drocarbons for munition and
other purposes.

=(F) Substitutes for coal as a source of power.= Some of the more
prominent measures along this line which have been discussed are:

1. Larger use of water power. This has sometimes been popularly assumed
to be, at least potentially, a complete solution of the problem; but
nevertheless it has its distinct limitations.

Water power has the advantages that its sources are not exhausted by
use, and that the relatively greater initial cost of a hydro-electric
plant is frequently more than compensated for by the saving in man power
required and by the lower operating expense. However, the total amount
of water power which can be developed on a commercial basis is rather
closely limited, and much of the available power is so distributed
geographically that it cannot be economically supplied to the industries
which need it. Of the total water-power resources of the United States
which have been estimated by the Geological Survey to be available for
ultimate development, over 70 per cent is west of the Mississippi,--whereas
over 70 per cent of the horse-power now installed in prime movers is east
of the Mississippi. Electric power cannot at present be economically
transmitted more than a few hundred miles. Furthermore, for many uses of
coal, as in metallurgical and chemical processes which require the heat
or reducing action of burning coal, and in its use as fuel for ships,
hydro-electric power cannot be substituted. It seems clear that while
the use of water power will increase, particularly as rising prices of
coal make possible the development of new sites, it can never take the
place of the mineral fuels in any large proportion.

For the immediate future, measures which have been suggested to extend
the use of water power include: the more complete utilization of water
powers already in use through more efficient machinery and methods; a
certain degree of redistribution of industries, so that those requiring
large amounts of power may be located in areas where water power is
cheap and abundant; and the interconnection of hydro-electric plants so
that their full capacity may be used. Some water powers which have been
developed are not being fully utilized because the plants are not
connected with distribution systems large enough to use all the power.
During the war the United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with
the Fuel Administration and the War Industries Board, c