Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-09-25

| VI llt WllOlt OF MS StreSStul career wi
| eXchequer in the dozen years since the
Neshit footing approximately 1000, 90
devotion of his sister, Mrs. c. L. Carne
| The last was probably the most illiberal
! for the reason that "policy" was too
often adopted through the influence of
a local alderman. The underlying prin-
ciples governing the problem are that any
concern exercising it's capital in a public
| utility is entitled to a fair return on its
! Investment and that such company
assumes obligations to the community
| Its most important obligation is to render
| service in a broad-minded and liberal
| way.
Mr.. Macomber thought that where a
! piece of extension work was to cost 81, 600,
( the capital and depreciation should be al
! lotted 10 per cent. and n return on the
capital should have six per cent, maxi
ing "A total fixed charge of $3.50 Then as
sumine the operating ratio is 20 per cent,
| |. g. out of every dollar of income re-
coived 30 cents remains to pay interest
| depreciation, etc, gross income of
S533.3 must he realized to pay the $50
SELLING ELECTRIC APPLIANCES.
The afternoon session opened at two
O'Clock with a paper by W. G. Stetson
of the Edison Electric Illuminating com
pany giving Some Phases of the Mer-
chandlZng of Electric ApDlianCeS.' Mr.
Stetson compared the methods of hand
ling electrical appliances with that Of
other merchandise and criticised 1t in a
NJ ,t1h
business the manufacturer sold to the
1obber or retailer and they passed it to
the trade but In this particular branch a
man may may go into the office of the
General Electric company in Boston and
buy the smallest piece of apparatus at
the same price or perhaps choaper than
1t is sold to the retailer or iobher The
man may also go over TO the Simplex
Electric Heating companys factory in
Cambridge and purchase one fatiron at
the same price paid by the dealer This
has done much to discourage a lcgitima to
retailing of electrical apparatus. The
present methods OF advertising and dis
playing goods in the stores was also criti-
cized Under the present system of mar
keting the goods, thousands of dollars
have been expended in educating the pub
| lie to the use of the appliances but not
a five cent piece has been spent to each
statesmen how to sell the goods and as a
result the business Is I'm the position OF
the man who ADVERTISE great bargain
sale and when the crowd arrives has no.
body to deal with them No permanent
good can come of price cutting and the
only way to establish the electrical appll-
ancc business Is to put it on the same
basis as any other business, where the
public are asked to pay fair price, i. g..
| the gross cost to the retailer plus the
gross profit, which should cover fair
! return on the investment and the cost of
doing business,
| THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE
| The afternoon session closed with a
paper on the value of the electric vehicle
The virtues of the truck were cxpounded
by w. II. Snow and d. w. Bceman of
the New Bedford Gas Il Light company
land were afterwards discussed by Dav
Baker, New England MANAGER of the
General Vehicle company. Concrete in
stances of the saving made In expense
were given by means of testimonials
from different parts of the country, and
other arguments were produced
COOPERATION OF ALLIED IN
DUSTRIES
/ The etening session was devoted to
papers and discussions on "Co-Operation
of Allied Electrical Industries" s ST
| John Morgan of the Westinghouse
Electric Manufacturing company of
| Boston took the manufacturers side: w
| J. Keenan, Of the Pettingell-Andrews COM
pany, Boston. spoke for the iobber; the
| contractors story was told by j. G.
| Gilliand of the New England Engineer
ing company of Waterbury. Conn: and
Francis A. Gallagher. Jr.. Of the Nara
gansett Electric Lighting company, Provi-
dence, II. l., represented the central
station.
Mr., Morgan said that all should unite
with four objects in view. They are: To
! teach the consumer new uses of electricity
that, will add to household and business
efficiency, and thereby decrease the cost
! of living; to teach the consumer how to
use electricity more inteliEently and
economically; to educate the public in
general as to the manifold uses OF
electricity and to establish i'm the minds
Of the public "A friendly feeling towards
public utilities, manufacturing corpora
tons, and the electrical industry as n
whole The other speakers dealt in an
interesting manner with their subjects
and the discussion closed the days work