The Washington times., 1934-10-17
AID PUBLIC, }
INSTITUTE
KEYNOTE
|Pepco Appliance Sales Give
Way to New Cooperative Set
up to Assist Shoppers

The contagion OF the New Deal
atmosphere in washington has
spread to the electrical industry.
The Potomac Electric Power
Company, through its president,
DR., william Mcclellan, has an
nounced that it's merchandising
subsidiary, The Potomac Electric
Appliance Company, has auto
matically retired from the bust
ness of appliance merchandising.
In its place there has been or
ganized a comprehensive program
Of cooperative development OF
the electrical market through the
new Electric Institute of Wash
ington.
Cooperative Plan
The new Institute is composed
Of the utility company, manu-
facturers, wholesalers, retailers
and contractors in washington.
It has as its objective pro-
gram designed to turn general
and educational effort and CO.
operation into specific sales ef-
forts.
'Coincident with the announce
ment of the new electrical in.
stitute, the Electric League of
Washington, which has func-
toned actively in the past in a
market building capacity, was
dissolved and absorbed into the
new organization.
The Potomac Electric Power
Company has also announced a
plan to stimulate electric range
sales in the territory. The COM
pany will absorb the wiring
charges in single family resi-
dences with the eception of the
cost Of the circuit from the dis
tribution panel to the range. so
that this barrier to increased
range sales will be eliminated.
A non-commercial display of
merchandise handled by Insti-
tute members is provided in the
main lobby of the Power Com
pany Building, where an average
of $4,000 electric users pass each
month in the transaction Of
business with the company.
This portion of the display fea.
trlres dramatically seasonal mer-
chandise, being advertised at the
time in the promotional program
Of the Institute. Attendants ex-
plain the merchandise to inter-
ested parties, giving the general
idea of the use Of the equipment.
Permanent Display
On the fourth floor of the
Building, a permanent display of
auditorium covering approximate
1y 5000 spore feet is provided. The
main feature of this display is a
small auditorium surrounding six
actual operating electric kitchens.
This auditorium is used for gen.
eral demonstrations and other
group meetings, but the primary
object Of the facilities is to pro-
vide actual working kitchens in
which statesmen, industry employ
ees, groups of housewives and
other prospects can actually ex-
perience the superiority of electric
cookery and the other advantages
~01 electricity in the kitchen.
In addition to maintaining com
plete cooperative display facilities
and personnel to advise interested
prospects in the use of the de-
vices shown, home economists Will
be provided for demonstrations in
the display and in retail stores.
The low residence rate for cleo
tricity here, starting at 39 cents
and dropping to two cents after
the first 100 kilowatt hours, with
q further reduction of one and
one half cents after 2C) kilowatt
hours, contributes an almost IN
eQualled opportunity for the pro
motion of the electrical market.
Evidence that consumers appre-
ciate these low rates is shown by
the present $50 kilowatt hour
average annual residence con-
sumption.