The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-03-30
ELECTRICAL GROWTH
Great Increase in Business In Recent
Yearc.

Great Increase in Business In Recent
Years.
During 1921 the increase IN resi-
Dental electric lighting customers in
the United States was 1901 100 ac.
cording to survey just completed
OF reports from electric light and
power companies throughout the coun
try This brings the total number Of
residential lighting customers mp tol
| 8,467 900, or more than double the
number in 1915, when only 4,O06,30O
families lad electric lights in their
homes.
/ In addition to the residential light
| ing customers, the electric light and
power industry has 100000 indus
trial and commercial lighting custom
ers and 407 600 industrial and com
mercial power customers, bringing
the total number of customers up to
I10,375200
While the population Of the United
States increased slightly less tAan 9
per cent in the ten years from 1910
| TO 1920 the number OF customers Of
electric light and power companies
increased more than 2J0 per cent and
the amount Of electrical energy sod
increased over $50 per cent in the.
same period.
This expansion was not confined to
any particular section of tae country
but was distributed about equally
throughout all parts of the United
States.
1t IS difficult to realize that only
orty years ago the first commercial
electric lighting company was estab-
ished and that only thirty-three
years ago the perfection Of an electric
motor which made possible the first
electric street car, really marked the
beginning Of the age Of electricity
II is difficult 10 realize that IN 1880
the first incandescent lamps that
were practical commercially were
made by Thomas EdsoA. or that IN
hat year an employee OF the Edison
factory carried an the incandescent
amps in the world in q market bas-
ket from Menlo Park to New York
City One year later it was consld-
cred wonderful .eat when a small
actory turned out 1000 lamps a day.
To-day more than a million lamps
er day is the output OF the factories
f the country.
These days we hear much about
electric service Generally speaking
lectric service is better everywhere
aan ever before
Electric light and power companies
.. the country are always on the job
rneir fires never 90 out; their water
turbines never stop turning.
In the United states the output OF
he electric light and power industry
today is approximately 100000.
900 hlowatt hours annually. or the
equivalent o. 10000, 100000 horsepow
er hours
or the total public.ut.lity output OF
: electricity in 1921, G3.5 per cent from
, water power This percentage has
been practically the same for sever
u years.
What the public utilities are doinl
% conserve the fuel resources Of tbs
. nation is shown by the following:
. IL the of and gas are converted Il
equivalent coal and the kilowatt-hour'
produced by the burning Of wood sub
racted from the krowatthours pro
, ueed by uel power. the rate of con
2 ! umption OF equivalent coal per kilo
! yatt-hour in public-utility plants Is
'0uBd to be as follows 1919. 81
pounds; 1920, 8 pounds; 1921 81,
r pounds This indicates marked Il
i 'rcase in efficiency in the consump
ton OF fuel"
Already more than $500, 0O0.O 90
ARE invested IN electric ght and pow
D ~ company p ants, transmission line
l. md distribution systems There Il
ecd for approximately $40 000 O0
, ddiuonal investment each year TO
10 least the next five years To main
ain productive capacity TO meet tn
I untinually growing demand Of tn
/ Nations light and power users
In this day o strict and eAiCien
, equation OF public utilities" say.
he Chicago Journal of Commerce
b where the public through its commit
/. 7ioners insures itself OF efficient man
, cement sane business dealings, pro-
financing and a fair return on tn
u moneys invested. it does not appea
= ancilul to conceive a time when por
d Tar confidence in the securities o
t the utilities will make them the com
! honest method Of saving by tn
: masses"
Il The paper points to the wide own
h arship now of utility securit es b
I. wage earners O. the country.