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 -, , '' ' ' O
 
 WINNING THE PUBLIC
 
 'M Qraw-MBook (h Jm 
 
 PUBLISHERS OF BOOKS FOR^ 
 
 Coal Age ^ Electric Railway Journal 
 Electrical World ^ Engineering News-Record 
 American Machinist v Ingenieria Intemacional 
 Engineering 8 Mining Journal ^ Power 
 Chemical 6 Metallurgical Ilngineering 
 Electrical Merchandising
 
 S. M. KEXXEDY
 
 WINNING 
 THE PUBLIC 
 
 BY 
 
 S. M. KENNEDY 
 
 Vice-President in charge of Public Relations and 
 Business Development 
 
 Southern California Edison Company 
 
 Second Edition 
 
 McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, Inc. 
 
 NEW YORK: 370 SEVENTH AVENUE 
 
 LONDON : 6 & 8 BOU VERIE ST., E. C. 4 
 
 1921
 
 Copyright, 1920, 1921, by the 
 McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. 
 
 THK MAPL.K I>RKKS YOHK f A.
 
 MM 
 
 PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION 
 
 When the written word has been sent forth on its career it 
 brings the writer in touch with many minds and broadens his 
 sphere of acquaintances to an extent which is perhaps the greatest 
 reward for his labor. Since writing "Winning the PubHc," 
 many men who have been giving the question of pubHc relations 
 close study have honored me by an interchange of thought. Of 
 their work and the sincerity with which they are doing it I have 
 been much impressed. From what they have said to me and 
 from what I have gathered from reviews of my book, it appears 
 that the treatment of this important subject would be amplified 
 en and the usefulness of the book increased by the addition of two 
 
 CD '' _ 
 
 ^ chapters. These added chapters deal miore directly with the 
 topic of maintaining frank and courteous intercourse with the 
 people. The chapter referring to the Department of Greater- 
 Service has particular application to the improvement of certain 
 conditions existing in many places at the present time. 
 
 "Winning the Public" contains no theories which have not 
 vj been successfully put into practice and makes no suggestions 
 V: that have not been tried out. These are the principal reasons 
 s^ why the second edition is offered to those who have constantly 
 ^ before them the important problem of improving Public 
 
 >- 
 >5r 
 
 5r 
 
 o 
 
 Relations. 
 
 S. M. Kennedy. 
 
 268526
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 Introduction ix 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Transforming Public Opinion 1 
 
 Greater Service. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 The Point of View 6 
 
 How the Public Judges — Impressing the Customer — How Not to 
 Do It — The Psychology of Environment — The Hospitable Office. 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 The Value of Courtesy 12 
 
 Intangible Assets — Under a Microscope — The Cornerstone of 
 Success — The Daily Round — Handling Complaints — Aggressive 
 Courtesy — A Good Investment. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 The Man in the Street 21 
 
 The Impressionist — The Student — The Human Being — The 
 Customer — The Investor. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Room at the Top 32 
 
 Persistence — Cheerfulness — Soimdness — ^Loyalty. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Congenial Contacts 38 
 
 Letter Writing — The Telephone — Personal Contact. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 That the People May Know 46 
 
 Financial News — Power Development — Important Extensions — 
 Power Uses — Personal Items — Welfare Work — State Regulations 
 — Distribution of News. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 The Display Room 54 
 
 The Display Room as Salesman — Appointments and Methods — 
 Supplementary Features — Value of Special Demonstrations — 
 Joint Electrical and Food Exhibits — The Educational Factors. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 The Spirit of Progress 63 
 
 Land Transportation — Electricity on the Sea — Invading the Air 
 — Development of Telegraphy — More Light — Limitless Oppor- 
 tunity — From the Cradle to the Grave.
 
 X CONTENTS 
 
 Faqb 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 The District Manager 73 
 
 The Organizer — The Real Head — Custodian and Guardian — 
 Administrator of Funds — Business Builder — Collector of Revenues 
 — Harmonizer — Friendly Relations — The Arbitrator. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Potential Publicity 82 
 
 Classifying the Public — The Supremacy of the Newspaper — 
 Central Stations and Cooperative Publicity — Advantages of 
 the Large Space — Accumulative Advertising — Being Frank 
 with the Public — Electric Signs and Bill-boards — Using the 
 Backs of Bills — Advertising Copy — The Possibilities of the 
 Motion Picture — Advertising and Development. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 The Commercial Instinct 94 
 
 Cumulative Results — Visualizing Business — Transforming a Home 
 — Diversity of Load — Creating Opportunities — The Personal 
 Elements — Recognizing Friends. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 The Art op Conciliation . 101 
 
 The Origin of Distrust — Development of Regulation — Incentives 
 to Courtesy — The Nature of Service — Courtesy Which Convinces 
 — Selecting Representatives — The Extent of Conciliation. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Service 109 
 
 On What Good Service Depends — Physical Conditions — Rate 
 Schedules — Meter Reading and Billing — Service Applications 
 — Educational ResponsibiUties — Complaints and Troubles — 
 Contacts with Consumers — Courtesy and Conciliation — What 
 Depends on Good Service — Increased Earnings — Public Good 
 Will — Financial Advantages — Prosperity of Territory Served — 
 Unlimited Possibilities. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Cumulative Cooperation . 126 
 
 The Cooperative Society — The Cooperative Spirit — Cooperation 
 with One's Self — Cooperation Among Employes — Coopera- 
 tion with the Community — Courting Success. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Over Complacency 134 
 
 The Offensive Air of Superiority — A Word to the District Manager 
 — Complacency in Complaint Department — Personal Appearance 
 and Complacency. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 I Thank You 141 
 
 Join the Thank You Club — Thankfulness a Duty.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Though the great world war has been fought and won, we 
 face today a situation in human affairs never before experienced. 
 ReHeved of the high incentive thrust upon the consciousness of 
 every citizen to do his best during the thrUHng periods of war, in 
 these days of reconstruction a sore and sick world needs some- 
 thing of hope, inspiration and real substance to bring to pass the 
 full fruition of the years of sacrifice and struggle that have now 
 closed. 
 
 In no other line of activity is this opportunity for service more 
 clearly needed than in that of public utility effort. The tele- 
 phone, the telegraph and the supply of heat, light and power have 
 become indispensable in modern human organizations and activi- 
 ties. The number of people engaged in these activities now runs 
 up into the millions in our national life. As a consequence, the 
 value of a book such as the one herewith offered to the public 
 can hardly be estimated in dollars and cents. The major portion 
 of the chapters presented have appeared serially in the columns 
 of the Journal of Electricity or the Electrical World during the 
 year 1920. These articles have created such a deep impression, 
 not only throughout the electrical industry west of the Rocky 
 Mountains but throughout the nation, that we should feel that 
 we had failed in our duty unless at this time we express the ap- 
 preciation of men of the industry in all parts of the country. 
 
 The author, Mr. S. M. Kennedy, vice-president of the Southeri 
 California Edison Company, one of the largest and most wonder- 
 fully operated public utilities of the nation today, possesses, to a i 
 degree perhaps equaled by no other living individual, the ability/ 
 to sense the need for service, to visualize this need, and then U 
 put it into words so that the executive, the employe and the man 
 in the street may gather a clearer and more inspiring vision of 
 the great need for service in this present generation. 
 
 The chapter entitled "The Man in the Street" and also the 
 chapter entitled "Service" have in months past been presented 
 before public gatherings and have brought out profound expres- 
 sions of commendation and appreciation from those who have
 
 -312) 
 
 xii INTRODUCTION 
 
 heard or read these utterances. That the paper entitled 
 "Service," read at the forty-third convention of the National 
 Electric Light Association at Pasadena, should have received 
 the rousing response from the convention that it was accorded 
 and that Commissioner Edgerton, president of the Railroad 
 Commission of the State of California, in his address that immedi- 
 ately followed Mr. Kennedy's paper alluded to it as the basis 
 upon which utility service should be built, came as no surprise 
 to those who have followed Mr. Kennedy's writings. From 
 indications received from many regulating commissions, from 
 public utilities, and from men of the industry throughout the 
 nation, we believe that this work of Mr. Kennedy's will become 
 a classic authority on public relations. 
 
 Those who have had the privilege of visiting the various offices 
 of the Southern California Edison Company and there noted the 
 frankness of expression, the courteous treatment of the public and 
 the order and simplicity that prevail on all sides, alone are able 
 to fully see the possibilities of usefulness to our industry that 
 may accrue from such a book as this — devoted to practical ideal- 
 ism in public service. 
 
 ROBERT SIBLEY, 
 
 August, 1920. Editor, Journal of Electricity.
 
 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 TRANSFORMING PUBLIC OPINION 
 
 Perhaps there is at the present time no subject more constantly 
 in the minds of Public Utility executives and managers of com- 
 mercial enterprises than that of Public Relations. Certainly 
 no subject is more discussed when representatives of such organi- 
 zations gather together in committees or assemble at conventions. 
 Those who have followed the course of events for some years past 
 can recall that for a long time there was seemingly a careless 
 disregard on the part of many Utility Managers as to the opinion 
 of the public concerning their business and operations. This 
 condition was followed later by one of awakening interest as to 
 what the man in the street might be thinking concerning cor- 
 porations supplying needed service of various kinds in his 
 particular locality. Today all has changed, and a keen anxiety 
 regarding public opinion is observed in many directions, where it 
 has not been noticeable heretofore. Solomon has said, "Where 
 there is no vision the people perish " and it would seem as if many 
 utility managers have seen visions or dreamed dreams of what 
 might happen unless there were evidenced a decided change in 
 attitude in certain directions. 
 
 There are many angles to the subject of proper Public Relations 
 and many theories as to how to obtain the public good will. 
 The various chapters in this book deal with some of the differ- 
 ent phases in connection with the contact between a Utility 
 Company, its consumers and the public in general. The ideas 
 advanced and the suggestions made are not of the theoretical 
 variety but have been formulated as the results of successful 
 operation along the lines indicated. 
 
 Notwithstanding all that has been said and written during the 
 past few years on the subject of the relations between public 
 utility companies and their consumers, there undoubtedly lurks 
 in the minds of a considerable portion of the public an opinion of 
 corporations which is not flattering. To many an otherwise 
 
 1
 
 2 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 « 
 
 clear headed man, the ways of big corporations are a dark and 
 impenetrable mystery. He is inclined to look with suspicion on 
 all they do. The millions tossed about so freely in annual 
 reports frequently seem to him ill-gotten gains that he would 
 like to see distributed among the so-called common people. 
 There are two difficulties yet remaining before the path- 
 way pointing to better public opinion can be cleared of the 
 obstructions that block or impede progress. The first is that the 
 majority of those comprising the public is liable to consider 
 Utility Companies collectively rather than individually. Con- 
 sequently those corporations that do not progress in this respect, 
 not only stand in their own light but they help keep the light of 
 truth from spreading. They also blind the public vision to the 
 good intentions of other companies whose methods may be more 
 conciliatory and progressive. The second difficulty lies in the 
 direction of such Utility Companies as announce they are going 
 to do thus and so, with the idea of conveying to the minds of 
 their patrons that radical changes -are to be inaugurated and 
 strenuous efforts made to please, and who do not live up to their 
 promises. Then there are other companies with really good 
 intentions, whose officers think they have adopted progressive 
 methods but whose employes are either ignoring instructions 
 or have not been told what to do. Their patrons and the public 
 in general are not getting what was promised and the people 
 cannot be blamed, if in their disappointment, they say things 
 uncomplimentary to the corporations who have not kept faith 
 with them. 
 
 It is generally conceded that the day has long since passed when 
 the Management of any Industrial or Utility Organization can 
 ignore Public Opinion. Again it is asserted that there are 
 corporations, whose managing officers may have the right ideas 
 regarding intercourse with the public— who do not make it 
 their business to see that these ideas are promulgated among 
 their assistants and the employes down the line. They do not 
 "follow through," and consequently excellent thoughts and good 
 intentions are dissipated and lost, because they fail to reach the 
 points of contact where they would produce desired results. 
 There never was a time when the people at large have given 
 Public Utility Companies such close attention. These cor- 
 porations occupy greater prominence than ever before — not only 
 because of the increasing demands for the service supplied — but 
 also because many utility companies are looking to their con-
 
 TRANSFORMING PUBLIC OPINION 3 
 
 sumers for co-partners in the industry in which they are the 
 ultimate patrons. It is an axiom that money flows only to where 
 there is confidence — and confidence is acquired by many only 
 after the closest scrutiny. The unreasoning and unreasonable 
 consumer is fast disappearing in territories where the stan- 
 dard of public relations has been raised, and in his place there has 
 arisen the thinking individual who is willing to meet the progres- 
 sive company's outstretched hand more than half way, and whose 
 friendship and good will become tangible assets. 
 
 After all, it will usually be found that down the line, most 
 utility companies have the kind of employes who can carry out 
 instructions given and follow examples set. It is for the manage- 
 ment to decide what shall be the instructions and whose example 
 shall be followed. From the same materials one man builds 
 palaces and another hovels; one warehouses and another villas; 
 bricks and mortar are mortar and bricks until the architect makes 
 them something else. It means the careful instruction and 
 continued education of employes. It means that the human 
 machinery must be toned up so that in power, speed, efficiency 
 and endurance it will be equal to every occasion and meet every 
 emergency. Employes are as much a part of the organization 
 as the president. The elevator operator meets more people 
 than the general manager — Does he do it in the right way ? The 
 troubleman has more personal contact with the public than the 
 chief engineer — Does he make a good impression? The collector 
 greets more consumers than the treasurer — Does he perform the 
 difficult task of taking people's money and leaving them pleased? 
 The knack of saying and doing the right thing at the right time 
 is a wonderful asset in public relations and its absence has been 
 the cause of many a company's loss and many a man's failure. 
 Strangely enough, it not infrequently happens that some men 
 who have failed have given considerable thought to the subject 
 of meeting and dealing with the people in a pleasing way. They 
 missed the mark because they did not get the real philosophy 
 of it. They have tried to please the people — but have over- 
 looked the individual. Successful business is business plus 
 personality. The more a business is crowded with personality, 
 the faster it will grow and prosper. 
 
 The management of a company may announce a policy regard- 
 ing its attitude on public relations — and it is assumed that this 
 policy will be made known to all employes, and by various means 
 eventually to all consumers and the public in general. But one
 
 4 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 announcement to either employes or the public will not accom- 
 plish the desired result. Those who have given the matter of 
 publicity and spreading information a study, such as publishers, 
 writers and big advertisers, know that the people do not learn the 
 facts on any subject, or catch the ideas it may be desired to 
 convey by one announcement. They know it requires constant 
 iteration and re-iteration — and continuous hammering to drive 
 home to the people the story it may be desired to implant. 
 
 A Western Company that has given Public Relations a 
 close study for many years, has made another step forward by 
 inaugurating a Department of Greater-Service. The officers 
 of most public utility companies assume that the service supplied 
 is satisfactory if no complaints are made. This may appear, 
 under ordinary conditions, a fair assumption. But the company 
 referred to is not satisfied with what may be termed a negative 
 answer as to conditions of service — it wants from its consumers 
 a positive statement. The new department consists of a staff of 
 approximately twenty-five men, carefully selected for the special 
 work to which they are assigned. These men have been patiently 
 schooled as to the company's history, organization, departments, 
 operations, developments, aims, ideas and practices, and have 
 been distributed over the company's system — one man to each 
 geographical district. Each man reports through the local 
 district manager to the head of the Department of Greater- 
 Service in the General Offices. The work of the men in the 
 Department of Greater-Service in each district will be fourfold: 
 
 To inquire from each consumer whether or not the service 
 supplied by the Company is satisfactory in every respect. This 
 refers not only to the physical service, but also to the consumer's 
 relations with meter readers, collectors, troublemen, clerks, 
 telephone operators and such other employes of the Company 
 with whom he may come in contact. 
 
 To give consumers, where the information is needed or desired, 
 details regarding rate schedules and methods of charging for 
 service; the welfare work assumed by the Company in behalf of 
 its employes; the present and prospective development work 
 which is being carried on for the benefit of the communities 
 served; the idea being to create an interest in the Company's 
 affairs and to convey the thought that the work the Company is 
 doing is for the benefit of the territory supplied and that the 
 more rapidly the Company's business grows and develops, the 
 more rapidly will the State progress in its onward march.
 
 -/ .-'9 
 
 ;BEATEB service 
 
 j^i FUEVTXC TOAT TO SERVE K 
 
 „j,ttclilp ii«[rtml'>: 
 
 ■JL'mj'^k-" -" " '""'™ 
 
 Personal cards 
 left by repre- 
 sentatives of de- 
 partment of 
 greater service 
 
 
 Folders used by representatives of department of greater service. 
 
 (Facing page 4)
 
 TRANSFORMING PUBLIC OPINION 5 
 
 To obtain the mental attitude of each consumer interviewed, 
 the idea being to find out if the consumer is (a) in accord with the 
 Company's operations and prospective development work; (6) if 
 the consumer is indifferent to what the Company is doing; or 
 (c) if he is in any way antagonistic to the Company. 
 
 Assuming that the service conditions are satisfactory, the repre- 
 sentative of the Department of Greater-Service will explain to the 
 consumer the Company's plan for customer-ownership and its 
 desire that all consumers, if it were possible, should become 
 personally interested in the Company's operations, even if only 
 to a minimum amount. 
 
 When calHng upon a consumer, the representative of the 
 Department of Greater-Service presents and leaves a card which 
 is somewhat unusual. The card is a folded one, the outside 
 containing the company's name and the name of the special 
 representative making the call. On the inside of the card there 
 is printed an unusual message which is reproduced here on op- 
 posite page. 
 
 The company which has put into effect this new idea of sending 
 trained men into the field to "look for trouble" is more than 
 satisfied with the results being obtained. Where any troubles 
 are reported, they are immediately remedied. Where infor- 
 mation is asked it is freely given. The officers of the company 
 are learning more about the business than they knew before. 
 Employes are becoming more alert to see that the service is what 
 the management desires — high grade in every respect. Finally, 
 consumers are greatly pleased with the attention and courtesy 
 displayed by the company and public good will is being developed 
 and strengthened to a remarkable degree. The plan is fostering 
 a community interest of the right sort, and when neighbors meet 
 in their homes they talk it over. It is a greater service and those 
 receiving it are eager to express their appreciation. 
 
 In military affairs a commanding officer plans to capture and 
 hold a position. Public good will should be captured and held 
 in the same manner. It is no hit or miss affair. The great 
 lesson to be learned by company executives and managers is 
 that this much desired Good Will cannot be obtained by treating 
 with consumers as classes or communities — but rather by giving 
 recognition to the individuahty of each whose friendship is 
 sought. For the public is made up of individuals and it is the 
 man in the street and the woman in the home who mould Public 
 Opinion.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE POINT OF VIEW 
 
 There are very few people of whom it may be said "eyes have 
 they but they see not." Ahnost everyone with eyes sees, but 
 some see more than others, or perhaps it would be better to say 
 that some are more impressionable than others. The impression 
 made upon an individual about any person or thing usually has 
 lasting results, and fixes his point of view. Not long ago a large 
 consumer of a Pacific Coast company called on one of the officers 
 of the company to talk over some important business. In the 
 course of the conversation the consumer remarked, "Mr. Blank, 
 I have come to you, because to me you are the power company." 
 Of course that officer immediately took a mental inventory of his 
 words and actions, to discover if he were making a noise like a 
 hundred million dollar corporation. It is a fact that that same 
 remark applies to every one connected with a utility company, 
 and for that reason each employe should have due regard as to his 
 appearance, and be concerned about the impression he makes, 
 so that the public may always be imbued with the fa(2t that his 
 particular company stands for what is best in, and for, each 
 community in which it operates. 
 
