Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-06
UTILITIES SEEK
GOOD WILL OF
PUBLIC IN ADS
C. w. Towne Tells Club OF
"Unselfish Gesture" of
Corporations.

llama ROVER Anaconda copper MIL
ing companies, given before the Great
Falls Ad club at its luncheon meeting
Friday noon in the Palm room of Hotel
Rainbow.
The copper exposition of the Com
mercial club formed the background
for the luncheon and had a part in the
program. General Superintendent A. b.
Wiggin of the A. c. NJ. reduction plant
explaining the exhibits of the smelter
and of the American Brass company.
NV talk is timely. in as much as
the last of our advertising. placed in
many newspapers of the state. has just
"losed." said Mr.. Towne. Il like to
call that publicity the 'unselfish ges-
ture' in public utility work. If there
is anything behind that advertising,
am here to disclose it: if there is any
~camouflage. or concealment, / am here
to reveal it. l am here to tell the
motivation of the scheme.
Suspicious Of Big Corporations
1.-THE public has looked upon the
large corporations as selfish-selfish is
an invidious sense. While all business
is, in a sense. selfish, others go un-
challenged. But when a large corpor-
alton makes a move. there is suspicion.
Therefore. there is the consciousness
always present with the public utility
corporation of the need to hew straight
to the line of square dealing. Until
recently. the public has not been taken
into the confidence of the corporation.
however. 1t has proceeded on the
same basis as the haberdasher or
storekeeper, that as long as it gave
a good product at a fair price it's
dealings were no ones business.
But. as creatures of the legislature
corporate entities-the corporations
found that they must take the repre-
service commissions, into their conf
dence.
Utilities Handicapped During War
THAT sufficed for a time, but not
now. 1t is found that representative
government itself is on trial. More
and more pressure is being brought
from the mass of the people. And so
came the plan Of carrying the message
to the general public-the source of
power, the people-and to lay the cards
on the table.
During the war We had the best ex-
ample of the lack of understanding.
The public utilities were suffering
from prices set when materials were
cheap and labor low. Every merchant
on the street set his prices up. some
times they even profiteered and got
away with it. The public utility bought
the same materials, yet it was not
until long afterward that he obtained
relief. That is. for a long time the
public utilities sold at less than cost.
80. in order to get their rights. it
was necessary to take the public into
their confidence. They placed their
salvation on public good will.
Labor Gets Into Newspapers
'Of course. in this they were barred
a good deal by the activities on the
other side. In labor unions. the radi-
calls. whose antecedents lay directly to
Moscow. carried on their work. They
bore from within. They found their
way into the newspapers, for they
made good copy They were shrewd
enough to do that. A check by us
showed that in a month in New York
of news affecting capital and labor. 73
per cent was from the labor view
point"
Turning to methods of enlightening
the public on the work of public util-
tiles. Mr.. Towne said that the first
was in talking of themselves. or "toot- !
ing their W horn" the second that
of the "unselfish gesture"
I'm the 'unselfish gesture in adver-
Using public utilities there is little of
self and a great deal of the people
whom the utilities serve" he said.
He then sketched some publicity |
Railway & Power company. Applying |
the same principal in Montana. the
Power company issued Her
Majesty. Montana" of which some To-
300 copies have been distributed. A
second series. Industrial Montana"
touching on some II or IS leading in
will be issued soon. he said.
Reservoir of Good Will
The work of taking the public into
the corporations confidence is building
a vast reservoir of good will he said.
up in the mountains, the Montana
company built q great dam and
spent millions in the work. The dam
furnishes no power, but in a time like
in the day of drouth, it's need
shown.
Every public utility must build I'D
of good will against the day of
radicalism.'
Mr.. Wiggin sketched the development
Of a billet of copper from the time il
eft the Great Falls smeIter until it
vas turned into seamless copper tubing
~ the American Brass company. The
process or ~eXtrudlDg brass was de-
'cribed and methods of cheap produc-
ion of watch parts and other metal
pieces by section of extruded !
Because of the electrolytic process.
he Great Falls plants turn out a su-
,erior quality of zinc which will work
a distinct advantage in the merger
IT the American Brass company with
he Anaconda Copper Mining company.
he said. BY reason of the high-grade !
inc, a superior brass capable of roll +
ng into fine sheets is possible. and
'ince it can be turned out at no greater
,rice than ordinary quality. will soon
to be specified by all fabricators.
Explains Copper Wire Display
To compete with the ordinary grade
f zinc. the company now adds lead to
he zinc, a process that increases the !
Ost of the product without advancing /
price. Under the plans made pos
lble by the merger, the zinc in it's high
tate will be sent to the mills and the l.
cad in whatever proportions are de-
ired will then be added.
MIR. Wigin explained the display en-
cred in the show by the smelter and
methods followed in producing rods
wire. OF the rods produced. g.
10000 pounds are sent to eastern
Hills while 1000, 900 pounds are made