New-York tribune., 1922-07-19
By Fred B. Edwards


Yesterday afternoon in mis- Office ad-
joining the Orange laboratories Of the
Edison plant, Thomas 4. Edison grace
fully took on temporarily She role of
enc who answers questions, direct
antithcsis of his customary position
where questions are concerned
MIR. Edison was wonderfully nice
about it. toe. He pushed back his
chair from the ancient roll-top desk
which holds so many precious secrets,
and smiled bcnigniy, just as if he had
all the time in the world.
What is it you want to know" he
asked.
The trouble was that we didn't
know just what we wanted to know.
We were entirely unprepared, holding
no better advantage going into this in
terview than fatuous notion that Mr..
Edison. would do all the talking.
You can't drivel about the weather,
and She tariff and short skirts to an
electrical wizard who is capable of
asking set Of innocent appearing
questions which set an entire COM
munity to arguing. Painful recollec-
tions of our grim struggles with the
last Edison questionnaire surged over
us, and we asked the first question
that came into our head This was it:
Q.-Wfl you soy ,0hethsr or not
you think Henry Ford a0ouLd make
good President?
7
mine. -
You can't hang an interview on an
answer like that, We paved -rantical-
ly around in the inclosed space which
serves us as protuberance upon which
to balance our hat, and hastily pro
duced this one:
Q.-They are talking about Ford for
President, and Steinmetx Is to run
for state office. Haze you any DO
Htical 0spirattonse
A:-Indeed | have not. am Just
a plain ordinary inventor.
NO change there, and we counted
po!ltlcs out. Now what? Heaven help
our, complete ignorance Of most every
subject upon which Mr.. Edison might
be tempted to talk! Maybe it was in
answer to this fervent prayer that the
next question popped into whatever it
is that serves US for a mind:
Q.-Nr. Edison, hoW near arc vou
TO achaeu,ng the permanent storage
battery?
Avery near. Getting nearer all
the time. As matter of tact we
have batteries which have been oper-
ating on the Pennsylvania for four
IeeI years which are in good running
order. now. That's something.
And now they're beginning to be
dDDTSclate6 ha Erc L
life the American manufacturer is
beginning to know what it costs him
TO run his business, and he's begin
nlng to appreciate that it isn't first
cost, but last cost, that really counts.
They're buying my batteries now.
Ihey wouldn't before, because they
said they cost too much; but the de-
pression has taught them a lesson.
1T has been good thing for me, the
business depression has.
We're funny, we Americans, The
English do business on a much bet
yer basis. You don't catch an Eng.
iish MANUFACTURER counting first cost
at all. He knows what it costs him
to do business, and he knows what
depreciation means. He'll spend
any amount of money to get the
best thing, and he'll save money in
the end.
It's the same way in Germany.
When German manufacturer puts
up building. he builds for all time.
Solid, tremendous foundations, tes-
e!iated floors and everything nos
sible ssIible that makes for permanence.
When we build factory we build a
snack; I'm as bad as any Of them.
I've gone the same thing myself.
thlnk IT'S because there was al
ways plenty of capital behind the
English manufacturers: that is mil
very recently, Of course. They're
not SO we'll off now.
The American was ALWAYS IN h;,