 How THE Public Jxjdges 
 
 Now, an electric utility company may be large or small — may 
 operate over an extended area or in a limited field, yet in each 
 case the importance of appearances is relatively the same. 
 Sometimes in the West, it happens that companies grow with 
 leaps and bounds, and even their employes cannot keep up with 
 their rapid expansion. However, the individual customers of a 
 utility company are not familiar with the immensity of a corpora- 
 tion's interests. As a rule, they are familiar only with that part 
 of the company's property which is in their immediate vicinity. 
 Here again one faces practically the same condition relative to 
 the company's properties as has already been referred to relative 
 to the company's employes; that is, the buildings and property in 
 any territory represent to the people in that territory the utility 
 
 G
 
 THE POINT OF VIEW 7 
 
 company to which they belong. These people may hear of the 
 great water power plants which the company may have in other 
 counties; they may hear of long distance transmission lines built 
 of steel towers and possessed by the company elsewhere; they 
 may hear of million dollar steam plants or handsome buildings 
 in adjacent cities, but, as a rule, they are not familiar with the 
 details. All they know of their own knowledge about the comp- 
 any is what they see in their own neighborhood. Consequently 
 the buildings, offices and property of the utility company in their 
 immediate vicinity stand for the whole company. 
 
 The sage Polonius, in his advice to his son, among other things 
 said: 
 
 "Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, 
 But not expressed in fancy, 
 Rich, not gaudy, for the apparel 
 Oft proclaims the man." 
 
 It is not within the scope of this article to go into exact details 
 regarding an employe's personal apparel. A definite statement 
 cannot be made as to whether an employe should wear black or 
 tan shoes, what color in necktie is best suited for certain ages and 
 occasions, and when and where riotous socks may be permissible. 
 But it is well to note the last words of the foregoing quotation — 
 "For the apparel oft proclaims the man." From the point of 
 view of the customer, an employe's appearance is important to 
 the company. If the employe be unkempt looking, if he needs a 
 shave, if his collar is soiled, his clothes spotted, and his shoes 
 unbrushed, he certainly cannot make a good impression upon the 
 customer — and yet to the customer, that employe represents the 
 company. A corporation is only an aggregation of men, and 
 the faults and failings of the individual apply to and are charged 
 against the company. It is therefore apparent that company 
 managers should see to it that such employes as come in contact 
 with the public are clean and tidy in their apparel, and present a 
 creditable appearance. 
 
 Impressing the Customer 
 
 Now, let us turn to the company's properties, and study the 
 effect of their appearance upon the public in general and upon 
 the company's interests in particular. Let us measure the ad- 
 vantages if these properties are well maintained, and estimate the 
 disadvantages if the properties are neglected. Let us look at an
 
 8 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 electric property, where the transmission and distribution lines 
 have been carefully planned and admirably maintained. They 
 do not need any lengthy explanation as to why they are this way 
 or that way. Such lines speak for themselves, and what they say 
 is highly creditable to the company and the company's engineers. 
 If we step into the stations and sub-stations of the ideal company, 
 as a rule we see equipments that can be recognized as standard 
 in their make, and modern in their methods of installation. In 
 looking at the surroundings within the stations, we find that 
 everything is neat, and tidy and ship-shape. It is a good plan 
 for a company manager to ask himself and his assistants, "Are 
 our lines maintained as they should be? Are the external and 
 internal appearances of our stations and substations as clean 
 and presentable as they might be? Are the ofl&ces, w^arehouses, 
 storerooms and garages kept in a manner which will impress 
 the visitor with the thorough up-to-dateness of the company, 
 and give him a full appreciation of the value of its property, and 
 the importance of its position in the community?" If the 
 manager will regularly go over and inspect the properties under 
 his care, he will learn in what respects his management may be 
 weak, and in what directions the properties may be making 
 decidedly bad impressions by their outward appearances, visible 
 to the public eye. If he scrutinizes closely in some directions 
 he may even note the signs of coming degeneration. Perhaps 
 the causes pointing to the seeming degenerate condition may indi- 
 cate that his assistants have gotten into a rut, and they do not see 
 what is going on around them. Ruts such as these are very 
 dangerous, and should be as carefully shunned as one would avoid 
 a wasting disease. 
 
 How Not to Do It 
 
 Concerning the internal and external appearances of a comp- 
 any's offices and buildings — the subject should be looked at 
 from two standpoints: (1) cleanliness, and (2) tidiness. It is 
 well to understand thoroughly the difference between these two 
 words. A building may be absolutely clean from top to bottom, 
 and yet be uninviting because of its untidiness. How often it 
 happens that the office of a utility company is really unattractive 
 and yet those who work in the office either do not see it, or do not 
 care about its condition! Windows fly-marked, floors dirty, 
 counters and shelving dusty, and ceilings ornamented with cob-
 
 THE POINT OF VIEW 9 
 
 webs. In addition to this, the appearances of the appHances on 
 exhibition are often of such a character that prospective cus- 
 tomers would need to be hard pressed before they could be 
 induced to purchase. The counters inside the office are often 
 littered with torn papers, ragged books, burned-out lamps, 
 disabled appliances, broken pencils, superannuated pens, empty 
 ink wells, and other materials and rubbish scattered in dis- 
 heartening confusion. If the office is sometimes in a bad way, 
 the store room is frequently worse, and in some instances almost 
 borders on chaos. At some locations supplies are not kept in 
 anything like proper order. They appear to be unpacked and 
 thrown about in a manner regardless of any idea of regularity, 
 and no attempt made toward accessibility and condensation of 
 space. It would seem to be an impossibility, where stores are 
 kept under such conditions, for anyone to have a proper know- 
 ledge of what is in stock. It must also mean an endless waste of 
 time, in walking around piles of goods, and taking needless steps 
 in going from one part of a room to another. It is fair to state 
 that conditions such as these are not general — at the same time 
 it will be noted they still exist in too many places. 
 
 The Psychology of Environment 
 
 Now, let us look at the effects of dirtiness and untidiness. In 
 the first place, what effect has it upon the company's employes, 
 if such conditions are allowed to continue? A constant condi- 
 tion of dirt on the floor will eventually produce clouded thoughts; 
 dust on the furniture and fixtures will surely result in a blurred 
 vision; and cobwebs on the ceiling will lead to cobwebs in the 
 brain. A manager may well ask himself candidly, "How can a 
 man work his mind and body to the best advantage under such 
 conditions?" 
 
 The reverse, in the way of cleanliness and tidiness, means 
 brightness, acceleration in work, and a cheerfulness which will 
 permeate not only among those in the office, but will spread out- 
 side far beyond the confines of the building. It will also mean 
 that results will be accomplished much more quickly, as there 
 will be less time wasted in finding things which should not be 
 lost, and in transferring misplaced articles from where they 
 should not be to where they belong.
 
 10 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 The Hospitable Office 
 
 Next, what is the effect upon the company's customers? If a 
 customer enters an office which is not clean and tidy, is he going 
 to remain there any longer than is abolutely necessary to transact 
 his business? Will he stay to tell anyone how much pleased he 
 is with his electric service, and will be browse around to leave 
 himself open for suggestions as to what additional electrical 
 appliances he could advantageously use in his store or residence? 
 When he goes home, will be carry with him a good impression 
 to tell his wife and family? The answer is, "No!" The appear- 
 ance of such an office will work against the company's interests. 
 On the other hand, if a customer goes into an office that is bright, 
 clean and inviting, he will be in a better mood to remain and 
 make inquiries. He will take his time to look around, and listen 
 to what may be said concerning the utility of certain current 
 consuming devices. Maybe, if the show-room looks attractive, 
 he will stop to inquire about some of the exhibits which are new 
 to him, and such inquiries, as a rule, eventually lead to sales. 
 When he goes home, he will tell his wife and possibly his neigh- 
 bors about the things which aroused his interest, and suggest 
 that they, too, drop into the office and look them over. 
 
 There is one other phase of this question of appearances, as far 
 as a utility company is concerned, which is not always appreci- 
 ated by its employes. A large amount of the money put into 
 the development of the company's business comes from outside 
 sources. Bankers and others at home or abroad, who are invest- 
 ing in the company's securities, are always interested in the 
 management and operation of the business, and sometimes they 
 have ways and means of finding out matters in connection with 
 what is being done, or left undone, which are supplementary to 
 the reports and statements issued through the executive offices 
 of the company. A manager never knows when a representative 
 of some of these moneyed people, who purchase and sell his 
 company's securities, may be looking over the property — may 
 be examining transmission and distribution systems; may be 
 peeping into electric stations, or dropping into an office to 
 make inquiries about rates and local conditions — and all the 
 time he may have the appearance of some unsuspecting visitor 
 considering the question of locating in the city. Perhaps the 
 manager would be surprised if he saw some of the reports that 
 these unsuspicious looking strangers send back to the holders
 
 THE POINT OF VIEW 11 
 
 of the company's securities. It requires no stretch of imagina- 
 tion for a public utility manager to understand that his business 
 is constantly under the closest scrutiny. He and his assistants 
 are the custodians of the property and they have no more essen- 
 tial work than that of conserving the company's interests by 
 maintaining everything in good condition and giving due regard 
 to appearances. Such care will make the desired impression 
 upon the employe, the consumer and the investor, and give to 
 each of them a proper idea of the company's standing and im- 
 portance from their particular Point of View.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 THE VALUE OF COURTESY 
 
 Most men are of the opinion that the average Chinaman, as 
 he is known in America, may be considered unobserving, un- 
 impressionable and more or less of a stoic. To such men the 
 following incident may be surprising. Not long ago, a Chinese 
 vegetable dealer entered one of the offices of an electric company 
 in California to pay a bill. After finishing his business, he went 
 out to his wagon which was standing in front of the office, and 
 filling a basket with choice fruit, brought it in and presented it to 
 
 tie cicA'rvou>l€</ae uUut fAa/n/s Oie 
 
 MKOf M vour 'remifta-nce ta/uc/i na-i 
 
 ieen crediCeci fo ucwh €icccou7vt. 
 
 An acknowledgment of receipt which goes a little beyond the mere perfunctory 
 stamping of "Paid" on a bill is a courtesy much appreciated by the customer. 
 
 the young lady at the counter who had waited on him. The local 
 manager, noting the incident, stepped up to the Chinaman and 
 told him he considered that he had done a very nice thing and 
 expressed his appreciation by personally thanking him. The 
 Chinaman looked at the manager for a moment and then said, 
 "She smiled and thanked me when I paid my bill." Without 
 another word he went out of the office, climbed into his wagon, 
 and drove away. If such a little attention is noticed by an 
 uneducated MongoHan, it is fair to assume that the average 
 American will appreciate any similar consideration which tends 
 to demonstrate that his existence is recognized. 
 
 12
 
 THE VALUE OF COURTESY 13 
 
 Intangible Assets 
 
 There are today approximately six thousand central station 
 and municipal electric plants in the United States, representing 
 a total investment of over two and one-half billion dollars. Each 
 one of these plants possesses certain intangible assets, which now 
 and then are inventoried for sentimental or business reasons. 
 Among the intangible assets which it is difficult for the uninitiated 
 to appraise is a reputation for courtesy. Yet, if a central station 
 holds such a reputation, it necessarily possesses a valuable, 
 though maybe an intangible asset, for, beyond peradventure, it is 
 the best possible adjunct the central station has as a revenue 
 producer. 
 
 The electric distributing business, as conducted by the modern 
 central station, is a vast machine. The essence of operation in 
 connection with the machine is good management, and good 
 management simply means running the business with all parts 
 in harmony. In order to obtain harmony, there must be lubri- 
 cation, and as oil lubricates the engine and keeps down friction, 
 so does courtesy in business intercourse smooth out the rough 
 places, disarm unreasonable criticism and invite good will. 
 
 Under a Microscope 
 
 It is probable there never was a time when public utility com- 
 panies were as closely scrutinized as they are today. Undoub- 
 tedly there are reasons for present conditions in this regard. In 
 the first place, the public has gradually learned that the com- 
 modities handled by such corporations, which once were con- 
 sidered luxuries for the few, have now become necessities for the 
 many. In the second place, through newspapers, magazines 
 and other literature, the every day man has learned something 
 more or less correct about the manufacture and distribution 
 of electricity, and he considers himself qualified, as a student 
 and a consumer, to have something to say on the subject when- 
 ever the opportunity occurs. In the third place, it must always 
 be remembered that in the sale of an intangible commodity there 
 is more or less mystery, and this feature is often the cause of 
 criticism and controversy. Further, during recent years, almost 
 every state has appointed a public utility commission, and 
 through the commission's labors the troubles of consumers and 
 the difficulties of the companies are alike laid bare to the public
 
 14 
 
 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 eye. No matter what may be said, truthfully or otherwise, 
 about the methods of public utilities in the past, it may be safely 
 asserted today that most utilities are anxious to put their houses 
 in order, so that they may be able to withstand the closest scru- 
 tiny of friend or foe. 
 
 tsuiM rarai UD nECTRio oovpikt 
 
 Saa U^ol, Califorolft 
 Ootot«r 1, 1919. 
 
 Hr. Jolm T. nlaon 
 ElO Alnndo Str<«t 
 Clt7 
 
 Sear Sin 
 
 I am pleased to lean that 7011 have tieoose a oonaojaer of 
 the Blask Power aid Bleotrlo CooQiaiiy. at the aboTe addreBS, anl teJce 
 tble opportunity of thanking 70a for tout patrona^. It is 1^ alo 
 to neke yon feel "at hone" with fnir aerrloe, eo that all the detalle 
 of evx taalneee relatione nay be eotirely eatlafaotor; to you* 
 
 Xf at 'ny tlaa yea do not reoelre the coorteoMe and pntejit 
 ftttoDtloB to vhloh yon are «tl*tled, 1 will deem It a faTor If yon will 
 coBBoniaate with d» over the telephone or by lall, and thnj laxs It 
 poesible for ae to F^lve yonr wiehee 17 pereonal attention. 
 
 Tcnre eery truly. 
 
 /^ J District Manager 
 
 Why not let the new customer know that you are personally aware of his 
 existence and stand ready to serve him at all times? 
 
 The Cornerstone of Success 
 
 The two greatest factors in the success of any central station 
 business undoubtedly are courtesy and enthusiasm. These 
 attributes must not be possessed solely by the president or 
 manager, but must prevail throughout all departments, and in 
 all ranks. It is true that a utility company's business may be 
 the only one of its kind in the community, and that the public 
 must go to it if service be desired. It is well to remember that 
 that condition does not make the public less critical. If con- 
 sumers are treated with consideration, it is particularly pleasing
 
 THE VALUE OF COURTESY 
 
 15 
 
 to them, but if with discourtesy, it rankles through and through, 
 because of the fact that they have no alternative, but must con- 
 tinue to do business with the same company. It is well to 
 remember that many men have short memories for favors and all 
 men have long memories for injuries, whether real or fancied. 
 Many of those interested have reason to regret that there does 
 not always exist a proper sympathy between a utility company 
 and its consumers. The consumers are sometimes liable to think 
 they are being overcharged and otherwise imposed upon, and 
 the employes of a company are too ready to think consumers and 
 
 THANK YOU 
 
 ^^OU have been kind enough to favor us with 
 your patronage to-day. We hope that you 
 are pleased with your purchase, but if you are 
 not, bring the goods back and we will exchange 
 them or refund your money. It is our desire to 
 satisfy each individual taste and with that end in 
 
 This form, printed on small bags or wrapping paper used for enclosing purchases 
 of lamps or appliances, is a friendly reminder to the purchaser of the company's 
 attitude towards its customers. 
 
 the public "kick" too easily and too frequently. But it might 
 be well if the employe would sometimes put himself in the cus- 
 tomer's place, and realize that it is not an unreasonable thing 
 for a man to ask questions and seek explanation about what he 
 does not comprehend, particularly when he is paying out his 
 money. No utility company can afford to be independent of 
 the public. It is the public whom it must please, and look to 
 for its continued existence — the same public that does not forget 
 to remember some things which please and some things which 
 displease. No matter how big or powerful a corporation may be, 
 it is vulnerable — its very greatness sometimes making it a bigger 
 and better target; and as far as independence is concerned, the 
 man who runs a peanut stand on a pushcart, and has only a five- 
 dollar capital invested in his business, is a thousand times more
 
 16 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 independent than the corporation with its millions. If business 
 leaves his corner, the peanut man can push his cart along to 
 another location, but the public utility company puts its money 
 in the ground, and cannot take it out, no matter what conditions 
 may arise. 
 
 It seems reasonable to study the subject of courtesy from two 
 standpoints. The first is the kind which may well be considered 
 desirable between the employes of a central station and the 
 public, and which might be termed conventional courtesy. The 
 second is the kind of courtesy that reaches out, beyond the 
 actual point of personal contact, and follows people to their 
 homes. This, perhaps, may best be described as aggressive 
 courtesy. 
 
 The Daily Round 
 
 Now, it so happens there are few businesses which give so 
 many opportunities for the display of conventional courtesy as 
 that connected with the service of a central station company. 
 The public is made up of human beings, and they all appreciate 
 and enjoy considerate treatment. There is absolutely no excuse 
 for inconsiderate employes handing out to the company's patrons 
 hauteur, indifference, brusqueness or any form of discourtesy. 
 Every man connected with a central station can do something 
 each day to help along his company's business. By careless 
 inattention he may likewise do something that will daily produce 
 great injury to its interests. The public does not measure or 
 judge a company by the acts of its president, officers or directors. 
 They may be excellent men of high standing in the community, 
 but they are usually known to only a few of the company's 
 customers. The men who act as clerks, salesmen, collectors, 
 meter-readers and troublemen, are the men who see the cus- 
 tomers in the office or meet them in their homes, who actually 
 represent the company in its intercourse with the public, and 
 it is through the words and actions of these men that the public 
 commends or condemns their company. A central station busi- 
 ness is not confined to any one class of people — all classes must 
 be dealt with. It goes without saying that in the matter of 
 treatment there should be no distinctions or discriminations 
 between the big and the little, the high and the low, and the rich 
 and the poor. All are equally entitled to courteous attention, 
 and all should receive it.
 
 THE VALUE OF COURTESY 17 
 
 Handling Complaints 
 
 The importance of the complaint department of a utility- 
 company cannot be too highly estimated. Upon the manner in 
 which this end of the business is handled, largely depends the 
 friendship of the company's customers, and the growth and pros- 
 perity of the company itself. The proper treatment of com- 
 plaints from existing consumers is more important than the 
 method of managing the new business department. Satisfied 
 consumers almost invariably become active agents for the ad- 
 vancement of the company's business. On the other hand, it is 
 
 rOMM C-SI4 
 
 IN SUBMITTrNG THE ENCLOSED BILL THS FINAL 
 ONE FOR YOU AT THAT ADDRESS. THE SOUTHERN CAL- 
 IFORNIA EDISON COMPANY TAKES THIS OPPORTUNITY 
 OF STATING THAT IT HAS ENJOYED THE PLEASANT 
 RELATIONS WHICH HAVE EXISTED IN THE PAST AND 
 HOPES THAT THEY MAY SHORTLY BE RESUMED. IF NOT 
 IMMEDIATELY AT SOME OTHER LOCATION. PERHAPS AT 
 A LATER DATE WHEN YOU MAY AGAIN BE IN NEED OF 
 ITS SERVICE. 
 
 Courtesy which follows the customer even beyond the formal termination of 
 business relationships will bring returns in good-will which are invaluable to the 
 company. 
 
 not difficult to estimate how much the growth of a business may 
 be retarded by dissatisfied customers who are invariably sore 
 through lack of proper attention and a little timely courtesy. 
 The more people a company can persuade to think favorably of 
 its business — the faster it will grow. As a man thinks, so he will 
 talk, and a company with pleased consumers will have many 
 working overtime for it, whose names do not appear on the pay- 
 roll. 
 
