To the Editor of the "NonrH-CHiNa Datiy New:
Sin—Your note concerning "Water Power" in "Notes and Comments" in last Thursday's issue is very misleading. The suggestion that "the idea of water power is overrated" is absurd. Italy, Swe-en, Norway, Finland and Switzerland have for instance already developed water power for industrial and other purposes to an extent which has appreciably affected the coal imports and at least two of them are able to export power generated from their water-falls. In coal-producing countries like France, Germany, U.S. A. and Japan poral del developments of water power resources on a great scale are taking. place.
Power supply, like any other article, is subject to economical laws. and has to face competition on the open market The source that produces the lowest rate per unit of power, ie, kilowatt-hour, is the cheapest in. the particular locality This may be coal, gas, oil waste, ete. or water-Hower addition to the unit cost of power the duration of the demand for power and the ratio of the average, amount of power to the maximum amount! of power during a certain period of time (load-factor)are points that. decide the economical superiority of the one or the other of the above sources for the production of power. Water power it is true, is ocean sionally subject to seasonal variations where storage facilities are inadequate or more or less lacking, and also may be subject to climatic conditions such as cold which, however, usually only affects the surface' water and very rarely stops the flow of the water in the channel. Tu such cases, however, it has ben adapted to industries with corresponding seasonal intensity and in these examples water power has) often proved by far the cheapest source of power.
Tt is of course true that in some instances -hydro-electric develop ments have failed. The reasons) be threefold river to be exploited. Such investigations should cover long periods in order to obtain a safe figure for the discharge of the river and for possible storage facilities.
(2). Inadequate information regarding soil and foundations for the structural work of dams, power-houses, etc. These items form a large part of the initial cost of the power plant and experience has given many good lessons in this. respect, (3). Misjudgment' of the capacity of the market for the consumption of power.
The reference 19 the Niagara Falls power plants seems a Tittle strange, Some of the plants there fare the most ideally situated water power plants in the world, being very concentrated and with short intake canals and discharge che nels. The initial cost per kilowatt of those plants, which have been working for several decades, must have been very low indeed.' That subsequently the Ontario Power Company in 1919 started their development on the Canadian Side with an intake canal several miles long and are now developing 500,- 000 H. P. speaks for itself.
That coal driven _power-blunts are used to supplement hydro-elec-trio plants is a very natural thing. and of economical advantage during. low water seasons and peak loads. As a matter of fact it proves the economical superiority of water power under normal conditions, otherwise coal would certainly have taken the place of water power entirely.
The reference to the Severn scheme is quite inappropriate. The Severn scheme is not a water power scheme in the ordinary sense of the words, It is a tidal power scheme and as such it is entirely speculative, Tt is quite natural that in countries where coal is cheap and at the same time physical con ure unfavourable to water power it is not worth while to develop the latter:
Coal is subject to the increasing cost, of labour and coal-mines will gradually be more and more difficult to work while a properly investigat. ed and well planned water power plant will supply its power independently of changes in labour conditions and especially so during strikes.
"White Coal" is being utilized more and more all over the world as can easily Ee proved by statist cal information. It is quite wrong to expect to get "something for nothing," and capital costs are certainly high for water power plants but the implication that water power is generally uneconomical verges on the ridiculous.
We are, ete,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.