Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1924-01-17
G. c. Nef, Madison, Discusses
Conveniences Before the LO-
cal Kiwanis Club
ENORMOUS WEALTH In
LIGHT AND POWER PLANTS
Poem Written by Rev. w. w.
Moore Brings Nearly All The
Members to Meeting

Grover c. Neff of Madison, vice
president in charge of the operation
of the Wisconsin River Power COM
pany and it's six associated COM
/ panies. talked at the MONDAY meet
ing of the Kiwanis club at the War
rem Wednesday.
Mr.. Neff's subject covered the de-
tendance that modern social, bus.
ness and Industrial life place upon
the utilities the telephone, electric
light and power, street railway and
gas and indicated that without the
aid of these four branches Of the util-
ity business, we. could not do busi-
ness as it is being done today and
our social life would be hampered
very seriously. AS a matter of fact,
according to Mr. Neff, these four
utilities are agencies around which
and upon which our modern ciyiliza-
ton is built. He offered evidence to
show that if the utilities mentioned
are to be able to grow with the de-
velepment of the country and are to
be able to supply the service to the
people in the quantity demanded by
the people and at the time designa-
ted by the people, the utilities must
be kept in prosperous condition.
Mr.. Neff gave a short history of
the great advance of the electric
light and power utility business
which started with nothing forty-tw,
years ago and has an investment of
S5,OOOOOOOOO today. An illustration
was aptly given showing the great
ness of$1, O0O,000,000 by comparing it
to the number Of minutes that have
passed since the dawn Of the Christ
ian era, there being about 100000.
600 minutes that have elapsed in all
that time. The investment in the
electric light and power business
alone is five times as many dollars
as there have been minutes elapsina
/ CT, srkh 80 {1k 4.
enormous investment was made dur
ing the past forty years, IS per cent
of it being made during the past
twenty years He further stated that
survey Of the requirements in this
branch of the utility business by the
American people indicate that S.,
4 000,O00,000 must be spent for addi-
tions and extensions to present prop
erty within the next five or six years
if the demands of the American PEG
pie for electric light and power SCI
vice are to be met. This is at the
rate of two and three quarter million
dollars per day for each day of the
next five years and is one Of the
biggest problems that the electric in
dustry is called upon to meet.
He stated also that the electric In,
dustry has grown in the sale Of cleo.
trio force more than 1000 per cent
in the last twenty years while the
population of the United States has
increased but 81 per cent. What the
next twenty years will bring forth
be able to predict. This indicates the
rapidly increasing dependence of the
American people upon this industry.
In order that the electric companies
may have sufficient plant capacity,
sufficient transmission and distribu-
tion lines, transform etc, it is
necessary that their credit be main
tanned. Their credit depends entire
ly upon the margin which the COM
Jpany is allowed to make over and
above its operating expenses otheAs
wise the money necessary cannot be
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