 One of the best plans a central station manager can adopt as a 
 means of educating employes along proper lines, is to regularly 
 hold demonstration classes, the object being to show what should 
 be said and done under certain conditions which may be more or 
 less difficult to handle. Once each month would not be too often 
 to get certain employes together. Some could represent com- 
 plaining customers who come to tell their grievances, and other
 
 18 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 employes should receive the imaginary complaints and dispose 
 of them in a proper manner. 
 
 There should be plenty of criticism and discussion and if 
 earnestly handled, much benefit will accrue from such meetings. 
 Employes need to be shown the importance of patience and self- 
 control. It cannot be denied that a few customers may be utterly 
 unreasonable, and sometimes even insulting, when making their 
 complaints, and occasionally an employe who may be receiving 
 a complaint will have to use restraint to keep from getting into a 
 fighting mood. However, although a man may hold an awful 
 tempest within himself, it won't break loose if he keeps his 
 tongue tied down — and under circumstances of this kind, a 
 tied tongue is safer than a loose one. 
 
 If a customer has a complaint rankling in his breast, it is well 
 to get it out. Each complaint is an opportunity to make a new 
 friend, and friends made this way are the sort who will gladly 
 prove themselves friendly when the occasion offers. Little or 
 much may be done by an employe to satisfy a complainant, but 
 the main thing is to make him feel that his complaint was listened 
 to with attentive consideration, that an interest was taken in his 
 trouble, and a determination was shown to make matters right. 
 What may have been given the complainant in the way of an 
 allowance, or what may have been promised to improve his 
 service conditions are only of secondary importance to the com- 
 plaining consumer. It is not too much to say that a complaint 
 may, at times, even be welcomed, because of the opportunity it 
 gives to strengthen the list of satisfied consumers. It is not going 
 too far to state that no adverse criticism of a company should be 
 permitted to go unchallenged. The man who adversely criticizes 
 should be interviewed in a courteous manner, and with a real 
 desire to please. The critic will not be any worse for the tactful 
 interview, and the chances are he will feel better toward the 
 company and its business. 
 
 Aggressive Courtesy 
 
 The form of courtesy which may be termed aggressive is often 
 evidenced along educational and publicity lines. This policy 
 is one which points the way for consumers to remove the causes 
 for trouble by displ-aying proper care in the use of their service, 
 and frequently invites consumers to bring in their complaints, 
 sometimes even before the consumers themselves have realized
 
 THE VALUE OF COURTESY 19 
 
 that they might have occasion to complain. Every possible 
 means should be used to convince consumers that they are getting 
 all they are paying for; that there is in reality no mystery about 
 the electrical business and that electric current may be accurately 
 measured and correctly billed. Courteous efforts along these 
 lines help to establish confidence, and if confidence is maintained, 
 it means more electric energy will be freely and willingly con- 
 sumed. Individuals are fast learning the value of politeness. It 
 is estimated that the people of the United States pay over eight 
 million dollars annually to use the word "please" in their tele- 
 grams. That is — this large amount of money is paid for the 
 word "please" when added to the stated ten words — or whatever 
 the number may be. It is creditable to the people of America 
 that the word "please" is so highly valued and the cost of insert- 
 ing it in telegrams is paid without murmur. 
 
 Along the lines of aggressive courtesy, a Central Station 
 company has many opportunities to impress its customers and 
 the public with its sincere desire to supply good service. This 
 good service does not alone mean that an ample supply of electric 
 energy shall always be available, but that all the niceties in the 
 intercourse between the company and its customers will be 
 cheerfully observed. It would be well for the Central Station 
 manager to see that these opportunities are not overlooked. 
 When a new customer is taken on, it is an opportunity to send a 
 courteous letter which will surely interest and please the recipi- 
 ent. While giving assurances of personal interest and good 
 service, the letter might readily point the way for the consumer 
 to find additional uses for the commodity supplied. When the 
 consumer sends a check in payment of his account, there is an 
 opportunity to send a nicely worded card of appreciation with the 
 receipt. When a consumer makes a purchase of lamps or any 
 small appliances, the bag or paper in which the purchases are 
 carried away might well have printed upon it a word of thanks 
 for patronage given, and a desire expressed for its continuance. 
 And even when a customer may be moving away and discon- 
 tinuing service, there might be sent with the closing bill a card 
 expressing the company's appreciation of past pleasant relations 
 and a hope that they may be renewed at some future time. 
 "Thank you" is pleasant to hear, and not objectionable when 
 seen. If these words are stamped upon a receipted bill or stuck 
 up in a conspicuous place over a cashier's desk, they have some
 
 20 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 value, particularly if the cashier happens to think he is too big or 
 too busy to utter these magic words himself. 
 
 A Good Investment 
 
 To the man who is habitually courteous, there comes an inward 
 satisfaction, which is a continuous fountain of pleasure. There 
 is more truth than poetry in the words credited to Admiral Sir 
 Joseph Porter, K. C. B. in the opera H. M. S. "Pinafore:" 
 
 "For I hold upon the seas 
 The expression, 'if you please' 
 A particularly gentlemanly tone implants." 
 
 Be he on land or sea, the courteous man cannot fail to attract 
 friends and disarm enemies. 
 
 Courtesy does not mean palaver, bowing and scraping — but 
 common, ordinary every-day politeness — the kind that can give 
 back a smile for a frown and always show a desire to please. 
 This sort of courtesy is a fine art, and when consistently prac- 
 ticed, will spread sunshine in places that would otherwise be 
 gloomy. Beyond any shadow of doubt, courtesy is of incompara- 
 ble value in the operation and upbuilding of a Central Station 
 business. It costs so little and means so much. It is the easy 
 way to get along, represents no expenditure, yet never fails to 
 yield handsome returns.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE MAN IN THE STREET 
 
 If there is any class of business which is at all times on trial 
 before the great court of Public Opinion it is that of the Public 
 Utility Corporation. The establishments of the merchant, the 
 manufacturer and other industries are operated from eight to 
 ten hours daily — on working days only — but the Central Station 
 Company must be ready to supply instant service day and night, 
 week-days and Sundays, feast days and fast days, high days and 
 holidays. The jury is in constant session taking cognizance of 
 the evidence which is being given, and be the testimony good or 
 bad, honest or dishonest, worthy or unworthy, no item is over- 
 looked when the time arrives to review, sum up and render a 
 verdict. The Utility Company cannot select its jurors as they 
 are selected by the opposing attorneys in a trial in court. Its 
 jurors are selected by the destiny that groups men together in 
 cities and communities. These jurors may not be challenged, but 
 must be accepted with all the bias or prejudice they may bring 
 to the trial. Consequently it may be the part of wisdom for the 
 heads of Public Utility organizations to study the jurors — 
 — to analyze and diagnose any causes for suspicion, preju- 
 dice and opposition to the end that the evidence may be so 
 influenced and directed by liberal policies and enlightened man- 
 agement that the verdict may be a source of every-day satis- 
 faction. Certain conditions surrounding the operation of a 
 Public Utility's business are fixed and cannot be altered, and 
 such being the case, operation should be so adjusted that these 
 conditions may be recognized, and, if possible, used to advantage. 
 It is as much advisable for a corporation to be philosophical 
 when dealing with the inevitable, as it is for the individual — both 
 may well agree with James Whitcomb Riley : 
 
 It hain't no use to grumble and complain; 
 
 It's just as cheap and easy to rejoice; 
 When God sorts out the weather and sends rain, 
 
 W'y rain's my choice. 
 21
 
 22 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 It is probably safe to say that three-fourths of the mistakes 
 that the Central Station man makes in his intercourse with the 
 public are made because he does not really know the things he 
 thinks he knows. If the Central Station is constantly on trial 
 had it not better keep its eye on the juror and if possible get his 
 viewpoint? There was a time when it was thought the juror 
 could be ignored — that he had to take what was given him and 
 be quiet, — but now things are different. A Russian proverb 
 says: "Time does not bow to you, you must bow to time." To- 
 day it is perhaps better to bow alike to Time and the juror and 
 take them both into consideration. The juror can only be fixed 
 by some one obtaining his viewpoint — that is, by the Corpora- 
 tion man looking at the business fom the outside, as it is seen 
 by the Man in the Street. 
 
 The Man in the Street is a many sided individual in some 
 respects, but in the main he will be found reasonable, tractable 
 and not unfriendly. In my efforts to illustrate the different 
 angles of observation from which the Man in the Street looks 
 inward at your business, I will endeavor to develop five sides -of 
 his character. It will be distinctly understood that I am not 
 advising anyone how to change or conduct his business. Long 
 ago I learned it is permissible to express an opinion — but advice 
 should be sent by slow freight. The Man in the Street has some 
 advantages not posessed by the man inside, and the man on the 
 inside can well afford to listen if the man on the outside has any- 
 thing to say. The five angles from which the Man in the Street 
 will here be considered are (1) The Impressionist, (2) The Stu- 
 dent, (3) The Human Being, (4) The Customer and (5) The 
 Investor. 
 
 The Impressionist 
 
 It has been truly said that trifles make perfection, but perfec- 
 tion is no trifle. As an impressionist, the Man in the Street is 
 either consciously or subconsciously influenced by what appear 
 to be trifles. Daily as he proceeds on his way he observes the 
 properties and employes of the Central Station. Do they im- 
 press him favorably or do they irritate him? What pleases him 
 and why? When is he jarred and for what reason? As he looks 
 along the principal streets in his town do the pole lines impress 
 him as being clean-cut and regular? Are the poles located in the 
 least objectionable places and are the services run with any regard 
 to appearance? Sometimes he sees lines that appeal even to a
 
 THE MAN IN THE STREET 23 
 
 layman as being carefully planned and excellently constructed. 
 Sometimes he observes that a street or highway is needlessly 
 disfigured by irregular poles, ragged wires and sloppy construc- 
 tion. Don't imagine these conditions are not observed by the 
 Man in the Street. They speak for themselves and later on, if 
 they are not remedied or made less objectionable, the Man in 
 the Street is liable to make a noise which will sound to the Central 
 Station like having to spend a lot of money for removal of such 
 lines or maybe the installation of underground construction in 
 their place. How about the stations, sub-stations, warehouses 
 and garages? Do they always present a creditable appearance? 
 Could the grounds around them be kept more tidy and would 
 some needed repairs or a coat of paint on some buildings make 
 a better impression? The Man in the Street misses nothing. 
 He knows whether you are properly maintaining your property 
 or allowing it to degenerate. If objectionable conditions con- 
 tinue without improvement he may charitably conclude you are 
 in a rut and he knows that the only difference between a rut and 
 the grave is in its length and breadth. 
 
 The Man in the Street has business in your office occasionally. 
 Is it an up-to-date office, with open, inviting appearance, or is 
 it one of the old, forbidding type, with high railings, with little 
 windows for the clerks to look through at customers and where 
 customers must stand off and meekly take whatever may be 
 handed them? A pleasant, cheerful office is an invitation to 
 come again, and no one realizes it more than the Man in the 
 Street. Are the clerks neatly dressed — the men with clean 
 clothes and clean-shaven faces, and the women in such costumes 
 and colors as befit their work? Is the Manager easily accessible 
 or is he locked in behind a closed door from where he cannot see 
 his assistants and where the company's customers cannot see 
 him? High railings, dark partitions and closed doors impress the 
 Man in the Street as belonging to ways that are dark and secrets 
 that are deep. Open offices invite him to inspect and he is 
 liable to say to himself that an invitation to inspect implies that 
 there is nothing to conceal. 
 
 I have heard some men say, " What does it matter to the Man 
 in the Street how we maintain our property? We get no more 
 revenue from him if our lines are straight or crooked, our build- 
 ings and property tidy or dirty and our offices inviting or the 
 reverse! He gets the service just the same." There is the great
 
 24 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 mistake. You are part of the community in which he lives and 
 takes a pride. Your methods either help the community or 
 hurt it. If your methods please him, he will ultimately take 
 more liberally of your service, and your income will be corresp- 
 ondingly greater. The Impressionist side of The Man in the 
 Street is one that should be regarded as highly important and not 
 to be slightingly ignored or carelessly overlooked. 
 
 The Student 
 
 The one thing that is most frequently overlooked in connection 
 with the Central Station business is that the company is distribut- 
 ing an intangible commodity. The purchaser does not see what 
 he is buying, as is the case with ordinary merchandise. He 
 cannot tell when he pays his bill that he is paying only for what 
 he has received. His senses, which are useful in buying some 
 things, do not help him in his purchases of electricity. Under 
 conditions like these, something must be relied upon to take the 
 place of the senses and the only substitute is confidence. Now the 
 average Man in the Street wants to know just where he is at when 
 spending his money, and the Central Station Company should 
 make it easy for him to learn all that is possible concerning the 
 real facts surrounding the production and distribution of elec- 
 tricity. The Man in the Street will study conditions and reach 
 his own conclusions about your business. If the truth is spread 
 before him for thoughtful inspection, his conclusions are liable 
 to be favorable. If, however, he becomes saturated with mis- 
 information concerning the methods and aims of the Central 
 Station, then his ideas will be perverted and his attitude preju- 
 diced. The Man in the Street is reasonable and willing that a 
 company giving a good service should receive a fair return on its 
 investment. However, in a reasonable manner he must be shown 
 what is the investment and what constitutes a fair return thereon. 
 
 Perhaps there is nothing more important for the Man in the 
 Street to study than the subject of what is good service and how 
 it may be obtained. If he is a lighting consumer he ought to be 
 informed as to the difference between ordinary light and scien- 
 tific illumination. He should be advised that he may often have 
 better lighting at less cost, by using more modern methods. If 
 he is a power consumer his installation should be inspected and 
 where conditions indicate wasteful consumption, the way should 
 be pointed toward more economical operation. He should be
 
 THE MAN IN THE STREET 25 
 
 instructed that when he has troubles with his service he should 
 tell them to the Company and not to his neighbor. He should 
 know what department of the Company to communicate with 
 and what is the telephone number. 
 
 Does the Man in the Street know that all rates for service are 
 subject to approval by the State Public Utility Commission? 
 Does he know that these rates are ordered or approved only after 
 exhaustive investigations made by the Commission's experts 
 as to the company's actual investment, operating expenses, and 
 depreciation charges and are calculated to yield only a small 
 return on the capital invested? Does he know that the Central 
 Station Company cannot raise a rate or increase a charge without 
 an order from the Utility Commission after a public hearing has 
 been held? Does he know that in fixing rates the Utility Com- 
 mission does not consider the company's bonded indebtedness or 
 outstanding capital stock as a basis for calculating what should 
 be the company's net earnings? Does he know that the Central 
 Station Company cannot issue any securities without the ap- 
 proval of the Utility Commission, and that the Company must 
 show how every dollar derived from the sale of securities is to be 
 spent? Does he know that the return the Company is allowed 
 to earn on its investment is not sufficient to provide for extensions 
 and betterments, and that for such purposes new money must 
 come from the sale of the Company's securities to investors? 
 Does the Man in the Street know that if he has a grievance 
 against the Company he may make a complaint to the Utility 
 Commission, and his trouble will be thoroughly investigated? 
 These are matters for the Man in the Street to study. At times 
 they mystify and bother him, but the more he learns regarding 
 public regulation, the more he is liable to esteem the Utility 
 Commission, respect the Company and be satisfied that his 
 individual interests are fully protected. With a proper under- 
 standing of Public regulation the Man in the Street has a better 
 grasp of the economic law of natural monopoly. As a student, he 
 may well consider some chapters from the records of disaster 
 that are written in the history of many cities and towns in 
 America where rival utility companies have attempted to operate 
 in the same field, where that field is properly served by one com- 
 pany at reasonable rates. His study will develop that unfair 
 competitive conditions are ultimately disadvantageous to the 
 consumer, who by increased rates must inevitably pay for the
 
 26 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 destruction caused by unnecessary competition. All publicity 
 of misinformation should be counteracted by even greater pub- 
 licity of true conditions. Truth is mighty and if the Man in the 
 Street may study and grasp its meaning he will eventually become 
 a defender of the Central Station and an ardent advocate of its 
 service. 
 
 The Human Being 
 
 Quite recently the manager of one of the districts operated by 
 a large Utility Company in this state received a letter from a 
 consumer reading as follows : 
 
 "Ordinarily when we pay an account promptly, we feel we have fulfilled 
 our obligation, but in your case v/e are moved to something more, and the 
 purpose of this letter is to thank you for the business like manner in which our 
 transactions with your company have been handled. Furthermore, we 
 have enjoyed that indefinable 'something' which goes with your service, 
 and which makes it a pleasure to do business with you." 
 
 The Man in the Street is a human being and that indefinable 
 "something" referred to is a recognition of the tactful, attentive 
 courtesy displayed to him as an individual. This attribute 
 attracts new consumers, and makes the older ones feel at ease 
 and satisfied. It is, in fact, the open sesame to the Public good 
 will, without which no company can continue to be successfully 
 operated. The rulings and orders of Utility Commissions may 
 govern the quality, manufacture and distribution of a commodity, 
 but they do not stipulate what shall be the attitude to the indi- 
 • vidual consumer. That is left to the management. 
 
 The Man in the Street dislikes to be herded — he hates to be 
 known as one of so many thousand consumers a company may 
 have in a community. He likes to be considered as an individual 
 and if he is known by his name, he likes it better still. 
 
 From my own residence I have occasion to send quite a few 
 long distance messages over the telephone. There are two Long 
 Distance Companies, and heretofore I have always been preju- 
 diced in favor of the older company. When I ask for Long 
 Distance, the routine is, "Number, please? Your own number? 
 Your name?" Recently, at certain hours of the day, a new 
 operator is on my line at the office of the other company. I 
 have never seen her and do not know her name. When she 
 says, "Number, please?" I may say 10621. When she says, 
 "Your own number" I say 571-W, and then instead of saying 
 "Name, please?" she says, "Oh, yes, Mr. Kennedy." Now, I
 
 THE MAN IN THE STREET 27 
 
 am the Man in the Street. I Hke my individuality recognized, 
 and because of that girl's tact, my business seems to be gravitat- 
 ing to her company. 
 
 Much of the criticism directed against Utility Companies 
 might be dispelled or relieved by a broadminded policy in hand- 
 ling complaints, in which each case is treated as an opportunity 
 for acquaintanceship with the Consumer and each complaint is 
 given an inividuality, by impartial and critical investigation. 
 A complaint is an opportunity to make a friend, and the oppor- 
 tunity is with the individual in particular and not with the class 
 of complaint in general. To satisfy means to hold business that 
 probably was difficult and costly to get. To satisfy means the 
 keeping of old friends and the making of new ones^and friends 
 build up a business. In handling complaints, words are only 
 one means of expression and manner is quite as important; a 
 kindly and courteous manner is not only the sign and mark of a 
 self-respecting man, but it is to words what oil is to machinery 
 in making them move feffectively to their purpose. The Man in 
 the Street gives many opportunities for Utility Company em- 
 ployes to know him and please him. Perhaps no opportunity 
 occurs more frequently than in the payment of bills. He pro- 
 bably calls at your office for this purpose once a month. If he 
 makes such a call, pays his money and has his receipt handed him 
 without word or recognition from the employe, he misses some- 
 thing and an opportunity for the company has been lost. If 
 the next time he calls the clerk says "Thanks" when handing 
 the receipt he feels a slight recognition of his existence. If on a 
 third call the clerk says "Thank you" he feels more interested 
 and if on the fourth call to pay money there should be a clerk with 
 tact enough to see the name on the bill, and when returning the 
 receipt to say "Thank you, Mr. Jones," the Man in the Street 
 goes out with an appreciative smile, and the thought in his mind 
 that he is known as a consumer and recognized as an individual. 
 Too much importance cannot be placed upon the treatment of 
 the Man in the Street as an individual who appreciates all the 
 niceties in the relations of one human being to another, and above 
 all he appreciates — 
 
 "How sweet and gracious, even in common speech. 
 Is that fine sense which men call Courtesy! 
 
