San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-04
UTILITIES LEAD
: IN GROWTH
Of CITY.
Life Of Every Individual
Affected by Development
iss Of Public Industry.
BY 8. J. BALLINGER

'sW
By 8. J. BALLINCER
The life Of every individual in San
Antonio or in the United States IS
affected in some way by the develop
ment of the public utility industries;
Every home, every factory, ana
every business has felt and responded
70 the magic development recorded IN
the electric, gas, street transporta-
ton, telephone and allied industries.
Think for just a moment, and you
win realize what an important role
the development Of these great indus
tries has shared in our business and
social life, both in the city and IN
the rural communities. As matter
Of comfort and convenience, it is easy
TO picture, but rather hard for the
present generation TO appreciate the
striking contrast beteen the coal oil
lamp and the incandescent. We can
stiu recall the days Of drudger-. when
women bent for hours over washboards
and wore their health away with the
Old straw broom.
HAS 24-HOUR DAY.
Ulectricity is now the home servant
and works "a hours a day for mini
mum pay. 1t hasn't been so many
years SINCE the coal range, with its
dirt and SCOT decorated the kitchen.
The gas range has taken its place and
brought comfort and convenience. De
velOpment of street transportation
really marks the development of
large city, for without rapid, ade-
quate transportation facilities. we
would revert back to the days of the
small community and the corner gro
cry store. =.
Outstending among the utilities OF
the country, is the electric industry.
which. Is today under 40 yean old.
During the last ten years, electric
power applications have resulted IN
greatly increased production with con-
sequently, lower costs Of manufactured
products, or at least, with the effect
Of keeping cost of manufactured
products lower than they otherwise
would be.
COST is LOW.
ALTHOUGH the cost of electric light
and power service 10 the average
American family represents less than
one and one-half cents Of each dollar
1pent for living expenses, il is est
mated that the aggregate income of
tho electric light and power industry
in 1925 viii be over onehaf billion
dollars. 1t is interesting TO note,
alse, that this income represents less
GAan 20 per cent of the total invest
nj which, M to the present, is con-
neEvatively estimated at seven billion
dn1hrA This utility is merely cited
- m example. Throughout the coun-
Try the average price of other com
modities has gradually assembled, while
the average price of electricity is lower
today than at any time in its his
UTILITY AND COMMUNITY.
And 20, the so-called public utilities
& those businesses vitality affected
With q public interest, are prime NOV
en- II business enterprises Of all kinds
ard q modern Aladdin 10 the house
VIII. They are second only in i'm
portance in community life TO our fire
ard police departments, our schools
and our churches. Their great labor.
swing ability has heightened life and
stimulated social intercourse. 1t has
bsen truly stated that no city will
grow beyond the limits Of its cleo
trie lines, gas mains and transporta-
ton facilities. In fact, these great
essentials must keep ahead Of the
growth of a modern city. When new
people come into a community, public
service must be ready for them. They
do not sit down and order a months
supply Of gas or electricity and wait
for the service company to get the
equipment, build the lines and deliver
the sercice. 1t is interesting to note,
also, that these great utilities are nov
capitalized with the peoples money.
METERS TELL STORY.
N San Antonio alone. there are ap.
proximately 1900 individual stockholJ
err Of the San Antonio Public Ser
vice Company, owning three million
dolla1 in preferred stock. Securities
of the electrical industries are largely
taken by savings banks and insur-
ance companies, again emphasizing the
interest of the people in these busi.
nesses.
No better gage can be found upon
which 10 measure the growth of
community than the number of cleo
tric or gas mains installed. In 1910,
when the use of electricity was not 50
general as it is today, there were TO-
600 electric meters in service, and
San Antonio had approximately 1O0,-
600 In population. In 1924, there
were approximately 10000 meters in
service, representing a population OF
20O. 900 people.
MORE USE GAS.
The ratio Of ore electric meter 10
every five inhabitants has been a
pretty fair standard by which 10 figure
San Antonio's population for the past
five years. Practically everyone who
can afford il and is within reach Of
elsctric lines, now use this service, 50
that this ratio will BE- a fair basis for
some time 10 come. In some cities
the basis is about four TO one. Their
aD five times as many gas meters in
service today as there were in 1910.
The yearly output in X. W. hours
has increased from approximately
fourteen million 20 more than seventy
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