Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-10-26

heWanee Electric Light and Power
company.
that electric advertising does not sup
plant the newspaper but tends to in
crease the use of newspaper space
Tendency in Rates
THE relations between a central
station company and the public are not
so harmonious as between an ordinary
retail store and the public" Mr. Malt
man said. "Of course, there are nu-
merous reasons for this. A principal
one is that the public does not under
stand the central station company as
well as they do retail store. Do you
not think that if they could understand
the rates of a central station company
as we'll as those of a retail store it
would be conducive to a better feeling?
Do you not think that if the company
/ has a complicated system of rates
which layman could not understand
without great effort, it is conducive to
distrust? My plea is for simplicity in
rates. In the first place, l claim that
we cannot get down to the exact cost
! Of service to each consumer. We can
not ever approximate it. The diversity
| factor plays too important part. Sup
/ pose we. however, adopted some such
| elaborate rate based on cost of Serv-
/ ice plus cost of energy, would it be
/ the best policy? I am not holding for
one minute that it would not be equita-
/ BILE and just, but would the public be
: - i
we develop our business as we'll in that
| way? What effect would it have on
| the consumer? In the first place, he
would see that he could not make a
/ proportiOnate saving by cutting down
I the use of electricity. If a house were
wired for electricity and piped for gas,
a man would have TO pay say 81 for
electric service plus a small rate for
energy. Are there not a large num-
Der of prospects in your city who
would have only the gas connected?
Would it not be almost impossible to
get d f1atiron or sewing machine mo-
tor in the house? I have used these
appliances as an entering wedge to
get the current into the house. 1 know
that if the current is on, the consumer
will use it for other purposes-the en-
tering wedge opening up the field.
Your highly technical rate would kill
this opportunity. There is no business
know of that would try to use such a
system of rates, and if there were, it
would go out of business in short or
der"
Advocates Shows in Cities.
Mr.. Johnson believed in the idea of
having electric shows in the SNEAKER
cities. He said: ct is our opinion
that such an exhibition will be a prof
liable investment in almost any town
OF several thousand inhabitants or
more, and that the returns will exceed
those obtained from an equal expendi
ture for solicitation or advertising in
the ordinary channels The exhibit
tons In small towns can be put on in
a small way and still be very interest
ing to the inhabitants. As a general
proposition the expectations of people
seem to keep pace with the size of the
community in which they live. We
hardly believe that it would pay in
most towns to repeat such an exhibit
ton every year, but we do believe thar
two or three years as new appliances
are developed and put on the market"
New Members Admitted.
A report Of the committee on mem
bership was received and the follow
ing were admitted into the association:
J. A. Donnelly, Alexis; c. A. Duntley,
Bushnell; George NJ. Crombie, For
reston; R. H. Williamson, Golconda;
J. A. Gordon, Hamilton. U. S. Thomp-
son. Homer; A. L. Warfel, Lanark;
w. F. Corrington, Moweaqua; G. w.
Benfer, Lena; w. A. Dougherty, Mound
City; c. A. Tatman, Monticello; R. T.
Fey, Marengo; John Maury, Rossville;
L. w Hess. Marseilles; c. E. Hamil-
ton. Carbondale; A. E. Pike, Christie
pher; Z. j. Dunn, Harvard; r. NJ. How
ard, Washington.
President Smith appointed the fol
lowing as members of the resolutions
committee: 3. NJ, Sinsabaugh, Car |
rollton; e. L. Brown, Elmwood; F. J. |
Baker, Evanston.
This afternoon there were papers
on Promoting New Business by T. |
P. Pinckard, new business manager of |
the Peoria Gas and Electric company, |
and on How to Get New Business" |
by Max Helliger, assistant manager of |
the Rockford Electric company. The |
committee on rates gave a report |
the chairman, R. S. Wallace,
offering numerous recommendations |
and suggestions.
Greater Rock IsIand-West End Lots
For Sale.
On new Red Line extension; heart
IF factory district. High. dry and