 Wholesome as air and genial as the light! 
 
 Welcome in every cMme as breath of flowers, 
 
 It transmutes aliens into trusting friends, 
 
 And gives its owner passport round the globe."
 
 28 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 The Customer 
 
 Some years ago in a certain Western city where there were 
 three electric companies competing for business, a new theatre 
 was in course of construction. The three companies had identi- 
 cal rates for serving so that element did not enter into the com- 
 petitive conditions. Mr. X, the business manager of Company 
 "A," was watching the situation closely, and became somewhat 
 discouraged when the report was brought to him that the owner 
 of the new building was a stockholder in Company "B" and 
 naturally would influence the lessee to sign with Company "B." 
 Another report he received was that there existed a racial affilia- 
 tion between one of the directors of company "C" and the lessee 
 of the theatre, and that Company "C" was sure to get the busi- 
 ness. The lessee lived in a city several hundred miles distant. 
 One evening as the manager of Company "A" was about to 
 close his desk, the office door opened and a stranger walked in. 
 He asked the manager if he were Mr. X, and receiving a reply in 
 the affirmative, he stated he was the lessee of the new Peoples 
 Theatre and wished to arrange for service. He explained to 
 Manager X that there had been much influence used to swing his 
 business elsewhere, but that men in the theatrical business had a 
 way of inquiring from each other about certain matters. He had 
 inquired from other theatre managers as to which company gave 
 the best service, and Manager X was informed that not only the 
 theatre men receiving service from his company, but others in the 
 city all agreed that Company "A" gave the best service, and 
 looked after its customers in the most satisfactory manner. The 
 Man in the Street listens, inquires and uses his own judgment 
 when he is going to give his business, and your record for attention 
 to the little things in service may often win you big revenue 
 producing contracts. 
 
 A Central Station plant ought to be loaded twenty-four hours 
 daily. It does not have to sleep. The load curve ought to be a 
 straight line, before the electrical consumption of any community 
 has reached the saturation point. New consumers are desirable, 
 but the development of increased business with existing customers 
 is still more desirable. For greater business from present invest- 
 ment we must cultivate the Man in the Street. It may be con- 
 sidered an axiom that no consumer is using as much as he could 
 take to his own advantage, and the most profitable business is 
 produced by inducing consumers to increase the number of uses
 
 THE MAN IN THE STREET 29 
 
 of electricity. Much time and money have been spent in the past 
 in an endeavor to clip a small percentage from the cost of manu- 
 facturing and delivering a kilowatt-hour. Economies of opera- 
 tion are to be commended, but the time has passed when it is 
 simply a question of jumping a set of service wires to the con- 
 sumer's premises, and lumping a few kilowatt-hours there each 
 month. The time has come when it is up to us to interest our- 
 selves more than ever before in the manner and method of using 
 our product on the consumer's premises, so that the greatest 
 possible economies and benefits may be secured. 
 
 The Man in the Street knows of no saturation point, neither 
 should we. The Man in the Street is willing that the annual 
 consumption per capita should increase year by year if he is 
 benefited thereby. It is up to us to show him that electricity 
 and convenience are synonymous and in what direction new 
 benefits may be obtained. There is no limit to intensive develop- 
 ment of this kind — but it cannot be obtained by wishing and 
 waiting. The point upon which this whole question of business 
 development hangs is the ability to let the people know — in other 
 words, to create the desire. The Man in the Street must be 
 informed so that he may be fully advised as to the possibilities 
 of electric service, in the lightening of labor and in adding comfort 
 and good cheer to the life of mankind. He is already in a recept- 
 ive condition and is only waiting to be shown the wonderful 
 capacity of electric energy in performing almost everything 
 within the range of industrial and commercial life. All we need 
 is men who have a thorough practical and intimate knowledge 
 of the possibilities in the use of electric service. The possession 
 of this knowledge fills them with confidence and enthusiasm, so 
 that when they talk to the Man in the Street, the battle is as 
 good as won. Obstacles are swept aside, objections are over- 
 ruled, competitors are annihilated and, by-and-by, the Man in the 
 Street, far from being saturated, will, like Oliver Twist, only ask 
 for more. 
 
 The Investor 
 
 The problem as to the future of Public Utility Companies is 
 one which occupies considerable attention in the public mind 
 today, and is one which is of vital importance to the Utility 
 Company and the public. There is a competition going on be- 
 tween public control and private ownership. Public control is
 
 30 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 attractive to many but even its friends acknowledge that because 
 of certain inherent conditions it must travel a long way before it 
 reaches success. Private ownership has pioneered, nursed and 
 developed the business, and the same qualifications which have 
 produced so much good work in the past should enable it to con- 
 tinue and progress in the future. There is a greater need for 
 cooperation between the Utility Company and the Consumer 
 than ever before. But cooperation is a matter of give as well as 
 take. Sometimes it amounts to doing the other fellow's way 
 when he won't do ours. The Man in the Street is thinking as he 
 never did before — he looks at the Utility Company and believes 
 it is prosperous. Why should he not share in its prosperity? 
 Some wise man has said the best way to conserve private owner- 
 ship is to increase the number of private owners. Who is brave 
 enough to say that is not the answer to the problem? This is an 
 age of frankness, directness and simplicity. If you really want 
 more stockholders among your customers, you must go after them 
 candidly and openly. Don't tell them the benefit will be theirs 
 only — but that the advantages will be mutual. Not long ago one 
 of the power companies in this state received authority to add a 
 temporary surcharge to its rates. A certain consumer living in 
 the territory supplied went to his neighbor one day and said, 
 "How about this surcharge the power company is collecting? 
 Don't you think we had better look into it?" The neighbor 
 replied, "No, I have been making inquiries regarding the un- 
 controllable expenses our company has had to face, and we feel 
 that the surcharge is justified." The other man exclaimed, 
 "What do you mean by 'our company'?" The reply was, "Oh, 
 I'm a stockholder of the Power Company." 
 
 What better plan for its own protection and prosperity can a 
 Public Utility Company adopt than by making the Man in the 
 Street a full partner in the organization? If the company is 
 properly managed, if it has made a favorable impression upon the 
 Man in the Street, he is already predisposed in its favor, and it 
 will not be difficult to convince him that in order to make the 
 relationship perfect, he should be a stockholder. His desire to 
 become a stockholder will probably be in direct relation to the 
 treatment he may have received from your company in the past, 
 and if he has been well treated the amount of stock he will take 
 will probably be limited only by his financial capacity.
 
 THE MAN IN THE STREET 31 
 
 Human beings are not like merchandise, nor are they to be 
 handled like merchandise. Dealing with the Man in the Street 
 is a problem in personality, and it is through the point of contact, 
 wherever it may be : at the counter, over the telephone, through 
 correspondence or when and where service may be rendered, that 
 the favorable impressions are created which ultimately affect 
 the prosperity of the Utility Company. The physical assets of a 
 Corporation may be of fabulous value and may make a handsome 
 showing in an annual report to shareholders, but the value of 
 that intangible asset, the confidence and good will of the Man 
 in the Street, may be, after all, the one great element which 
 produces earning power and gives stability to the property.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 ROOM AT THE TOP 
 
 In almost every public utility organization of any size that is 
 attempting to keep pace with its responsibilities, there is a con- 
 stant demand for a certain class of men. Men there are in 
 plenty who may be termed "average." Men there are in abund- 
 ance who are known to be "below the average," but of men who 
 are able to lift their heads above the average in any line of work 
 there is always a scarcity. This condition may be accounted for 
 by the careful use of three tests, namely: lack of ability, lack of 
 ambition and lack of application. The first named test, lack 
 of ability, has the least to do with the scarcity of high grade 
 men. Almost every man has ability along at least one line. If 
 he is engaged in some occupation at which he does not make 
 progress or for which he has no liking, he is probably in the 
 wrong place. It would be much better for him to look around 
 for some work more adapted to his tastes and qualifications. 
 Usually he can find something that will hold a future for him, if he 
 is not afraid of work. The second class, lack of ambition, is a 
 more difficult one to handle. Lack of ambition may be the result 
 of poor health, the absence of a necessity for working in order to 
 exist, or lack of a full share of life's responsibilities — or pure 
 laziness. One thing is certain, men without ambition are almost 
 useless, and if the necessary stimulation cannot be pumped into 
 them by some means, they are heading for the discard. ' The 
 third class, lack of application, is the one which contains the 
 greatest number, and which holds the greatest possibilities — if 
 only those belonging to it can be brought to see the light. After 
 all is said and done, it is work and only work that wins — provided 
 the work is along the right lines. The epigram of Thomas A. 
 Edison that "Genius is partly inspiration but mostly perspira- 
 tion," is worth calling attention to. It is true it hardly needs 
 elucidation, and yet as preachers sometimes amplify good texts 
 into poor sermons, maybe a halting word or two may be said 
 about its definition. Genius is indeed God-given, but nobody 
 knows what may be accomplished by hard work. Oftentimes it 
 
 32
 
 It is now the community of interest 
 idea that does the business. The 
 manager with progressive ideas values 
 the confidence of the public, and the 
 old attitude of suspicion, based on the 
 belief that the interests of customer 
 and company were antagonistic, is 
 being done away with. 
 
 The telephone is the door through 
 which most of the company's pat- 
 rons enter, and is likely to become 
 the most important as far as number 
 of consumers handled is concerned. 
 
 {Facing page 32)
 
 ROOM AT THE TOP 33 
 
 takes work to bring out genius. The man who wants anything 
 must put a firm hand on the plow and he may be assured that 
 even if he does not get what he wants, he will get something worth 
 having. No honest work in this world is ever unrewarded. 
 With a real worker, time is measured only by what is accom- 
 plished, whereas with the man who lacks ambition or application, 
 the clock only is the measure of his labor. 
 
 "One sadly sees the setting sun 
 
 And views his day's work with a sigh, 
 
 The other drops his tools to run 
 
 Nor cares how little he has done; 
 
 And people still go asking why 
 
 Some men are down and some are high." 
 
 Some men are always going to get busy and do things worth while 
 — but while their intentions may be good, their accomplishments 
 are nil, because of constant procrastination. Such men should 
 get busy or stop talking. Others there are who put in their 
 time wishing for one thing and another, which if they had, they 
 think would put them in a position to do great things. There is 
 a vast difference between wishing and winning. Many a good 
 man has failed because he had his wishbone where his backbone 
 ought to be. 
 
 There is another class of men, who hold back and fail to get 
 results for fear they may make mistakes or do something wrong. 
 The best of men will make mistakes occasionally — that is only 
 human. If a man wants to avoid error, he has his choice of two 
 things — either do nothing or die. 
 
 There is still another class of men who accomplish nothing 
 because they are awaiting what they term ''their opportunity." 
 They feel that they have the necessary ability to do big things 
 if only the opportunity would come. It is safe to say that 
 opportunities are lying all around such men, just waiting to be 
 grasped. But these chances are passed by because they don't 
 appear big enough; are overlooked because they mean starting 
 too small; and are trampled under foot because future prospects 
 seem too remote. And all the time these daily opportunities to 
 which such men are Winded, lead to big things and high places. 
 "One ship goes east, another west, by the self -same winds that 
 blow, 'tis the set of the sail and not the gale that determines the 
 way they go." 
 
 If there is room at the top for all engaged in the public utility 
 business, including engineers, accountants, operators and com-
 
 34 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 mercial men, then what are the essentials in order to fill a space 
 in that room? It is not possible to indicate all the elements that 
 go to make up a successful career, but some of the high spots 
 may be touched upon. 
 
 Persistence 
 
 With most men the degree of their laziness or their industry 
 depends partly upon their affinity for the work, but chiefly 
 upon the motives which stimulate them. With some men the 
 motive is to obtain a livelihood, with others it is ambition, and 
 in many cases a combination of the two. In any event, the 
 room at the top is never reached by lagging behind in the daily 
 race, and watching others go by. A recent issue of a New York 
 paper contained a fable of four men, which was as follows : "I 
 got off a street car the other morning," said a doctor, "and, 
 being in no hurry, I began moralizing on the probable characters 
 of the three men who had alighted ahead of me. The first one 
 even then half way down the block and was going on with such 
 rapid strides that he had already put a couple of hundred yards 
 between himself and the next man. 'There,' thought I, 'goes a 
 hustler, — a man who's bound to succeed in life.' The second 
 man was walking rather slower, and impressed me as one who 
 would do fairly well, perhaps, in the world. But the last fellow 
 was just dawdling along in a most shiftless sort of a way. I 
 very quickly set him down as a loafer. Just then the idea came 
 home to me: "All three men were ahead of me." 
 
 The man who seeks promotion must keep at his work whether 
 his superior is looking or not. In a large corporation, although 
 he may not think it, an employe is under observation at all 
 times, and his work carefully noted. The slacker is soon known 
 to be a slacker, and the diligent worker does not go undiscovered. 
 When higher positions are to be filled and promotions made 
 sometimes the slacker wonders why he was overlooked, and his 
 neighbor selected. If he wants the truth let him ask his chief. 
 A man who wants to fill a big position had best begin by over- 
 filling a smaller one. That means work, intelligent work and 
 constant work. Work with the incentive of ambition for some- 
 thing to be attained ahead, and work with the incentive of duty 
 to be done close at hand. A man should not be content with 
 doing only his duty. He should do more than his duty. It is 
 the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race. A man
 
 ROOM AT THE TOP 35 
 
 should only stop when he has done his best, for that is the greatest 
 thing he can possibly do. 
 
 Cheerfulness 
 
 No man ever reached the room at the top because he was 
 grouchy or despondent. There may be instances where such 
 men have attained high positions, but it has been because of 
 marked ability along some particular lines and in spite of their 
 dispositions. Cheerfulness sharpens the edge and removes 
 the rust from the mind. Every man should learn to laugh. A 
 good story is better than medicine and is much easier to take and 
 give. A well-told story is as welcome as a sunbeam in a sick 
 room. The other fellow wants cheerfulness, and is dodging 
 troubles. Every man should keep his troubles to himself. The 
 world is too busy to care for his ills and sorrows. Let him learn 
 to stop croaking. If he cannot see any good around him, let him 
 keep the bad to himself. Other people have troubles worse than 
 his — there may be some comfort in that. Out in the world no 
 one cares to hear whether someone else has an earache, toothache, 
 or headache. Some men will even weep when telling of their 
 pains and troubles. Tears do well enough in novels, but they 
 are out of place in real life. At times they cannot be prevented, 
 and may even be necessary — but not in public, if avoidable. A 
 man should meet his friends with a smile — the good-humored is 
 always welcome, but the ill-tempered or hypochondriac is usually 
 a nuisance and not wanted anywhere. The twin brother to 
 cheerfulness is enthusiasm. If a man is enthusiastic, he cannot 
 long be doleful or discouraged. It is a powerful element in suc- 
 cess and is a useful factor in reaching the room at the top. An 
 imaginative writer has said about enthusiasm that it "breakfasts 
 on obstacles, lunches on objections, dines on competitors and 
 rests in peaceful slumber on their scattered tail feathers." 
 
 Soundness 
 
 The great prizes of life do not fall to the most brilliant, to the 
 cleverest, to the shrewdest or to the best educated, but to the 
 most level-headed men, to the men of soundest judgment. In a 
 public utility organization, when a man is wanted for a respon- 
 sible position, his shrewdness is not considered so important as 
 the quality of his judgment. Reliability is what is wanted — will 
 he do the right thing in an emergency? It is not an unusual
 
 36 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 thing to see men who are very brilHant but out of work, and 
 plenty of sharp men who wonder why they do not get responsible 
 positions. The reason is that people are afraid of one-sided, 
 poorly-balanced men. They are not considered safe, but are to 
 be avoided. A man may be smart, sharp, shrewd and clever, 
 and may be a good scholar, even a brilliant one, but is he sound? 
 That is the question an executive considering him for a respon- 
 sible position will ask. Is he substantial? Is he solid? Has he 
 a level head? What the chiefs of large organizations want are 
 men that are safe. A great railroad corporation operating in the 
 West once printed a set of rules governing the actions of its 
 men under all conceivable circumstances, so that it might have 
 been expected no emergency could arise which would not be 
 covered by one of the rules. But at the bottom of the list of 
 instructions, printed in type a little larger than the rest, were 
 these words: "In cases of doubt, always take the safe side." 
 That is what is wanted of the men who are to reach the room at 
 the top — above all things — safety. People want to feel that a 
 man in a responsible position can keep a clear brain and a level 
 head, no matter what comes; that he cannot be shaken from his 
 center, no matter what trouble may arise or how much influence 
 may be brought to bear upon him. They want to feel sure he is 
 sound to the core. Many people are liable to overestimate the 
 value of education, of brilliance and of keenness, which they think 
 at times may be substituted for a level head and sound judgment. 
 If men in a public utility organization are to rise they must first 
 be tested, and the testing process is going on all the time. Some 
 men resemble the Arizona mustang — they will go on along right 
 and safe lines for months, yes, maybe years at a time, and then 
 some day for no accountable reason will go off at a tangent and 
 do the wrong thing at a critical moment. That is what must be 
 avoided. Reliability is what is wanted. Can a man stand 
 without being tripped; and if he is thrown can he land on his 
 feet? Can he be depended upon, under all circumstances, to 
 do the sensible thing? Has he good horse sense? Is he liable 
 to go off half-cocked? Does he lose his temper or can he control 
 himself? If he can keep a level head under all circumstances, if 
 he cannot be thrown off his balance, and is honest, then is he the 
 man that is wanted. The younger men, looking up at the room 
 at the top, will do well to place the proper value on soundness to 
 learn its import and cultivate it on all occasions and under all
 
 ROOM AT THE TOP 37 
 
 circumstances. There can be no permanent advancement, espe- 
 cially near the top, unless the applicant be sound to the core. 
 
 Loyalty 
 
 When a man belongs to an organization, it goes without saying 
 that he will be loyal to its interests. If he cannot be, he should 
 sever his connection immediately, or lose the respect of his 
 fellows. But a man may be loyal to his company and yet pos- 
 sibly disloyal to himself. All men should desire to advance, but 
 this does not mean the acceptance of every will-o-the-wisp offer 
 dangled before his eyes. The man who is offered a bigger 
 salary elsewhere and refuses it to stay at his present job is actu- 
 ated by other than mere money considerations. Permanency 
 of position, congenial work and co-workers, efficient supervision, 
 benefit funds, pensions or service annuities, assurance of promo- 
 tion — these are some of the factors that are included in a man's 
 wages that cannot be expressed in cash terms, yet stimulate him 
 to effort and increase his hopes. The pay envelope contains 
 only one of several returns for labor that keep a man loyal to 
 his employer and his work. Many a good man has left the or- 
 ganization in which he was comfortable, and in which he had an 
 assured future, to go into some enterprise without proven sta- 
 bility, just because he was offered a few more dollars per month. 
 Dollars are useful and absolutely necessary, but there are other 
 considerations which should not be even temporarily overlooked. 
 Many a man who yielded to the temptation and left his organiza- 
 tion has later been glad to return and accept a lesser salary than 
 he had before, and in addition, lose his seniority and original 
 chances for advancement. With loyalty there should go a love 
 of the work in which a man may be engaged. He must love it 
 to have its best interests at heart. He must love it to bring out 
 his own best qualities, so that his work will put him in line to 
 occupy the room at the top. 
 
 "Are you trying to climb where tbe chosen are, 
 
 Where the feet of men are few ? 
 Do you long for a job that is worth one's while? 
 
 Well, here's a thought for you: 
 The pots of gold at the rainbow's end, 
 
 Are sought by the teeming mob, 
 But the fairies who guard them choose as a friend 
 
 The man who loves his job." 
 
