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Show THE NATION'S WATER POWER. If the government desires to conserve the water power of the country it has an ample field in the east to experiment on.' The Engineering Magazine givea aome figures in thia connection. The available avail-able water power in the rivers of the iJnited States amounts to more than 200,000,000 horsepower, of which about 6,000,000, or approximately 3 per cent, i.i thus far utilized. The damage by floods to railroads rail-roads during the past decade amounts to $80,000,-000 $80,000,-000 and the total damage to $700,000,000. .The waste caused by floods more than equals all the benefits thus far obtained. It is estimated that by investing $300,000,000 in water conservation our inland waterways would be so improved as to realize a saving in annual transportation cost of $250,000,000, annual flood destructions would be reduced by $100,000,000, and forest fire damages would be lessened by $25,000,-0 $25,000,-0 and that the value of the thereby created water wa-ter power resources would compensate for this investment in-vestment and for its continuance at the rate of $50,000,000 yearly. One feature of the losses is a great proportion of them are absolute, the same as by fire, for 600,b00,000 cubie yards of surface soil are annually washed away: Th'at problem'ia enough to tax all the resourcefulness of the government. i |