We must now pass to the principles of organizing elec-
trical power which Mr. Baldwin laid down in his speech at Birmingham on Friday, January 15th. The whole scheme is a repudiation of nationalization. The aim is to get away from piecemeal and small methods in supply- ing electricity, to rely upon great generating stations, and at the same time to increase enormously the amount of electrical power used throughout the country and to cheapen its cost. There is to be a board of experts with a constitution like that of the Port of London Authority, -which will be the supreme authority. It will not be a Government Department, as Mr. Baldwin was careful to explain, but " a Board managed by practical men." The great generating stations will sell their power to local authorities. Most of the local generating stations will be turned into distributing centres for their districts. The Board will devote any profits to cheapening and im- proving the supply of power. An important point is that the Board will have compulsory powers. This is, of course, essential if there is to be standardization.
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