 268526
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 CONGENIAL CONTACTS 
 
 There is a Moslem maxim which runs as follows — " F6ur 
 things come not back: The spoken word, the sped arrow, the 
 past life and the neglected opportunity." This maxim is a 
 good one for the employe of a public utility corporation to think 
 over now and then, if he has an earnest desire to serve his com- 
 pany and incidentally advance his own interests. There is no 
 greater asset a utility corporation can possess than the confidence 
 of its customers and the good will of the general public, and there 
 is no means whereby a corporation is measured or judged mope 
 constantly or more accurately than by "the spoken word "as 
 used by the corporation's officers and employes. This is neither 
 an old adage nor a new theory, but an incontrovertible fact, sub- 
 stantiated by the experience of those who have made a close 
 study of the subject usually termed ''Public Relations." Today 
 the manager with progressive ideas values the confidence of the 
 the people to a greater extent than he does a franchise; for in a 
 hostile community a franchise is of little value, either as an 
 asset or a means of protection. Consequently the best efforts 
 of all officers and employes connected with a utility company 
 should be put forth to please the people — so that every word and 
 act will carry a suggestion or conviction that corporation men are 
 really human — that they desire to serve the public conscient- 
 ously and honestly, and that if mistakes are made and errors are 
 discovered, they will be speedily and willingly rectified. Now, 
 there are three principal ways or angles by means of which the 
 public reaches its conclusions about a utility company, and these 
 may be termed the "points of contact." The first point- is letter 
 writing, the second is the telephone and the third is the personal 
 contact. If one were asked, "Which of these points is the most 
 important?" a reply might be given by asking "Which is the 
 most important leg of a three-legged stool?" All points of con- 
 tact must be carefully protected, otherwise the object to be 
 attained will be postponed or entirely defeated. If two legs of a 
 stool are strong and the other weak, then all are weak. If two 
 
 38
 
 CONGENIAL CONTACTS 39 
 
 of the points of contact in a utility company's organization are 
 fulfilling their functions, and the other is not working harmoni- 
 ously, then the harm being done in one direction is probably 
 counteracting the good work done in other ways. The different 
 points of contact will first be considered separately, and then as a 
 whole. 
 
 Letter Writing 
 If there is any kind of work that requires thoughtful considera- 
 tion on the part of a business man it is that of writing letters. It 
 was Bacon who said, "Reading maketh a full man, talking 
 maketh a ready man and writing maketh an exact man." How- 
 ever, exactness is not the only consideration in a letter emanating 
 from the ofhce of a utility company. In order to produce the 
 desired effect it must be couched in language which will also 
 convey consideration and courtesy. The writing of letters is of 
 vital importance in connection with the relations of the larger 
 companies with their consumers. It is of more importance to 
 larger companies only because a greater amount of business is 
 transacted by means of letters in the company that numbers its 
 consumers by tens of thousands, than in the company that 
 counts its customers by hundreds. One of the penalties of a 
 company becoming large is that because of a greater and more 
 extensive territory served, patrons cannot always find it con- 
 venient to make personal calls and tell of their wants or wishes. 
 Many complaints are forwarded in letters; many inquiries are 
 received and requests made through the mail. A letter in itself 
 is only cold type, dry ink and thin paper. The gesture, the facial 
 expression, the twinkle of the eye and the nod of the head are all 
 absent. Just the naked words are there to do the talking; 
 consequently one must be more than careful in the selection and 
 use of the words that are written. After what has been dictated 
 has been forgotten by the sender, the letter remains in the other 
 fellow's possession, and he may take it up now and again to look 
 at and ponder over it. If it contained anything that hurt when 
 received, it probably hurts more each time it is re-read, and it is 
 more than likely the reader will eventually work himself up to a 
 point of explosion. A hot letter sent in reply to a caustic com- 
 munication received is poor business. The answering epistle 
 may be cleverly constructed, really smart, and burn with righte- 
 ous indignation — but what good does it do the company? If 
 the customer who writes a letter has some grievance, real or
 
 40 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 imaginary, he had better be conciliated by receiving a reply with 
 full information, if possible, regarding all the circumstances sur- 
 rounding the alleged cause for complaint. It is bad policy to 
 word a letter, even if the facts seem to justify, that will make a 
 consumer feel humiliated, because he has made an erroneous 
 statement or an unwarranted charge. There is nothing gained 
 by such a method — and on the other hand — more trouble is 
 invited. It is easy for an employe with a candid opinion to elimi- 
 nate many friends for the company with which he is connected. 
 Requests for service are frequently received by letter. It is al- 
 ways easy to please if requests are granted upon application — 
 \ but when they cannot be conceded, or can only be granted under 
 \ certain restricted conditions, carefully worded letters are essential 
 \_when replies are sent. Some people have an idea that every 
 public utility company should supply service upon demand. 
 Whenever possible such people should be talked to personally 
 by an employe with a tactful tongue and a patient disposition. 
 But if a letter is to be sent informing the writer that service must 
 be refused, then it should contain a careful and considerate ex- 
 » planation, stating clearly and concisely all the facts, with the 
 I thought in mind that the letter so written may not only have to 
 I satisfy the customer, but that it also may be passed upon by the 
 Public Utility Commission if the customer should forward it to 
 that body. 
 
 Letter writing may be considered a valuable aid in business 
 building, and here again the form or style either wins what is 
 wanted or loses out. Letters are a dignified and desirable means 
 of drawing the attention of selected people to any subject of 
 special interest, and are always productive of good results. 
 Such letters should have the personal touch, and should be neat 
 and attractive in style and diction, carefully avoiding any 
 resemblance to a communication which might be considered 
 general in its character. Letters sent to customers should contain 
 few technical expressions and no abbreviations. Most people 
 are now familiar with kilowatt hours, but few know about 
 K.W.H.'s or K.V.A.'s. The customer wants light or power, not 
 explanations regarding voltage and amperes. Letter writing is 
 an art which may be freely used to please consumers and streng- 
 then a business — but an ill-worded or discourteous letter is 
 much more dangerous than the same number of words when 
 recklessly spoken.
 
 CONGENIAL CONTACTS 41 
 
 The Telephone 
 
 The manager of an electric company who is at all observing, 
 fully realizes how much of the company's business is handled over 
 the telephone and with what rapdity the number of telephone 
 calls increases. This point of contact bids fair to become one 
 day the most important of all in so far as numbers of consumers 
 handled is concerned. Perhaps even today, the telephone is the 
 door through which most of the company's patrons enter to 
 transact their business. It is not difficult to realize how essential 
 it is to keep this door well oiled and well attended. It should be 
 remembered that there are always three parties to a telephone 
 call: 
 
 (1) The person calling 
 
 (2) The telephone company 
 
 (3) The person called 
 
 That one or two of these parties do their work properly is not 
 sufficient. Concentration is the watchword of efficiency on the 
 telephone and the cooperation of all three is necessary. It may 
 be assumed that the telephone company does its part perfectly, 
 that its service is sufficient and its operators attentive. For the 
 present, therefore, we will consider only the person calling and 
 the person called, and their relation the one to the other. 
 
 Employes of a central station company should have clear and 
 frequent instructions how to talk over a telephone, not only from 
 the business standpoint, but also from the standpoint of me- 
 chanical necessity. Again it is affirmed — concentration is essen- 
 tial. No successful conversation was ever conducted by one who 
 tried to telephone and at the same time add a column of figures 
 or talk to a third person. In order to avoid the annoyance of 
 shouting or having to repeat, one should speak directly and dis- 
 tinctly into the transmitter, with the lips close to the mouthpiece. 
 This may seem a point that everyone understands — but such is 
 not the case. It is not uncommon to see a man talking in a 
 direction quite opposite to the location of the transmitter. If 
 the other party hears, it is a miracle. It is also necessary to 
 speak slowly. Half the art of good telephoning lies in deliberate 
 talking. This means clearness and emphasis. In telephone 
 usage, the tone and manner of speech, and the choice of words 
 has everything to do with the feeling created. The spoken word 
 and the inflection conveys whatever idea each party gets of the
 
 42 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 other. The impression made is entirely by what one says and 
 the way he says it, and here is where the element of courtesy 
 steps in and oils the machinery. But to be really courteous in 
 telephone usage involves more than pleasant tones. When the 
 average man meets the people in whom he is interested, or even 
 causal acquaintances, maybe even those who are strangers, his 
 manner is gracious and his bearing such as to gain and retain 
 friendship and good will. This same consideration of others 
 should not be forgotten in telephoning. It is well to assume that 
 the man at the other end of the line is a friend, and that he is 
 entitled to treatment entirely free from harsh tones and abrupt 
 language, such as would not be used in personal contact. A 
 telephone manner may become a valuable asset or an embarrass- 
 ing liability. 
 
 In a large organization there is often great difficulty and much 
 delay in reaching the party wanted. This trouble may be 
 minimized by the adoption of proper methods. The telephone 
 operators in large corporations should be quick to understand 
 what individual or what department is wanted when calls come 
 in. The words "One moment, please," will help things while 
 switching and ringing the individual required. If possible, one 
 switch from the private central is all there should be, but if it is 
 necessary to switch from one operator to another, and then to a 
 third party, no time should be lost in making the connection. 
 The operators of a private exchange should be able to interpret 
 incoming calls, so that mistakes in getting the wrong party may 
 be avoided. Nothing will more quickly wear out a customer who 
 may be trying to do business with a company than to hold a 
 telephone receiver to his ear and have to wait while he is being 
 switched from one office to another, and required to tell his story 
 over again each time he talks to a different party. A telephone 
 call for any person in the office is equivalent to leaving a calling 
 card, and is entitled to a polite response. If the person called is 
 out, the operator should inquire if anyone else will do. If no 
 one else will do, the operator should then say, "Mr. Blank is out, 
 but if you will leave your name and number, he will be pleased 
 to call you immediately on his return." 
 
 In answering telephone calls, the operator should use the 
 company's name, the name of the department, or the telephone 
 number, as best fits the situation. "Hello" is not. a good word
 
 CONGENIAL CONTACTS 43 
 
 to use, nor is any other expression which does not convey informa- 
 tion to the calhng party, so that he is in position to proceed with- 
 out delay. "What is it, please?" although courteous, does not 
 meet the situation as the use of any such indefinite phrase leads 
 to needless questioning and delay. In a large organization, 
 it is particularly needful that each employe should be shown the 
 way he is expected to answer the telephone, and someone should 
 see that the instructions are consistently followed. Telephone 
 calls should be answered promptly. A telephone call neglected 
 means delay for the calling party and perhaps the loss of a call. 
 As far as possible the ofRce boy should be relieved of the work of 
 getting calls for his chief — the party calling should always be 
 ready to talk when the party called answers. It is painful all 
 round to have someone "hold the wire" unnecessarily while 
 someone else is attending to other work. Sometimes upon the 
 manner in which what may seem to be a casual call is answered 
 may depend the obtaining of an important piece of business. 
 With a central station company there should always be an expert 
 on the line that receives complaints and another on the line that 
 handles inquiries for service. These lines are equally important 
 and should be well guarded. 
 
 It has been assumed that the telephone service itself is perfect 
 — but as is well known, such is not always the case, and poor 
 telephone service may often be a handicap for the central station 
 company to contend with. However, telephone employes can 
 also be polite, and evidently none more so than those who handle 
 the lines and switchboards in China. When a subscriber rings 
 up the exchange in that country, the operator may be expected 
 to ask: "What number does the honorable son of the moon and 
 stars desire?" "Hohi, two-three." Silence. Then the ex- 
 change resumes: "Will the honorable person graciously forgive 
 inadequacy of the insignificant service, and permit the humble 
 slave of the wire to inform him that the never-to-be-sufficiently 
 censured line is busy?" While this illustration may be a great 
 exaggeration it is much pleasanter to hear than the opposite. It 
 seems that for many in using the telephone it is especially easy 
 to be gruff and abrupt and turn friends into enemies because, 
 maybe, one thinks he is busy. An employe is never so busy 
 that he cannot furnish the public with proper information, and 
 should do so courteously even over the telephone.
 
 44 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 Personal Contact 
 
 The points of personal contact in the central station company's 
 organization are numerous and important. In the office there 
 are many clerks, and on the outside — calling upon consumers at 
 their places of business, or in their homes — are salesmen, col- 
 lectors, meter-readers, troublemen and inspectors. And this is 
 not all, for at times there are also linemen, construction men 
 and service men. The work of these men is varied, but in some 
 respects they should all act in the same way. Each should under- 
 stand his own duties, and leave a good impression on the con- 
 sumer after he has finished his particular business, so that the 
 next man coming along and representing the same company, may 
 find the consumer in a friendly frame of mind, because of the 
 good treatment received at the hands of employes who preceded. 
 Where all employes should be alike is in seeing that the consumer 
 receives the considerate, careful, attentive and courteous treat- 
 ment to which he is entitled. If this is consistently accorded 
 to the consumer, the clerk in the office will receive smiles when 
 he is given an error to correct — the salesman will be handed a pat 
 on the back when the customer bestows the order the salesman 
 desires. The collector will be welcomed as a friendly visitor; 
 the meter-reader will be asked to come oftener — and the trouble- 
 man and the inspector will be invited in for a cup of tea. As for 
 the lineman, serviceman and construction boss — when these 
 men are careful of the trees, shrubs, flowers and lawns when 
 doing their work, and clean up the mess they usually make before 
 they leave, they will receive commendation that will reach the 
 ears of the president of the company. These conditions may be 
 ideal, but they are not impossible. They may be termed vision- 
 ary, but in reality they have been known to occur. Politeness 
 is like an air cushion — there may be nothing in it, but it eases the 
 jolts wonderfully. Consideration for and attention to the other 
 fellow's requests may take a little effort, but if regularly prac- 
 ticed they will earn immense dividends. This is the easy way 
 to handle the company's business. It follows the line of least 
 resistance, yet always produces satisfactory returns. The day 
 has long passed when there can exist any "Corporation versus 
 The Public" attitude. It is now the community of interest idea 
 that does the business. The modern public policy is for the 
 utility corporation to concede to its consumers and the public 
 every request that is reasonable, and the result now is that the
 
 CONGENIAL CONTACTS 45 
 
 public in the main abstains from making unreasonable requests. 
 The proper attitude at all points of personal contact can result 
 only in improving the relations between the company and its 
 consumers, and enhancing the value of its service. 
 
 It has been said that "Sometime in the future, a nation's 
 civilization will be measured largely in terms of kilowatt-hours 
 consumed per human being per year." If such is the case, then 
 the aim should be steadily to increase the number of kilowatt- 
 hours consumed. At each of the points of contact between the 
 company and the public there are valuable opportunities for 
 making friends and adding new consumers, thereby increasing 
 the demand for the company's product. Each employe should 
 regularly ask himself, "Am I making the most of the opportuni- 
 ties offered so that the public and my company may reap the 
 full benefit?" If every employe would only do just a little more 
 each day what would eventually be the outcome? It is just the 
 additional little margin that wins, whether in time or in toil, 
 in power or in energy, in attention or in earnestness. Just the 
 additional little margin of effort at the points of contact, patiently 
 and tactfully to inform the public concerning those things which 
 they should rightfully know, will mean another step toward 
 that goal all men with high ideals would reach — perfection.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THAT THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW 
 
 In no detail of the management of a modern utility company 
 has there been a more striking "right about face" change during 
 recent years, than in the matter of informing the public. It is 
 not so long ago that the public policy of most companies was to 
 tell the public nothing. All matters concerning a company's 
 plans and operations were kept secret, and if a corporation were 
 attacked, no matter now viciously, no comment was made or 
 defense set up, the theory being that if let alone the attackers 
 would wear themselves out. Naturally the public stood by and 
 wondered. The people wanted the truth, but had no way of 
 obtaining it — and most frequently were compelled to believe 
 what was said against a company because the charges that were 
 made went uncontradicted. Such a policy if indefinitely con- 
 tinued is nothing short of suicidal. It is worthy of note that 
 most managers have dropped the old methods of secrecy and are 
 gradually taking up with the new policy of publicity. It was 
 Emerson who said, "Trust men and they will be true to you," 
 and in order to demonstrate to a man that he is trusted, you must 
 take him into your confidence. 
 
 There are several ways of informing the public as to the aims 
 and operations of a utility company — but, after all, the principal 
 means is through the newspapers published in the territory in 
 which a company supplies service. It is safe to say that the one 
 publicity medium which has become an absolute necessity to 
 modern civilization is the daily newspaper. The columns of 
 newspapers are reserved for two purposes by their owners, 
 namely, news and advertising. The newspaper's income is 
 derived from its advertising, but the public buys it because of the 
 news it is expected to contain. Advertising space is a valuable 
 commodity which a newspaper sells, and upon which it pays its 
 expenses and makes its profit. A public utility company should 
 be a liberal advertiser, because of the benefits it will derive from 
 attracting attention to the advantages of using the commodity 
 
 46
 
 THAT THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW 47 
 
 in which the utility is directly interested. A public utility 
 company has also much of importance to report concerning which 
 the public should be informed, and which is distinctly news, and 
 should be published in the news columns of the daily papers. 
 Practically every newspaper subscriber is a consumer of elec- 
 tricity, and it follows in natural sequence that all consumers and 
 subscribers are very vitally interested in everything pertaining 
 to the service supplied, and in the company which takes care of 
 their necessities. When allotting advertising and distributing 
 news items the utility company cannot afford to ignore the small 
 dailies in favor of the larger papers published locally or in neigh- 
 boring cities, even though the larger papers claim a substantial 
 circulation in the smaller communities. In an exhaustive analy- 
 sis of the newspaper situation the "Editor and Publisher" of 
 New York, a recognized authority in the newspaper world, points 
 out that the big metropolitan papers can never serve as a satis- 
 factory substitute for the close local appeal of the home dailies. 
 It says: "The considerations which render the local daily 
 newspaper an essential factor in the life of its community serve 
 to make its advertising space an essential factor in any 
 campaign of localized national advertising. Such newspapers 
 are a part of the routine of life in their cities. They deal with 
 near-at-hand concerns and people and affairs." Consequently 
 in order "That the People May Know," the columns of all 
 newspapers, big and Httle, having a circulation in a community, 
 should be utilized by the company having advertising to allot 
 or a story to tell. 
 
 What is it then that the people should know? A well known 
 writer once said, "The public wishes itself to be managed like a 
 woman; one must say nothing to it except what it likes to hear." 
 Experience does not indicate that such is the attitude of the 
 public today — what it seems to want is the news, and above all 
 it wants the facts. Far better for a utility company to stick to 
 the old policy of secrecy about its affairs, than to hand out per- 
 verted news and stories containing half truths. Sooner or later 
 the whole truth will come out, and then the company that has 
 been side-stepping will be discredited, and later even the actual 
 truth when published about other matters will be dubiously 
 received. There is so much of interest and educational value 
 that a utility company may tell, and repeat at intervals, that it 
 would be practically impossible to enumerate all subjects.
 
 48 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 However, it may be desirable to touch on some of the more im- 
 portant. 
 
