Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-12-30
PUBLIC SERVICE CO.
TOSPENDLARGE SUM
ON IMPROVEMENTS
CONCERN OWNING PROPERTIES
IN OTTAWA AND OTHER LA
SALE COUNTY CITIES PLANS
BUILDING PROGRAM FOR 1928.

Chicago, Dec. 20 Special, AT
the annual meeting of the company $
employees held at the Hamilton CLUB
Chicago. President insult announced
that the Public Service company, in
order TO take care OF business offer
ed. would install $4,000 kilowatts OF
new generating apparatus in l92i'
of which q. 900 ki,owatts would be IN
the companys new station at Wau-
kegan and 10000 at the plant AT 10
liet. The expenditures for this ma
cbinery win amount to about $1,000
600. The new transmission lines
service connections and the thou
sand and one improvements neces-
sary to distribute this additional en-
ergy will lcost upwards Of $i0O00oo.
So the new investments i'll plant
property which will he authorized
will aggregate $9,000,900. Deducting
the cost of work that will be nnlinish-
ed at the end of the year, at least
$4,000 900 will be expended by the
company for these purposes in 1923.
The beginning Of the Public Serv-
fee company was an electric plant at
Highland Park, H., purchased IN
1900. Its gross income was about
$4,000 II represented an invest
ment of hardly 100000. That small
beginning has grown into Il business
Of $14.000,000 annually.
The Public Service company's as
sets have risen to s73,000,oO0, having
advanced to that figure from S49,0O0,-
900 since 1914.
In 1914 to produce electrical ener-
~ required 3.S pounds of coal per
kilowatt hour In 1912 the quantity
was 6 pounds. In 1922 the same re-
suit was achieved with 2.3S pounds.
The saving made in coal between the
years 1912 and into 1922 amounts to
G,000.000 tons.
The number of the companys en-.
ployes has greatly multiplied.
In 1914 the number of its stock
holders was 1861. Nov. 1, 1922, there
were 1922
A large proportion of these are
resident of communities located inI
Northern Illinois, served by the com
pany Mr.. insult in his address re-
ferred at some length TO the pros
perity of the Illinois counties in the
area mentioned. Cook county. the
home county OF the company. he stat
ed. contained inside its limits 5.653 !
farms. occupying. about 100000 acres. |
He predicted that as industrial plants /
around Chicago continue TO increase |
in size aud number these Cook eoun- |
til farms will become the sites of /
such establishments and the growing
requirements of industry and manu-
features viii force their extension |
into adjacent counties.
The return of prosperity as indicate
ed in the increased activity of manu- |
featuring plants-is strongly eyidenc- |
ed in the figures of the Public Serv
ice companys electric power bust |
ness. The total energy in horse pow
er represented in the new contracts |
made in 1922 is the largest in the
company's history. The new con
tracts male are for electrical power
in a wide variety of uses. The de-
mands Of plants in the industrial sev-4
tions Of the company's territory are
represented in individual connected |
loads impressive in size. But a |
noteworthy feature is the large in
crease in the number of small CON
Germs as users OF motor drive.
More than four times as many
houses We're wired by the company
in 1922 as We're so equipped in 1921
The score Of 1920 was exceeded BY
over 1000 and 1920 was a lively
year. An unusual feature of thi
business was the increasing proper
ton of property owners who elected
not to avail themselves of the easy
terms of payment possible but set
tied the cost of the improvement in
cash.