The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-07-27
THRIFTY PEOPLE:
BUY LARGE AMOUNT
Of STOCK
One Thousand People Have Bought
$500,000 Wsrth of Good Paying
Northern States Co. Stock

Power company has become one of the
most discussed public utility compan-
les of the United States, because of its
plan to have its electric and gas Gus
TONERS become financial partners
Bankers, editors and economists from
one end Of the country to the other
have watched the working out of the
idea and are a unit in praising its
soundness and general desirability
Newspapers and magazines have de-
scribed the plan at length and some
have termed it partial naturalization
of this utility system serving more
than 100 communities in Minnesota,
South Dakota, North Dakota, Illinois
and Wisconsin.
j. F. Mcclure, manager of the Mi
not division of the Northern States
Power company, says:
approximately 1000 people in the
cities and towns served have become
profit-sharing partners in our COM
pany. They have invested in more
than $500,O00 Of the stock. The invi-
tation to our customers to join US f.
nancially was first extended in June,
1915, and before the close of the year
inquiries from newspaper advertising
were so many that it was necessary to
establish Securities department in
the Minneapolis headquarters. Five
men in this department now assist the
managers in handling investments and
it will probably be necessary to add to
this force soon.
"About 10 per cent of the stock TAX
en- for investment by our customers
has been on the partial payment plan.
Our idea in offering such terms is to
give the wage-earner and salaried man
or. woman the same opportunity to ac-
quire an interest in the company that
is open to the individual with money
accumulated for investment.
"Our customers can buy the stock
at the rate of $500 a share per month
and receive per cent interest on their
do not know of another corporation
in the country where such liberal
terms are offered and I believe that
within a year or two at the most
thousands of thrifty people will see
the advantage of this form Of invest
ment and will become stockholders, re-
ceiving good return on their money.
"The statement has been made that
our plan is aimed to secure friends for
the company. This is true. We want
to be popular and we certainly wish to
do nothing to destroy the many evil
dences of public good will which we
have enjoyed in the past. But if every
one Of our customers held a share of
stock we cannot conceive what harm
would follow to the community. Our
security holders are often our keenest
critics. We welcome their advice and
suggestions.
"An examination was made last
winter by engineering experts for the
Harris Trust and Savings bank of
Chicago, the Guaranty Trust company
of New York, and other banks which
invested heavily in the securities of
the company. The Guaranty Trust
Trust company is the largest trust
company in the world, and none Of the
banks act upon theory. They demand
facts, and when they received the re-
ports of their experts on the Northern
States Power company they were more
than satisfied with the properties, and
they were amazed at the productive
ness and prosperity of the cities and
towns served by the organization.
"Due to the prosperity Of the terri
tory served and to our willingness to
make extensions and enlargements,
the business of the Northern States
Power company continues to grow, and
the stock to become more and more
desirable as an investment.