 Financial News 
 Not long ago a retired business man living in New York 
 received a circular from a bond house announcing that a certain 
 California power company was floating a new issue of its bonds 
 amounting to sixteen million dollars. The circular was of the 
 usual character setting forth the company's financial position 
 and earning power. The New York man had a relative con- 
 nected with the power company, and as he was interested in the 
 issue, wrote asking for first hand information. He particularly 
 desired to know, when he wrote making inquiries, how it was 
 possible "for a company to be so remarkably prosperous and 
 yet be so darned hard up." It is fair to assume that the average 
 man of affairs, not connected with the public utility business, 
 knows little about the methods of financing such a property, and 
 the fact that under regulation the amount of a utility's earnings 
 are limited to a relatively small percentage of the actual money 
 invested in the property. While interest and sinking fund 
 charges are taken care of, and a proper depreciation allowance 
 is recognized, all expenditures for additions, and betterments 
 must be made from funds derived from sources outside the 
 company itself. A utility company, supplying service in a 
 prosperous community, cannot stand still — it must grow — and 
 consequently must always be adding to its capital account. But 
 capital is sensitive and will only go where there is confidence — and 
 confidence is founded upon knowledge. Such being the case, it 
 is surely desirable to inform the public regarding all matters 
 pertaining to the operation of a utility company in its relations 
 with its employes, its service to consumers, and its intercourse 
 with the people in the territory occupied. There are no secrets 
 that a properly operated utility need attempt to conceal. The 
 cards may all be turned face upwards — the doors left wide open, 
 and the books made available for inspection. At such times as a 
 company may be offering its securities for sale, there are splendid 
 opportunities for real news stories which the press will readily 
 accept. What has been accomplished in the past may be at- 
 tractively presented, and what the company proposes to do with 
 additional capital in the way of substantial development may be 
 set forth truthfully and attractively. The trouble is that many 
 utility managers, though not belonging to the old secretive class,
 
 THAT THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW 49 
 
 assume the public knows much that it has no means of learning 
 — unless the utility company itself sees that the desired informa- 
 tion is wisely spread through all available channels. 
 
 Power Development 
 That the People May Know something concerning the diffi- 
 culties of production of the commodity distributed, it is well to 
 make public, through the columns of the newspapers, all stories 
 concerning the building of new hydroelectric properties, including 
 their location, cost, period required for construction, transmission 
 difficulties, and all details connected with the work of wresting 
 the energy from the waterfall and delivering it at some point of 
 use, maybe hundreds of miles distant. The public should be 
 informed under what conditions the company is allowed to harness 
 the falling water at each new development, and what the work 
 means along the lines of conservation. That if the energy in the 
 mountain stream is not utilized, it is a loss which cannot be made 
 up in other ways, for after the water has once passed the fall, it 
 has gone forever. On the other hand, if harnessed it becomes a 
 perpetual asset, available for present and future generations. 
 The power developed by means of coal or fuel oil, carries a different 
 story. For every ton of coal or barrel of oil taken from the 
 ground, there is just that much less to be drawn upon. Steam 
 generated energy means the using up of the country's resources, 
 while hydroelectric energy is the essence of conservation. These 
 are the facts which may be woven into fascinating news stories, 
 and to many people they will read like fairy tales. Let us assume 
 a great corporation calls for a loan of ten or fifteen or twenty 
 millions of dollars for the development of some giant power pro- 
 ject and the funds are made available. Most likely the work will 
 be carried on in almost inaccessible mountain fastnesses. The 
 money will be spent in driving long tunnels and constructing 
 high dams, and millions will be distributed for labor in the em- 
 ployment of thousands of men for many months at a time. For- 
 tunes will be invested in machinerj^ and equipment and the 
 desired end will be attained only after years of almost endless 
 toil and patient waiting. Surely these are things which must be 
 of interest to present and prospective bond holders and stock- 
 holders and the general public. But security holders and others 
 cannot know all that is being done unless the story is written in 
 an interesting manner, and told as news through the columns of 
 the daily papers.
 
 50 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 Important Extensions 
 In the great West, and on the Pacific slope, most of the cities 
 depend for their growth upon what is generally known as the 
 "back country." When an electric company, by the extension 
 of its lines into new territory, reclaims thousands of acres of 
 of desert lands, it does much not only for the new communities 
 served, but also for the neighboring cities and towns. Great 
 quantities of food stuffs are produced, which must be marketed, 
 and most of the money received is spent close at home. This 
 means that because of the investment made by the electric com- 
 pany all of the nearby towns are benefited. The merchants sell 
 more goods, the real estate men sell more land, the bank deposits 
 swell, the theaters do more business, and incidentally, the circu- 
 lation of the newspaper increases. The intelligent editor is 
 glad to have such news at first hand and it is up to the company to 
 give it to him in detail — that the people may know. The exten- 
 sion of electric lines depends almost entirely upon the amount of 
 money that company heads are able to secure from Eastern or 
 local investors, and the thoughtful people who read newspapers 
 will realize the immense significance of all news of this character. 
 
 Power Uses 
 The service of electric energy is unique. Except to a very 
 limited extent it cannot be stored and consequently must be 
 produced the instant the demand is made by throwing a switch 
 or turning a button. The average consumer has no knowledge 
 of this fact — or how much the company does so as to be in readi- 
 ness to serve him at any moment. Does the grocer, butcher or 
 baker serve him as quickly? Are the street-car, the telephone or 
 the telegraph companies at his command as readily? Does the 
 gas company or the water company, who may store their products 
 go to anything like the same trouble and expense to be at the 
 consumer's beck and call? When new enterprises are induced to 
 locate in a community, it is often because of the availability of 
 an abundance of electric power. The price at which electric 
 energy may be obtained is often a deciding factor in influencing 
 large industries to build their plants in a city and give employ- 
 ment to hundreds of men. Through the newspapers the public 
 should be informed of what the company has done in building 
 up the territory. It is news to tell of the prospective or actual 
 location of an enterprise through the promotion work and sales 
 efforts of the power company. When new street lighting systems
 
 THAT THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW 51 
 
 are installed in a city, that is good news to the people, and will be 
 read with interest. When new uses are found for electricity 
 whereby labor is lightened or the world benefited, there is no 
 better or more interesting reading for the average man or woman, 
 and stories of new and important uses for electricity are of 
 frequent occurrence — but the people won't know them unless 
 they read them as news in the papers. The growth of public 
 utility corporations and the absorption or amalgamation of other 
 companies in nearby or distant territories, all indicating the 
 march of progress, are naturally interesting item.s to newspaper 
 readers. Such expansions and consolidations tend to produce 
 better service, and consumers of the company and subscribers 
 of the papers should have all the fact spread before them. 
 
 Personal Items 
 Personal items are the smallest things a newspaper prints, but 
 they contain the vital matter — the human element. The value 
 of a personal item conforms to the sphere of acquaintance of the 
 person mentioned. An officer of a public service company 
 becomes a public servant and as such he must at times consider 
 himself as public property. In many communities, the district 
 manager of a utility company comes in contact with more people 
 in his town than any other man. His assistants are also person- 
 ally known to many. If these people are promoted, married or 
 afflicted, what happens to them interests many — not because 
 they are more important than anyone else, but because more peo- 
 ple know them. The movements of general officers of a company 
 are usually of interest to others — because these men circulate 
 in the territory served in order that they may see and understand 
 local conditions, so that improvements may be instigated and 
 expenditures authorized. It frequently happens that company 
 officials may be creditably connected with other financial, indus- 
 trial, civic or national organizations and have been public bene- 
 factors and maybe have attained special honors or distinction 
 along other lines. All personal items of this character are news, 
 and should be circulated among local papers at the proper time, 
 so that the people may know. 
 
 Welfare Work 
 A public utility company should be a leader among the business 
 organfzations in a community, and a pioneer in initiating and 
 adopting progressive methods. In this connection there is no
 
 52 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 more important matter than the relation between the company 
 and its employes. There is much being accomplished along the 
 lines of welfare work for the benefit of employes, of which the 
 public hears little. There are educational advantages, medical 
 services, sick benefit funds, accident indemnities, life insurance 
 plans and pension systems in which the people have more than a 
 passing interest. It is a source of satisfaction for the average 
 man to know that the corporation to which he regularly pays his 
 money has a paternal interest in its employes and offers them 
 present and future protection. The newspapers appreciate the 
 value of such important news stories as may be given out regard- 
 ing the inauguration or progress of any welfare work which is of 
 interest alike to the company and its employes. 
 
 State Regulation 
 
 In nearly all states there is now a Public Utility Commission, 
 each with power to regulate the operations of utility companies 
 within its jurisdiction. In California this important work is 
 delegated to the Railroad Commission. Perhaps in no other 
 matter is it as essential for the public to be truthfully informed as 
 in connection with the control and regulation of all utility com- 
 panies by the authorized body. The Commission establishes a 
 uniform method of accounting, so that each company's account- 
 ing methods may be along proper lines, and also that the opera- 
 tions of one company may be compared intelligently with any 
 other supplying similar service. The people should know about 
 this. The Commission must approve the issuance of any new 
 corporation securities before they may be legally marketed, and 
 at the same time fixes the minimum price to be received by the 
 corporation for such securities. The Commission also must be 
 informed as to how the money obtained from the sale of securities 
 is to be spent. The reasons for all this scutiny are that there 
 shall be no over capitalization, or what was formerly termed 
 "water stock," that there shall be no bonds issued without ade- 
 quate security to the purchasers, and that the moneys derived 
 from selling securities shall only be spent in additions and better- 
 ments of the property. The people should be informed of this. 
 The Utility Commission has absolute control over all rates for 
 service and rules governing same. The Commission fixes or 
 approves rates upon the basis of a reasonable return upon .actual 
 investment. Operating costs are carefully investigated, interest
 
 THAT THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW 53 
 
 and depreciation charges analyzed, and rates fixed along scientific 
 lines. The people ought to know this. The Commission lays 
 down certain standards of service which utility companies must 
 follow. Intercourse with consumers in the matter of extensions, 
 complaints, credits and payments are prescribed, all of which 
 affect directly the pockets of the public. The people should 
 know this. The Public Utility Commission is constantly issuing 
 orders affecting utility companies and their customers. These 
 orders are frequently of importance to the individual. The 
 utility company manager should see that all matters pertaining 
 to his company and the utility commission should be handled as 
 vital news. The people should know, first, for their individual 
 information; second, to protect and justify the company, and, 
 third, that the full meaning of an order issued by the Public 
 Utility Commission may be comprehended by the people for 
 whose benefit it is issued. 
 
 Distribution of News 
 
 Just who shall give out the news from a company is a matter of 
 detail. It may be the president, or it may be the press agent, 
 but in any event, it must emanate from some person in authority, 
 who knows what he is talking about. When it is once given to 
 the newspapers, the responsibility of the company ends. Whe- 
 ther it be enlarged or cut down, is a matter which the editor 
 has to judge and pass upon and which usually depends on the 
 volume of other news that he has to consider in the day's work. 
 A public utility company should hand out its news to the daily 
 papers freely and impartially, without any attempt to color, and 
 absolutely without discrimination as between papers. The 
 tipping off of corporation news to favorite reporters or others by 
 various people connected with the corporation will usually lead 
 to serious trouble, and give offense to the paper or papers from 
 which the news may have been withheld. The main thing to 
 bear continually in mind is that the company almost constantly 
 has real news to distribute, that newspapers are glad to publish 
 it as news and that the people want to read the news concern- 
 ing the utility corporations which are serving them. Conse- 
 quently, the news should be regularly distributed to and through 
 as many reputable newspapers as are published within the com- 
 pany's sphere of operations — so That the People May Know.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE DISPLAY ROOM 
 
 There are three branches of the electrical industry directly 
 interested in the sale and distribution of all kinds and varieties 
 of electrical appliances, but each class is interested from a differ- 
 ent angle. The first class is the manufacturer who wants a 
 market for his products, his particular desire being to induce 
 those in the second and third classes to act as his distributors. 
 The second class comprises the jobber and dealer, and they are 
 both merchants looking for a merchandising profit. Their 
 interest in a sale usually ends with the delivery of the goods. 
 The third class is the central station company and its main object 
 is not a merchandising profit, but a greater and more diversified 
 connected load. The interest of those in the third class only 
 begins with the delivery of the goods; and their benefit is con- 
 tinuous, like the brook that "goes on forever." Because the 
 various branches of the industry are interested in this important 
 matter, there should be a broad cooperation existing between all 
 concerned, so that the demand may be created and the field 
 more quickly and more effectually covered. 
 
 The Display Room as Salesman 
 
 From the standpoint of the electric company, there are three 
 principal ways of reaching the public, in order to create and 
 stimulate the demand for electric energy and increase the output 
 of the central station plant. The first is personal solicitation, 
 the second advertising, and the third the well-appointed display 
 room. Now, as a matter of fact, advertising seldom carries the 
 persuasion which closes a contract; it takes the personal solicita- 
 tion, or the kind of conviction that is produced by actual ob- 
 servation, to obtain the signature of a prospect to an electric 
 service agreement. Consequently, experience has shown that 
 the display room is not only a valuable concomitant in connection 
 with advertising, and a useful assistant to the salesman, but is in 
 itself of incalculable benefit to an electrical distributing company. 
 
 54
 
 THE DISPLAY ROOM 55 
 
 It is a means of directing the attention of the pubHc to the actual 
 operation of various electrical devices, and thereby aids in 
 attaining the most desired objective of the company, that is, 
 the building up of a profitable load for every hour of the day. 
 There cannot be too many properly operated display rooms in a 
 community. The manufacturer, the dealer and the central 
 station may each have one on the same street without hurting 
 each other, and, as a consequence, many more appliances will be 
 sold. If the manufacturer establishes an exhibit in a busy 
 center — he often creates a demand which is cashed in by the 
 dealer. If the central station maintains a display room it helps 
 itseK — stimulates business for the dealer and increases sales in 
 various directions which develop business for the manufacturer. 
 And as for the dealer, he becomes a public benefactor. In 
 addition to the lasting benefit which he confers upon his customer 
 by inducing him to acquire and use a tried and tested electrical 
 appliance, he obtains a profit for himself — keeps the wheels of 
 the manufacturer in more continuous motion, and adds to the 
 central station's constant load and income. This is the coopera- 
 tion which really cooperates, and leads to a closer and more 
 beneficial connection among the various branches of the electrical 
 industry. 
 
 In order properly to analyze the advantages and uses of the 
 display room, the subject may be studied from three angles: 
 (a) appointments and methods; (b) value of demonstrations; (c) 
 value of food exhibits in connection with display rooms. A brief 
 consideration of each angle may be of interest. 
 
 Appointments and Methods 
 
 In considering the fitting up of a display room, the first ques- 
 tions to settle are those pertaining to situation and size. The 
 room should be centrally located in the business portion of the 
 community, past which many people are continually coming and 
 going. There is little use locating a display room on an out-of- 
 the-way street — to a large extent this would be like wasting 
 powder and shot. The room should be commodious and of 
 sufiicient area to permit of the proper display of all apparatus 
 and appliances which are to be exhibited, and at the same time 
 allow a free access for visitors to move about without crowding. 
 An over-crowded display room defeats its purpose. If the space 
 is not ample it is better to display fewer appliances and show them
 
 56 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 to advantage. The size of the room has Kttle relation to the size 
 of the community in which it is located. There should be as large 
 an exhibit in a town of 5,000 people as in a city with a population 
 of 50,000 — because the number and variety of appliances which 
 it is desirable to put before the public is the same in each case. 
 
 The display room should be bright, clean and inviting at all 
 times. Particular attention should be given to the color scheme 
 and illumination. The veriest novice in the business can realize 
 that unless the room is attractive in itself, the advantages to be 
 obtained may be minimized, if not altogether lost. The display 
 room should contain abundant stock and nothing but electrical 
 goods. The samples on exhibition should be scrupulously clean. 
 If an electric fan is being shown with dust on its base, and fly 
 marks on the blades, the customer will not be as much impressed 
 as if there were a clean base and shining blades. If a customer 
 is looking at an electric toaster which has previously been used 
 for demonstrating, and the bottom contains stale crumbs and 
 dust, it will not make the same impression as if the appliance were 
 in a spick and span condition. 
 
 In the display room, the many appliances for various kinds 
 of uses should be segregated into groups, so that all pertaining 
 to any particular use may be within easy reach. Lamp exhibits 
 should be in one class and so arranged that the illuminating 
 effect of any one lamp could be best demonstrated when the 
 current is turned on. This method also permits of easy com- 
 parison as to the relative effects of different lamps. All appli- 
 ances which are used in the office or store should be together. 
 All appliances for household use should be assembled by them- 
 selves. Appliances for the workshop and factory properly 
 belong to another class and should be located where they may 
 be shown to advantage and not weaken the attractiveness of 
 some other devices which often sell on their appearance. As far 
 as possible, specimens of each type of appliance should be con- 
 nected up, so that the current may be readily turned on, and 
 their operation demonstrated. Wherever space is available, 
 such appliances as are not complete in themselves should be 
 connected to apparatus and contrivances which are adapted to 
 the use of electric energy for their operation. This applies to 
 sewing machines, dish washers, coffee grinders, lathes and many 
 of the other small devices which may be successfully operated 
 by the use of direct connected or belt driven motors.
 
 THE DISPLAY ROOM 57 
 
 The usual display room of the dealer is located in his business 
 establishment. It goes without saying that the exhibits should 
 be in the front part of the room, and the staple goods in the rear. 
 This means that all customers entering the store for any purpose 
 must necessarily pass by and see the articles displayed. Stock 
 and supplies maintained in the rear of the display room should 
 be kept on clean shelves and tables, as neat and tidy as the room 
 itself. One part cannot be untidy and careless-looking without 
 affecting the appearance of the whole. Jewelers' show cases 
 display the better goods to great advantage, and the cases are 
 more useful still, if suitably illuminated. 
 
 Supplementary Features 
 
 Every lighting customer buys lamps and consequently lamps 
 should be featured. Lamps of only the proper voltage for local 
 circuits should be stocked — but lamps of every useful size and 
 variety in the required voltage should be kept on hand and ex- 
 hibited. Too much care cannot be given to all the details in 
 connection with planning and arranging a proper show room. 
 The money spent in suitably decorating and adequately wiring, 
 and the current used in demonstrating are of little moment in 
 comparison with the assured results accruing from a properly 
 equipped exhibit. Tasteful literature is a factor which should 
 not be overlooked. Visitors who have seen and become inter- 
 ested in appliances exhibited in a display room are willing to 
 take home with them something which will refresh their memory, 
 and enable them to talk the matter over with others who may 
 be interested. 
 
 Neither the contractor-dealer nor the central station company 
 should look upon a modern display room as only an opportunity 
 to spend money for ornamental purposes. If properly conducted, 
 it will not only pay its own way, but in addition will yield a 
 handsome profit. Many contractor-dealers who formerly ne- 
 glected their opportunities for merchandising, now find it is the 
 most remunerative department of their business. Careful 
 accounting methods are necessary for both contractor-dealers 
 and central station companies, so that they may realize just 
 what profit the display or salesroom is producing. 
 
 All apphances on exhibition should be ticketed and priced in 
 plain figures. This saves time and, during busy hours or when 
 help is scarce, the appliances will often sell themselves. If an
 
 58 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 article is not priced, and no salesman near, a consumer will 
 frequently lose interest. There can be no harm done in putting 
 the price on an article in plain figures — and on the other hand a 
 sale may be lost because the price is not clearly stated. Em- 
 ployes exhibiting or selling apphances should know the consump- 
 tion of each device, the rate per kilowatt-hour for service supplied 
 by the local central station company and also the cost per hour 
 for operating any appliance shown. If such information is not 
 available, the customer will often hesitate or postpone a purchase 
 until the cost of operation is known and fully understood. 
 
 It is needless to say that good show windows should accompany 
 electric display rooms. The best possible equipment is none too 
 good for the show windows. This applies to the painting, color 
 scheme, decoration, sign lettering and illumination. The more 
 class to the window, the more attention it will draw and the 
 more goods will be sold. Above all, taste and care should be 
 used in displaying the appliances in the window. Better change 
 the window often and display only one type of appliance at a 
 time, than endeavor to exhibit a number of different kinds of 
 appliances at once and over-crowd the window. There is great 
 scope for originality and taste in arranging the window exhibit — 
 and a good exhibit is well worth while. 
 
