Mechanical Power in Ontario Manufacturing Industries.
During the first decade of the century the use of electric motors by Ontario manufacturers increased enormously. In 1901, as the graph shows, 7.7% of the power used in manufacturing was provided by electric motors. Ten years later this proportion had grown to 21.1%. According to the Dominion census of 1911, the actual volume of horse power provided by each kind of mechanical power was as follows:
1901 1911
Steam engines 181,652 337,736
Water wheels 77,313 241,241
Electric motors 21,767 159,400
Other 3,443 17,997
Total 284,175 756,374
Gas and gasoline engines have been included in the "Other" category.
It should be emphasized that the campaign for state ownership took place just as manufacturers were coming to recognize the usefulness of electricity as a source of power. The arguments in favour of state ownership almost always supported the use of electric power in preference to steam or some other alternative.
