incalculable fertility, 300.000 h.p. of secondary energy.