 Value of Special Demonstrations 
 
 While the display room should probably be as spacious in a 
 small city as it would be in a larger one, at the same time the 
 expense in maintaining the room and conducting demonstrations 
 may be proportionately greater in the larger community. From 
 the standpoint of the electric company, the display room may 
 well be used as a means of educating the public in the use of the 
 appliances exhibited. For this reason a company would be 
 justified in having an expert in charge who could not only attend 
 to the every day duties in connection with the care of the display 
 room, but also could give demonstrations on pre-arranged days. 
 It goes without saying that the display room should be conducted 
 under the general direction of the chief of the company's con- 
 tracting department, and the dates for the different demonstra- 
 tions should be so arranged that parties who would be particu- 
 larly interested in any demonstration could be duly notified by 
 the salesman. It might be a good plan to have a special demon- 
 stration one day each month. The demonstration should be
 
 THE DISPLAY ROOM 59 
 
 preceded by a talk on the general character and utility of the 
 appliances to be shown, and the salesman should be available to 
 assist in the work of exhibiting and explaining the uses of the 
 different devices. The special days should be divided in some- 
 what the same manner as suggested for the segregation of the 
 exhibits in the display room. For instance, one day in each 
 month might be given to electric cooking, and such a demonstra- 
 tion should have the assistance of a first-class cook so that the 
 articles of food prepared and distributed may demonstrate how 
 well they are cooked and how good they taste when electricity 
 is used. During summer months special attention should be 
 directed to those appliances which are particularly useful in hot 
 weather, such as fans, cooking devices, small refrigerating plants, 
 laundry machines, dish washers, vacuum cleaners, and the many 
 appliances of the character which lighten work for the housewife. 
 In the winter months, more attention might be given to electric 
 heating appliances such as radiators, foot-warmers, heating pads, 
 hot water bottles and the like. Now and then special demon- 
 strations might be given for those interested in shop and factory 
 work. There is a large field for development in this line, includ- 
 ing such appliances as glue pots, soldering irons, breast drills, 
 heaters, etc. However, the actual demonstration of such 
 apparatus may not be suitable or appropriate in the ordinary 
 display room, as usually such demonstrations would be more 
 effective on the premises of the prospective purchasers. In a 
 general way, it has been found that demonstrations create inter- 
 est and spread knowledge, where knowledge and interest did not 
 previously exist, and that, if properly conducted, all demonstra- 
 tions as to the use of electrical devices are quickly followed with 
 increased amount of inquiries and more frequent sales. 
 
 Joint Electrical and Food Exhibits 
 
 While all classes of people are now beginning to be more 
 famihar with the uses of electricity in daily life, the great ma- 
 jority as yet know little regarding its true usefulness as a labor 
 saver and real servant of man. In the minds of many there is 
 still a mystery about its generation and distribution, which is 
 largely inherited and sometimes difficult to shake off. By means 
 of electrical exhibitions the public is brought in closer touch with 
 the handling of electric energy and the practical uses to which it 
 may be put in every walk of life. It is true that every electric
 
 60 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 appliance installed in a home or shop becomes an exhibit in itself, 
 but as a rule this exhibit is confided to the personal acquaintances 
 of the one on whose premises the installation has been made. 
 By means of the electrical exhibit the attention of the public is 
 drawn to the advantages of electric energy in a general way as well 
 as to some of the more unusual uses. Each individual who visits 
 a display or exhibition, while he may look at the many kinds 
 shown, will have his special hobby and will be more interested 
 in those particular appliances which are nearest to his every-day 
 work and method of living. It is true that one-half the world 
 does not know how the other half lives, and it is also true that 
 one-half of those using electricity do not know in what manner 
 the other half is utilizing the same kind of energy. The prime 
 value of the exhibit lies in the fact that it tends to bring the two 
 halves together, allowing them to intermingle and absorb the 
 knowledge gained from the experience of others. 
 
 The exhibition and preparation of certain articles of food in a 
 display room is often of distinct advantage. There is cleanliness 
 about the use of electrical energy for cooking purposes that makes 
 such an exhibit particularly attractive to the careful housewife — 
 and as everyone must eat to live, the food exhibit is usually of 
 interest to all, and a good adjunct to a display of cooking ap- 
 pliances. The adaptability of electric energy to the manufacture 
 of foods is undeniable. The preparation and serving of all 
 kinds of edibles can be demonstrated in such a manner that the 
 brands of food, electrically prepared, become more interesting 
 and more attractive to the public — the value of the food being 
 enhanced and the consumption increased because electricity is 
 used in its preparation. 
 
 The prime value from the central station standpoint of the 
 display room and electrical exhibit is in stimulating the consump- 
 tion of the company's product, and in adding business along lines 
 which will be most profitable. There is a great diversity in the 
 hours of use of all electrical appliances, and this diversity makes 
 the added load very attractive to the company distributing 
 electric energy. Most of such appliances are used during the 
 daylight hours, when the average electric company has the least 
 demand for its energy, and consequently the added load during 
 off peak hours is unusually attractive. Again, most of the lamp 
 socket appliances installed on the lines of an electric company 
 mean additional load without additional investment, and the
 
 THE DISPLAY ROOM 61 
 
 income from such added load is at the maximum rate per kilo- 
 watt-hour, as service is supplied through the lighting meter. 
 This condition applies to all appliances using 600 watts or less 
 and includes irons, toasters, percolators, chafing dishes, heating 
 pads, foot warmers, radiators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines 
 fans, vibrators, and scores of other devices which may be put in 
 operation in any room or place where circuits are installed for 
 electric lighting. Such additional load does not mean the addi- 
 tion of more lines, transformers, services or meters, but on the 
 other hand it produces a better utilization of the present invest- 
 ment — the ideal class of added business — the most desired by any 
 central station manager. The more a company's lines can be 
 packed with the lamp socket load, the nearer such company will 
 have attained ideal operating conditions. There is a goal all 
 good operators desire to reach, the gates of which are Minimum 
 Investment, High Load Factor and Maximum Rates. The 
 lamp socket appliance load in sufficient quantity will open all 
 three of these gates. 
 
 The Edtjcational Factor 
 
 The properly conducted display room will naturally aid in 
 removing from the public mind any prejudice regarding the use 
 of electricity, either as to a mysterious uncertainty lurking in the 
 background or as to the cost of service; and will do much to 
 educate the people regarding the far-reaching advantages to be 
 obtained from the use of the electric servant whenever and 
 wherever possible. At the present time this applies particularly 
 to energy used in the home. Reliable help is becoming scarcer 
 and more expensive each month and a greater number of families 
 are compelled to do their own housework. The uses of electricity 
 materially lighten the labor in the home, and when this is fully 
 realized the bugaboo of housework will gradually be lessened or 
 entirely dispelled, and then the demand for electrically operated 
 appliances will probably be greater than the supply. Further, 
 the advantages of electric cooking are now beginning to be under- 
 stood, and as the understanding increases, electricity will be 
 more generally used in the kitchen, because of its cleanliness, 
 convenience and utility. The question of comparative fuel cost 
 will eventually be of little moment. House lighting may still 
 be done by means of other illuminants at less cost than by elec- 
 tricity, but because of its compensating advantages almost
 
 62 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 everyone wants electric lighting. The same condition will one 
 day prevail regarding electric cooking. There are compensating 
 advantages in saving of time and labor, and in quantity and 
 quality of food cooked, that far out-weigh any minor considera- 
 tion such as fuel cost. The time is not far distant when all 
 central station operators will require to be prepared for the load 
 which is coming from this direction. The main factors which will 
 hasten the day are exhibition, demonstration, education and the 
 maintenance of high grade service to all cooking installations 
 already made. In this connection well conducted display rooms 
 keep electrical matters constantly before the public, and are of 
 real educational service to consumers and at the same time of 
 distinct advantage to all branches of the industry.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESS 
 
 In these energetic times, the word "progressive" is dinned into 
 our ears to such an extent that some people are Hable to misunder- 
 stand its meaning or become absolutely tired of it. However, 
 we of the electrical fraternity know that as progress leads to 
 perfection, the progressive spirit is something to be cultivated by 
 all connected with the great industry of which we are a part. If 
 we are to progress we must be active. We must neither mark 
 time nor stand still, for if we are not moving forward, we are 
 slipping behind. Perhaps the American people comprise the 
 most progressive nation in the world, and the most restless and 
 inventive American is the Yankee. No less an authority than 
 Chauncey M. Depew has stated his belief that the great invent- 
 iveness of this same Yankee is due to his fondness for pie. Pie 
 twice or thrice a day will eventually produce indigestion in the 
 strongest stomach, and with indigestion a man cannot sit still 
 and remain peacefully contented. He must have action, mental 
 and physical, and action will invariably produce results. 
 
 Land Transportation 
 
 Let us glance at the results of the progressive spirit in busi- 
 nesses which might be considered as correlated to the one in which 
 we are engaged — that is the electric industry. This refers par- 
 ticularly to transportation, the telegraph and the telephone. 
 Transportation has, properly speaking, three divisions: land, 
 water and air. Land transportation may be traced back to the 
 period when mothers first strapped their babies on their backs. 
 Since that time more patents have been issued upon inventions 
 relating to transportation than upon any other line of human 
 activity. They range all the way from a tiny device for unhitch- 
 ing a runaway horse to the latest idea in guiding an automobile. 
 It is well to pause and consider what this wonderful development 
 in land transportation has meant for the civilized world; how 
 the spirit of progress has linked country with country and nation 
 
 63
 
 64 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 with nation, so that together and with the aid of each other they 
 might move forward to fulfill their destinies. Think how these 
 many railways have prevented the close congestion of population 
 in large cities by opening up the surrounding territories, and 
 reducing the time from the suburbs to the center. Railroads 
 have made the rough places smooth; have annihilated distances, 
 and at times have almost rivaled the sun in their speed. Progress 
 is now beginning to revolutionize railway travel. Instead of 
 continuing with the wasteful use of coal or other fuel, many 
 railroads are figuring on changing their motive power from 
 steam to electric — in fact, there are some thousands of miles of 
 railroads in America already converted. In addition to the 
 more economical operation with electricity, there is another 
 advantage — for electric power increases the capacity of a single 
 track road anywhere from fifty to eighty per cent. 
 
 Electricity on the Sea 
 
 Some of our fathers and grandfathers came from Europe in 
 vessels which were conspicuously uncomfortable for passenger 
 travel, as we now look back on them, but they were considered 
 wonderful ships in those not so very far distant days. Should 
 you now desire to go to Europe, you will observe what a marvelous 
 change has been brought about by this same sprit of progress. 
 You are ushered on board a great floating hotel, a structure so 
 big that only giant waves have any material effect upon it, 
 and so powerful that the energy it contains is measured by tens 
 of thousands of horsepower. When you wish to move about on 
 this castle there are servants at your beck and call for all pur- 
 poses, and electricity is the servant of the servants. Little 
 electric railways operate in the bowels of the vessel, and electric 
 elevators lift you from deck to deck at your pleasure. Your 
 state room is warmed or cooled by electricity as well as scientifi- 
 cally illuminated with lights from invisible sources. Your meals 
 are cooked by means of electric energy and carried from the 
 kitchen to the dining room by the same force. In fair weather 
 and foul, you may work or play, eat and sleep, be amply enter- 
 tained or peacefully rested on board of one of these great modern 
 steamships, and all the time you are being swiftly and comfort- 
 ably carried to your destination. It has been the tireless spirit 
 of progress, working on time and possibly overtime that has 
 wrought this marvelous change.
 
 THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESS 65 
 
 Invading the Air 
 
 But progress is still moving forward and we are now launched 
 upon a new era of transportation which bids fair eventually to 
 revolutionize other means of travel. Air travel had been well 
 started before the great war began — but the experiences and 
 necessities of the four years' struggle advanced air transportation 
 twenty years ahead of what it would have been under peaceful 
 development. Mail and passenger services in a limited sense 
 are already in regular operation in many countries. A printed 
 notice is posted in the office of one of the largest hotels in Chicago 
 which reads, ''The aerial mail for New York leaves here daily at 
 8 :45 a. m." Such a notice is now read in a matter of fact manner 
 by the hotel guests. More extensive trips, even transcontinental 
 routes are now being planned for aerial travel — and before long 
 trans-oceanic service for mail and passengers will be in effect 
 over many seas. This new method of transportation will pro- 
 duce many changes in our methods of living. Possibly those of 
 us who are "going up" will soon begin to discard surplus apparel, 
 and even turn our pocket money into greenbacks, in order to cut 
 down the weight. Those of us who stay down will probably 
 require to carry as much accident insurance as those who fly, for 
 we will never know what may strike us when we leave our homes. 
 Only as far back as yesterday, all we had to look out for, when 
 we ventured abroad, was the automobile, the bill collector, the 
 trolley, the truck, the hansom cab, the taxi, the bicyclist, the 
 switch engine, the gentleman who carried his umbrella under his 
 arm with the ferrule pointing to a quarter past three, and the 
 lady who walked one direction and looked another. That was 
 all. But today, we not only have to look out for all those possi- 
 bilities with our eyesight, but we have to keep part of it aimed 
 at the sky above, for southbound aeronauts, whose little aero- 
 planes have failed to aero properly. 
 
 Without the inventions of two great men, rapidity and safety 
 in railway traveling would have been impossible. These men 
 were George Westinghouse, the inventor of the air-brake, and 
 Professor Morse, the inventor of the practical method of tele- 
 graphy. Sometimes a big man fails to recognize the spirit of 
 progress when it hunts him up. When Westinghouse was 
 ready to exhibit a model of his air-brake, he sent a letter con- 
 cerning it to Commodore Vanderbilt, the then leading railroad 
 man in the country. Vanderbilt smiled at the idea of stopping
 
 66 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 a train with wind, and wrote at the foot of Westinghouse's letter, 
 "I have no time to waste on damn fools," — C. Vanderbilt. 
 Later Westinghouse made a similar request to President Cassett 
 of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Cassett listened and gave West- 
 inghouse a chance to demonstrate, with the result that the rail- 
 road world was startled. Vanderbilt heard of the experiments 
 and wrote to Westinghouse to call and explain the device. It 
 is said Westinghouse returned the letter and across the bottom 
 was written, "I have no time to waste on damn fools." — G. 
 Westinghouse. 
 
 Development of Telegraphy 
 
 A story is told of one of the early experiments in telegraphy. 
 For this experiment twenty-six wires were required from one 
 point to another and at each end of each wire was attached a 
 pig — each pig representing a letter of the alphabet. The current 
 sent over a wire caused one of the pigs to squeal, and the receiver 
 of the message knew that squeal called for a certain letter. It 
 would seem as if the progressive spirit has done some good work 
 since that first experiment. By and by a code system was worked 
 out and a message could then be sent one way at a time on a 
 metallic circuit. Then someone stumbled onto the fact that 
 if the ends of the wires were stuck in the ground, one wire would 
 do as well as two — in other words, the grounded circuit was put 
 into effect. Then new inventions were added to new inventions, 
 and instead of one message one way on one line at one time, we 
 have a multiplicity of messages each way on the same wire. 
 That was progress in itself — enough for an ordinary century — but 
 not enough for us. Marconi and others said, "Why all this 
 waste of wires?" "Why all those forests of poles?" And lo, 
 wireless telegraphy was born. Every man has his own opinion 
 as to the marvels of the period he lives in — but no matter what 
 else the spirit of progress has developed during recent years, 
 there can be no greater wonderment than the wireless message. 
 To the uninitiated, it may seem reasonable that a sound or a 
 flash can be transmitted over a wire — but to send and receive 
 recognizable messages through ulimited, boundless space makes 
 a staggering impression upon the ordinary man with average 
 intellect. 
 
 Away back at the time when the telegraph and cable were the 
 most wonderful things in the world, a young man was desperately
 
 THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESS 67 
 
 busy in a noisy machine shop in Boston. He was wholly ab- 
 sorbed in what appeared to be an absurd looking toy. For three 
 years he was toiling over it, and then on a hot June day in 1875 
 an almost inaudible sound — a faint twang — came from the ma- 
 chine itself. That twang of a spring was the first tiny cry of the 
 new-born telephone, as feeble and helpless as any other baby and 
 "with no language but a cry." That young man was Alexander 
 Graham Bell, and that baby of his, has grown until it is one of the 
 greatest necessities of modern life. When it was patented, there 
 was no name for it in the world's languages, and its description 
 called for " an improvement in telegraphy." It is a pretty young 
 child who would not know today that it is nothing of the kind. 
 It is as different from the telegraph as the eloquence of the orator 
 is from the language of the deaf-mute. 
 
 The progressive spirit is working. The wirless telegram has 
 become an important servant in peace and in war. The wireless 
 telephone is coming, and doubtless will be here upon a commercial 
 basis in the not distant future. We may yet see the day when 
 every man will be his own "central" and with a pocket telephone 
 he may be able to talk to whom he pleases at his own sweet will 
 The line then will never be busy, and the war tax on such mes- 
 sages will be hard to collect. 
 
 In front of the beautiful Union Railwaj'^ station in Washington, 
 D. C, there is this inscription: 
 
 "Electricity, carrier of Light and Power 
 
 Devourer of Time and Space; 
 Bearer of human speech over land and sea, 
 
 Greatest servant of man — itself unknown." 
 
 We are told that there is invested in the electrical business in 
 the United States nearly four billions of dollars, and that this 
 large investment has been piled up during the past thirty-five 
 years. Thirty-five years ago, electric lighting was a marvel; 
 today it is in nearly every home where the service is available. 
 Almost every day sees some new application of electricity, which 
 adds to our personal comfort, or to the easier or more economic 
 transaction of business. 
 
 More Light 
 
 The progressive spirit is perhaps more marked in lighting 
 matters than in many of the every-day necessities we think are 
 ours by right. Our original human ancestor, as far as history 
 informs us, was the cave man. As his name indicates, this pro-
 
 68 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 genitor of ours lived in a cave — mostly because he did not know 
 what else to do about a home. His activity was much along the 
 same lines as other animals. He arose with the sun and retired 
 at sunset, and had no artificial light at his command. He lived 
 on roots, berries and raw flesh. He did not have to hunt for a 
 cook, because he had no fire and no food that needed preparation. 
 After all, his life was not without some compensations. Then one 
 day he accidentally struck a piece of flint and a spark arrived. 
 From that spark our business started. The cave man was soon 
 staying out at night, and his wife awaited his return with a pine 
 torch to illuminate his cave and some meat stewing in a kettle 
 over a fire. Then, by and by, grease commenced hanging around 
 that kettle, which would drip into the fire, and somehow the 
 successors to the cave man got this grease hitched into a rope 
 and the tallow dip was born, with an illuminating capacity of one 
 candle power. It took centuries to progress, and eventually we 
 got the oil lamp — then artificial gas, and by that time it was 
 thought all that was good in lighting had been discovered. The 
 world sat back contented with its illumination until about thirty- 
 five years ago — and then a crude method of electric lighting was 
 made commercially possible. Altogether there have been issued 
 by the authorities in Washington more than 58,000 patents on 
 electrical subjects, a large percentage of which are in reference to 
 lighting matters. The Department of Commerce and Labor is 
 the authority for the statement that the United States uses more 
 electrical energy than any three countries in the world, and is the 
 most brilliantly lighted nation on the face of the earth. Between 
 the Atlantic and the Pacific and the Gulf and the Great Lakes, 
 there are in use over one hundred million incandescent lamps. 
 If these millions of lamps could be concentrated in one spot, their 
 resplendence would probably equal one of the lesser orbs of the 
 solar system. 
 
