The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-01-03
IMPROVEMENT IN BUSINESS
CONDITIONS SEEN
BY w. H. TAYLOR, President
Philadelphia Electric Company

| PnllaueipHla BlecLflc Company
The New Year opens with brighter
since 1890 People feel encoura , ed
by the slow improvement in business
which began last Spring and look
forward hopefully for gradual better
ment in conditions. These hopes are
fortified by the knowledge that The
United States has gone through other
disastrous periods and has emerged
from them stronger than ever
The electric industry, providing
public service for the factory, the
store, the home and, in fact, for
trade in all its phases, feels any
change in business very quickly.
Therefore, the rise in the production
and use of electric energy, which
brought the output up to its highest
levels for all time during the later
months of 1885, may be looked upon
as proof that conditions have been
and are getting better along broad
line which includes virtually every
line of trade.
The past year has seen rate reduc-
lions of large proportions and of true
benefit to the public. There have
been Important additions to the
facilities at the disposal of the com
pany for its service to the public
These additions assure not only ade-
quate and uninterrupted service, but
an increased capacity to meet hoped
for increases in use which, in turn,
should lead to still further reduc-
lions in rates.
These are our hopes. They are
more than that-they represent our
goal Our sales organizations are
hard at work to carry our service 20
more industries, to more homes and
to enlarge the use of our product
generally.
1t should be borne in mind,
though, that the constant increases in
taxes make it more and more diff
cult to reduce rates.
At this time, each dollar received
by us actually amounts to only about
IS cents-the other 5 cents goes for
taxes
This is grave problem and it is
one with which the electric industry
finds itself confronted a. all seasons.
The people generally are immediate
" and Importantly concerned with
this problem, for taxes have a great
bearing on the charges made by this
and other companies
The electric industry prospers, its
service expands and it's rates go
lower as the use of it's product in
creases in the factories and homes.
New lines of work, new inventions
and the development of new pro-
cesses are all helpful. And, one
thing that strengthens our confidence
in the future is the knowledge that
progress has just begun and that
there is much still to be done in the
world.
1 have seen recently an extrac.
from report issued by the United
States Commissioner of Labor in
1886. AT that time, half century
ago, this labor official took the view
that nearly everything necessary to
the maintenance of daily life Gas
measured by the living standards OF
that period) had been invented and
completed. 1t was his idea that the
big job of the American people had
been finished. Thus he saw an end
to all of the larger opportunities in
trade and industry.
The gloomy prediction of tina. far
off time has been disproved by every
thing we see around us. Homes are
better built and better equipped for
comfort. There is the radio, the air
plane, The automobile, the air condi-
tioning system, just to name few
of the things that stand out to show
what has been accomplished on top
of what once seemed, at least to
some persons, the finished civiliza-
zion" of SO years ago.
We cannot see into the future
into the next SO years-any better
than that labor official of 1885. But
we can and do look into the future of
the American people with confidence
and faith that still new wonders are
to come.