OCR Text |
Show WATER POWER IN NORTHERN ITALY. No other country of Europe ha, during the last few years made as much progress in the utilization of its water power og the northern part of Italy. There we find for the last five years a steady Increase by about 100,- 000-borsepower annually, bo that the whole water power mw used Is about six times that of 1904. The explanation explana-tion for this rush Is easily found In the natural conditions of the country. Coal Is so scarce in Italy that It fetches prices almost thrice as high us In Great Britain, On the other hand, the Btcep slopea of the Alps toward the south and the rapid current cur-rent of the northern tributaries of the Padua river offer the heat opportunities opportuni-ties ftr electrical utilization. The numerous lr.kes high up In the mountain" moun-tain" facilitated the regulation of their overflow, and tho narrow valleys invited in-vited tho construction of reservoirs almost al-most everywhere, Ab the plain Is full of Industrial cities, there existed the most favorable conditions for electric works. Foremost among the customers for electric light and power pow-er ttands tho city of Milan, in the vicinity of the Adda and its tributaries. tribu-taries. A very lucrative source of power is also the Tlclno. the waters of which are now laid under contribution contribu-tion The "Adamello Company" concentrates con-centrates Its efforts on tho Ogllo river, while the torrents of the Roja, in the Maritime Alps, offer fplendld Investments Invest-ments to the R. Negri company. Swiss capital is largely Interested in this Industry. The Electrobank of Zurich, the Swiss Association for Electric Enterprises at Basle and the well-known firm of Brown-Boveri were the forerunners. They went hand In hand with the A. E. G. and the Slemens-Schuckert Works of Berlin Ber-lin for supply1nK the required machinery, machin-ery, motors, dynamos, measuring apparatus ap-paratus and wires. Evidently bv these electric works a new development develop-ment has already been commenced for the Industrial "activity of Northern Italy. Other big towns In Central . and Southern Italy, and recently even Sicily, have learned a lesson from the Padus plan. Continental Correspondence. Correspond-ence. nn |