The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-06-11
The Era of Electricity

~GvGLIZATIoN today may DO said
Go be measured by the use that
- ls made OF electricity. Those
countries most highly civilized are
making most of this great power.
those lower IN the scale are using it
less. according to the extent Of their
civilization.
The United states leads the WORD
ln the amount OF money expended
each year FOR electricity. That goes
without saying. Not only because of
IFS size has this nation forged ahead
in b use OF electrical euergy, but
also by geason of lis great industrial
enterprise anu i|nvcBtiyo capacity.
The Average expenditure OF the pub
le in this country on election service
81 from ave TO six times greater than
b. b. i'm any European country; which
as "a recent writer put ii, raises the
air question whether the highest use
OF electricity is not civilization NJ ita
best"
Certain It Is that mechanical power
has played a vital part In the pro-
grcss of civilized countries. The beast
of burden has given way 60 The sell
propelled vehicle. the sailing vessel
TO the steamship, the candle n the
uil lamp TO gag and the electric light,
and the long-distance courter TO the
telephone and telegraph. Today a
quarter Of the total industrial power
utilized ia the Quilted States ~ elce-
trical. and competent authorities be-
lieve that fully eighty-nve per cent OF
IndustrirT power can eventually be
economically supplied by electric sta
lions.
Thirty-nve years ago an average OF
ten cents was earned by electric com
panies IN a t~welvemonth, for evory
person in the country. Today tho
American people spend more money
for electricity. In It's y%ariously applied
forms. than they do for bread, the
average being $50 a veal For gas
they spend "a fourth as much. Thirty
1--WE years 3 there was no such thing
AS an electric car in the United states.
Electric lighting was experiments,
telephoning aud cabling had only
crossed the threshold Of the CONNER
cial stage. Indeed IL Is not much
moro than "A decade since the inyestiHs
puoilc scarcely knew what electric
light securities We're. II thcy heard
Of them al all, ~ was TO be advised
by conservative bankers TO have moth
ms TO do with them.
The starry J. one of the Last Decade.
within the past decade, then. the
story OF this industry's great progress
has been written In 1904 there We're
In the United states four thousand
electric light and power companies.
with a total Investment Estimated at
S700. 900. 1000. Today the Investment
represented Ia this direction la ncnrly
| 81. 600. 600. 600. Traction compauics
earn annually sG50.oO0. 600. Thiri
five years ngo they earned NOTHING.
Here is s-tupendous growth. In 200
other large hcld Of ondeayor-sarc
perhaps the automohile-has the caps
ttal Investment been SO rapid as a.
double In amount in % decade ana
what is particularly worthy OF atten-
ton In this regard Is that little Of The
financing was accomplished through
the stock exchange. u was chiefly
through direct solicitation and ol
recommendation OF brokers.
Great has been uur advance in the
use of electricity. set We are told
that the surface OF the market Tor
this power has barely been scratched.
Less .han twenty pes cent OF ne
homes in ,bis country are equipped
/ Tor electric light, and less than oao
| per ccnt OF these use other electric
/ appliances OF domestic utility. WAN
gas the development has extended
over "a much longer period and its
growth has been steudier. Tile use ~
| clectricity Tor lighting ana power
dates back thirty-hye years; the usD
nf gas Tor these purposes dates nacN
one hundred and thirty-hye years
The death Of the gas Industry w1s
scheduled long ago. As Tar back as
1879 electricity put a CULVER into thf
less Of gas men, yot the abandonment
OF gas az fuel is stili Ca the remote
future, when the electric light WA
at length established, people said.
"Ahi now Will come the end uf one
business. gas stocks will be worth
less Ia q little time" Hut today the
gas BUSINESS Is greater more
In particular wns working NJ u I'D