Maass Calls New England Short of Electrical Power

"New England is dangerously shot of power," Arthur A. Maass, assistant professor of Government, told the Conservation Society last night in Lowell Senior Common Room.

Utility companies greatly underestimate the power potential of New England, Maass said, because they do not think of developing an entire river at one time, but scatter their efforts over a large area. A utility survey gave New England streams a possible 450,000 kilowatt increase, but the Federal Power Commission estimates that 3,000,000 kilowatts can be added to the present total.

In defense of federal power projects, Maass argued that the government can afford to work on an entire river and provide for both flood control and hydro-electric power. Provide companies usually build dams for power, since flood control brings in no revenue.

Four of the most important conservation problems at present, according to Maass, are power control, soil improvement, the limitation of irrigation from Bureau of Reclamation projects to farms of 160 acres and less, and conflict between the bureau and the Army Engineers.

The Conservation Society, formed to inform students on problems in natural resources, elected Stanley N. Garfinkel '52 temporary president and Donald K. Kennedy '52 secretary.