 It is not an unusual thing to hear some electrical engineer say, 
 especially among the ranks of the younger men, "So much has 
 been done in electrical inventions there remains so little to 
 accomplish," or words with a similar meaning. A few years ago 
 Thomas A. Edison, the man who has himself taken out over 700 
 patents on electrical subjects, used these words: "We have just 
 started on our electrical way, and the chances of big, new 
 electrical inventions are much greater than before the telegraph, 
 the telephone, the electric light and the electric motor were
 
 THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESS 69 
 
 invented." There is plenty of food for thought in these words, 
 and plenty of encouragement for all present and future electrical 
 engineers in America. It wouldn't seem unreasonable for a 
 live engineer to be worried because the progressive spirit seems 
 to be crawling along so slowly. Look for instance at the one 
 subject of efficiency in the generation of electricity. The defini- 
 tion of efficiency is "the ratio of useful work for energy ex- 
 pended." Think of it! In the most modern electric lamp, there 
 is an average of about five per cent of the latent power in the 
 oil burned, or the water force used in the distant power house. 
 Ninety-five per cent is wasted, dissipated and lost between the 
 oil tank or intake, and the tungsten or gas filled lamp. Were 
 every bit of the energy stored in the oil or the head of water 
 made available when a switch were turned, the light would spring 
 into fifty lamps instead of into one as is the case today. It is 
 true we look upon the tungsten and other modern lamps as far 
 ahead of the carbon filament types. So they are, but consider 
 how little of the energy as represented in the oil or falling water 
 is given back in these newer lamps. One inventor speaks of the 
 incandescent and arc lamps as "simply refinements of the torch 
 of the primeval savage, or the common candle, and primitive 
 and inefficient in their present form." If such is the case, there 
 is plenty of opportunity for the progressive spirit. When we 
 get all that should be gotten of the latent power, we will then 
 have wondrous improvements and use for light. "Give us more 
 light" is the cry in all parts of the land. "Give us the cheerful- 
 ness and protection which light brings." All country roads must 
 eventually be lined with electric lamps, and as for the cities, 
 they will yet be as bright at night as the highways on a June 
 evening in the land of the midnight sun. Greater efficiency in 
 production is all we need, and this must come through the efforts 
 of the engineer. However, the generation and distribution of 
 electric energy is not the only instance of low efficiency. There 
 are many problems just as important along other lines — awaiting 
 new inventions and better methods — awaiting the touch of the 
 spirit of progress. 
 
 Limitless Opportunity 
 
 All electrical men, it appears, are not engineers, and there is 
 
 much work laid out for others in the industry along distinctly 
 
 progressive lines. Those who sell the product of the generating 
 
 plants have still a task which needs careful study and constant
 
 70 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 effort. For a long time, engineers have drummed into the com- 
 mercial men the necessity of protecting the peak. Metaphori- 
 cally speaking, both engineers and salesmen were wont to stand 
 with their heads back and faces upward, gazing at the marvelous 
 height of some imaginary peak, and wonder when it will stop 
 climbing in that spire-like style. But times are changing — the 
 peak bug-a-boo is coming into its inheritance, and the progressive 
 spirit has already given it some early payments — in the back of 
 the neck. Two things are contributing to the peak's diminishing 
 importance — the one is the storage of water, making power avail- 
 able at such hours as it may be most needed, and the other is 
 diversity of load. The larger the average central station be- 
 comes, the more territory supplied with service — the greater 
 should be the diversity in the connected load. And with the 
 diversified demand, the load factor should improve, and instead 
 of the engineers worrying about peak, that is, the number of kilo- 
 watts of daily or yearly maximum demand, the worry becomes 
 changed into anxiety concerning the generation and delivery of 
 the number of kilowatt hours needed to meet the requirements of 
 consumers. With the greater diversity of added load, spread over 
 longer hours of use, business with poor load factor, which was 
 once considered unprofitable, may be taken on with advantage, 
 and business with high load factor, while always desirable, is not 
 as important as it once was to the large central station plant. But 
 the load factor of the central station plant itself may yet be so 
 scientifically increased that the peak will almost entirely disap- 
 pear. It is not unreasonable to expect that a 90 per cent load 
 factor may one day be a reality. But there is much work to do 
 before the load curve near the appearance of a straight line — 
 before the electrical consumption of a territory supplied has 
 reached a point approaching saturation. There are many present 
 uses for electricity which are not nearly developed. There are 
 many uses coming of which we may only dream today. The 
 factories and workshops are eagerly calling for the money saving 
 power. How about all the business to be obtained on the farms? 
 The stores and office buildings are asking what else we can give 
 them. How about the homes? Some will say "Why, look at 
 what we have done in that direction!" Well, what do we see? 
 Electric lighting everywhere — but not enough and not used for 
 long enough hours. Maybe one or two appliances in the average 
 home, just to show how useful they can be. But look at all the
 
 THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESS 71 
 
 drudgery in the home which may yet be relieved. Look at the 
 tired women and weary men who are wearing themselves out 
 because they do not know where to turn for asistance. And all 
 the time we have the sevant to do their work, but they don't know 
 it. It is someone's mission to teach them — to point the way to 
 rest, ease and comfort and incidentally to raise the consumption 
 of the central station over all hours of the day, and bury the peak 
 forever. 
 
 From the Cradle to the Grave 
 
 There is no denying the fact, however, that this spirit of 
 progress is running parallel with the strenuous life. There was 
 a time when a man entered his own home, he might- expect a 
 certain amount of peace and quiet. Maybe that time has gone 
 and never to return. The era of electric appliances is with us, 
 and from the moment we enter our houses, even until the instant 
 we leave them, we are butting into some current consuming 
 device. It takes a pilot to keep clear of cords and wires attached 
 to irons, toasters, curling tongs, foot-warmers, vibrators, hair- 
 dryers and automatic pianos, and if the cords are passed in safety, 
 one's fingers are liable to be burned by handling some innocent 
 looking article which in reality is as hot as blazes. Times are 
 changing. A little while ago, electricity was a toy that doctors 
 and children played with. Now we cannot get along without it. 
 From the cradle to the grave it stays close to us. If there were 
 only some way to blow it out, it would give complete satisfaction 
 in every direction. The modern infant has his milk warmed by 
 it. Growing up he may wear an electric belt for what ails him, 
 and have his diseases and pants pressed with an electric iron. 
 His food may be cooked electrically, and he may be run over by 
 an electric car, carried in an electric hearse to the cemetery and 
 there electrically incinerated. We cannot tell to what uses 
 electricity may be put in the next world, but there is an idea 
 prevalent that a properly constructed halo must be made of a 
 short circuit. 
 
 The progressive spirit is evidenced not only in manufacturing 
 and selling the product, but also in seeing that the consumer gets 
 all that he should in the way of attention and education, which 
 will make the service most beneficial, satisfactory and agreeable. 
 The man'^who can install an electric motor in place of a steam 
 engine has made progress, but not more than the man who can 
 show a customer where he can make two horsepower of energy do
 
 72 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 the work of three. The man who can induce a customer to burn 
 two lamps where he had only one before, has made progress, but 
 not more than the man who by scientific distribution of light can 
 show a customer how he can make five lamps do the work of 
 ten and have better illumination. The man who can make a 
 customer understand the importance and usefulness of his com- 
 pany in a community, has shown the progressive spirit, but not to 
 a greater extent than the man who has made a customer believe 
 in his company's integrity and its sincere desire to serve the 
 people. 
 
 After all, the spirit of progress is entirely a personal matter. 
 We speak of a progressive city, when we really mean the citizens 
 who live within its borders. We speak of a progressive company, 
 when we really mean the men who guide its course and control 
 its management. We speak of a progressive individual, and 
 we mean just what we say. What we need is the ability to 
 recognize progress when it comes, then to get behind it and help 
 it along. There are times when some people don't or won't 
 recognize the working of the spirit of progress, because its coming 
 may look like inconvenience or injury to their business. In the 
 constant evolution from one stage to another, there must be 
 re-adjustments which will disarrange the old order of things. 
 We had better make up our minds to accept the changes, even 
 if they temporarily hurt us — for we cannot stop progress. Every 
 man connected with the electrical industry holds a mandate 
 which should compel him to welcome every forward movement, 
 so that all may recognize that the spirit of progress is the twin 
 sister of electricity — the Goddess of the Wires.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE DISTRICT MANAGER 
 
 It is quite impossible for a large public utility company, 
 supplying an electric, gas or telephone service, and covering a 
 great area of territory, to handle all its business through one 
 office. "Remote Control" may be of advantage in the distribu- 
 tion of some high voltage currents, but it is a poor way to serve 
 customers who may reside at some distance from the central or 
 general offices. Consequently, for the better protection of busi- 
 ness and as a means of supplying a higher grade of service, the 
 territory occupied is usually divided into districts, each one of 
 which being in charge of a district manager. This is an import- 
 ant position, for not only is the operation of the company's 
 business in his hands, but also its standing in the community 
 and its local reputation for integrity and progressiveness. The 
 district manager acts for the company in its intercourse with the 
 public by virtue of his appointment, and he acts for the public in 
 its intercourse with the company by virtue of his position. He 
 must fairly represent both sides, as they are really a unit, the 
 dual relations being so intermingled that a parting of the ways 
 does not exist. That is, the permanent interests of the utility 
 company and of the consumer are really along parallel lines. 
 
 The Organizer 
 
 While working under the direction of the general offices, the 
 district manager must have an intimate knowledge of the work 
 in all the departments of his organization, and of the duties and 
 capabilities- of each of his men. He must be not only a manager, 
 but an accountant, engineer, salesman, foreman and cashier, and 
 with it all, a master of diplomacy. The processes of modern 
 business are sometimes likened to a complicated machine, and 
 the executive must program every part of his organization as 
 carefully and thoroughly as the inventor designs the details of a 
 great engine. The management of a public utility company is 
 organized thought, exactly as the machine is the organized thought 
 of the inventor. 
 
 73
 
 74 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 The district manager should be a speciaHst along lines which 
 make for efficiency in administration. There is just as much 
 opportunity for real invention in the field of organization and 
 administration as in the field of mechanics. The mechanical 
 inventor studies out a machine in which all the parts are to 
 work together to produce a given result. In doing this he deals 
 with inanimate material; his work is wrought out along fixed 
 mechanical lines; he knows in advance how each gear, spring, 
 pulley and lever will fulfill its mission. Its power to do is a 
 mechanical certainty. The mechanical inventor does not give 
 to any part of his machine any latitude whatever, and all the 
 initiative must come from him. 
 
 The true executive, be he general manager or district manager 
 must also be an inventor; he, too, studies out a working machine 
 where all the parts are to move in harmony to produce a given 
 result. However, he deals not with inanimate material, but 
 with men with wonderful possibilities of initiative to help or 
 hinder the working of the organization. To men working as 
 parts of one harmonious whole, must be given a certain amount 
 of latitude, in which to exercise whatever power of initiative 
 they may possess. They must be given intelligent direction 
 and then left, in a measure, to work out their problem in their 
 own way. Of course, they are always under observation, and 
 their work follows certain established lines — but no code of rules 
 or regulations ever drafted can take the place of intelligence. 
 The district manager should have a knowledge of men, exactly as 
 the mechanical engineer has a knowledge of materials and me- 
 chanics. The right men must be trained and fitted into their pro- 
 per places in the machine in order to obtain the right results. 
 
 The Real Head 
 
 The public utility company which is operating in a large terri- 
 tory, with an eye to present requirements and future success, 
 must build up the standard of the district manager. Men of 
 high grade should be selected for the position, and the position 
 should be made as important as possible, compatible with a 
 company's general organization and methods of operation. The 
 district manager should not be a puppet or a marionette to act 
 and move when some one in the general offices pulls a string. He 
 should be the real head of his company in the territory under his 
 control, and should be a conspicuous figure in that community.
 
 THE DISTRICT MANAGER 75 
 
 His company should be localized and the general offices of the 
 corporation should only be referred to incidentally, in all inter- 
 course with the public, and not as a center from which all instruc- 
 tions must come and all authority emanate. The district mana- 
 ger should be made responsible for the development of his local 
 organization — and with this responsibility he should be expected 
 to obtain satisfactory results. 
 
 The district manager may not have had an engineer's training, 
 but at any rate he should gradually become an engineer by 
 absorption, and should be absolutely familiar with the commodity 
 handled by the company, and the various methods of distribution 
 which it has adopted. He must know all details in order to talk 
 intelligently, either in public or in private, and understandingly 
 to direct the work of the men under him. His position is no 
 sinecure — but a real active job, requiring the use of all faculties 
 and the benefit of all his experience. 
 
 Custodian and Guardian 
 
 Perhaps one of the most important positions the district 
 manager has to fill is that of custodian and guardian — custodian 
 of the company's property and guardian of its interests. The 
 property of the company in his district is under the general super- 
 vision and care of the manager, and as far as possible, he should 
 know all that is going on, or being done in the way of changes, 
 additions or betterments to the system. The care of the property 
 also means its proper maintenance, and maintenance includes its 
 appearance to the eyes of those inside and outside the organiza- 
 tion. Cleanliness, neatness and tidiness are just as essential as 
 quality and stability, as far as the public is concerned, and these 
 attributes should never be overlooked. He should also know 
 the weak places, if there are any, and be on the alert and able to 
 act promptly should any trouble occur either from accident or 
 destruction caused by the elements. 
 
 Not only are the plants and buildings under his care, but he 
 must be familiar with the franchises, licenses and permits under 
 which the company operates, to see that nothing may be con- 
 sidered by local legislative bodies which might threaten or im- 
 peril their value. With this end in view, it is of the utmost 
 importance that all matters affecting or liable to affect the 
 company's interests directly or indirectly should be immediately 
 brought to the attention of the proper department in the general
 
 76 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 ojffices. The manager should not take it for granted that any- 
 thing of local importance will be known without his saying some- 
 thing, but he should promptly send in his report to the proper 
 officer. If the information has already reached the officer from 
 another source, it won't hurt to have it again. Far better that 
 the report go in from two sources than none at all. On the other 
 hand, after making his report, the district manager has relieved 
 himself of a certain amount of responsibility and can then await 
 instructions how to proceed further. 
 
 Administrator of Funds 
 
 The district manager is at all times expected to defend and 
 advance the interests of his company. When it comes to the 
 question of spending the company's money for any purpose, he 
 will find it a good rule before making a recommendation to ask 
 himself, "If this money were mine, if this business were mine, 
 would I make this investment?" If he makes an unqualified 
 recommendation for an extension, be it big or little, it should 
 only be after giving an affirmative answer to this question. 
 There may at times be reasons why it might be necessary for him 
 to pass an application for an extension up to a higher officer 
 without a recommendation, and the extension may be authorized 
 for special reasons, perhaps affecting the company's interests 
 elsewhere. However, it is up to the district manager to thor- 
 oughly understand local conditions, and the company must 
 rely largely on his knowledge and recommendations, before au- 
 thorizing any increases of investment in his district. 
 
 Business Builder 
 
 Perhaps in no other line of industry have there been as many 
 changes in connection with business development as in the cen- 
 tral station industry. Only a few years ago, the business was 
 entirely confined to that of supplying light. For five or six 
 hours daily the plant was busy, and for eighteen hours it practi- 
 cally stood idle. Interest and depreciation, however, were 
 going on all the time, and the cost per kilowatt-hour generated 
 and distributed was necessarily high. Gradually a power load 
 was developed, and the plant was busy for another twelve hours, 
 and fixed charges per unit were enormously reduced. Then 
 certain kinds of business were induced to operate all through the 
 night, and the central station plant eventually began to pull
 
 THE DISTRICT MANAGER 77 
 
 some kind of a load for twenty-four hours each day. But the 
 alert district manager knows that there is no limit to the develop- 
 ment of the electrical business. He will regularly gather around 
 him his salesmen and assistants, and show them what can be 
 done to increase the company's income from present investment, 
 and to point the way to profitable extensions which will produce 
 greater earnings for the company in the future. 
 
 Some men say the lighting business has already been developed. 
 The alert manager can show his men that there is not a home, 
 office building, business house, industrial plant or factory in his 
 territory that would not be better off if more lights were added 
 in this place or that. More and better street lighting is de- 
 manded, as a precaution against accidents and a protection to 
 life and property. This field is capable of great development. 
 Electric power is now used in every direction — but not to the 
 extent it should be. The alert manager can show just where 
 more can be added to present installations, and where it can be 
 introduced to displace other prime movers whose operation may 
 be improved upon. And when it comes to the newer uses for 
 heating and cooking, the alert manager can say to his men, 
 "Gentlemen, you may start all over again on every street in 
 every town, for every present consumer and every new customer 
 must eventually own and operate an electric range." Scores 
 of proven appliances for new uses are appearing for sale every 
 year, and when these appliances may be counted by the hundreds 
 of thousands on a company s system, there soon comes a demand 
 for reinforcement of distribution lines in residence districts and 
 a more constant load on stations and substations every day in the 
 year. The alert manager knows he is now at a stage when 
 load building has become more scientific; where load factor 
 improvement is substantial, and where present investment has 
 no idle hours — and that eventually the only limit to scientific 
 development may be a load curve which will resemble a straight 
 line. 
 
 Collector of Revenues 
 
 Not the least of a district manager's duties is that of collecting 
 the revenues derived from the service supplied. It is well worth 
 remembering at times, that all the work of harnessing the mighty 
 mountain streams, all the work of building great power houses, 
 all the money invested in long transmission tower lines and local 
 distribution systems, all the feats of engineers, all the grinding
 
 78 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 machinery, all the executive ability of the officers and all the 
 routine of the clerks — every detail handled from the president 
 down to the elevator boy, lead up to the meter — and the product 
 of the meter is dollars and cents. 
 
 The business of a central station company cannot be run suc- 
 cessfully without giving liberal credit to thousands of people. 
 Corporations such as street railways, transportation companies, 
 telephone companies and department stores, receive their 
 money before the goods are delivered, but the electric company 
 is required to deliver its service before it becomes due and payable. 
 Consequently, it is of paramount importance that after waiting 
 a month or more for its money, the electric company should 
 collect its revenues as soon as possible after they become due. 
 There are thirty-seven reasons why electric bills should be col- 
 lected promptly. The first is, the company always needs the 
 money. The second is that it is easier to collect soon than late. 
 The alert district manager has no care about the other thirty-five 
 reasons — the first two being sufficiently convincing. The 
 amount of latitude and discretion given a district manager in 
 handling certain individual accounts should be liberal. This 
 refers to consumers whose business is seasonal, and whose money 
 receipts may be irregular for one reason or another. But the 
 general results are reflected in percentages of collections to 
 moneys due, and the alert manager will see that the percentage 
 of his delinquents is held down to a minimum. There is always 
 the last resort for an electric company to adopt when forcing 
 payments, that is, discontinuance of service. This is usually 
 effective, but should not be used until all other means of persua- 
 sion have failed. No man or woman ever feels the same toward 
 a company if the service is once disconnected for non-payment, 
 and it is sometimes better to nurse a delinquent along for a 
 while, if there is a reasonable hope of settlement, rather than 
 abruptly to sever the connections and leave a consumer sore 
 and resentful for years afterwards. 
 
 Harmonizer 
 
 The district manager requires to be a man of many parts, and 
 there is no part more important than that which might well be 
 termed "the harmonizer." The best definition of harmony is to 
 say that it is the antithesis of discord — and if discord exists 
 within the ranks of an organization, or with consumers on the
 
 THE DISTRICT MANAGER 79 
 
 outside, there is friction — and friction means loss of power. The 
 harmonizer in a district is able to make the company's affairs 
 run smoothly, and as harmonizer, the district manager will find 
 it advisable at times to use a considerable amount of oil in order 
 to reduce friction to a minimum. While the district manager 
 must never lose sight of the duty he owes to the company, he 
 must frequently put himself in the other fellow's place, so that he 
 may properly understand some conditions and adjust them 
 satisfactorily. The employes working under him will sometimes 
 become fractious because of real or fancied grievances. If 
 harmony does not exist in this direction, some part of the com- 
 pany's business will surely suffer. In handling employes, the 
 district manager needs to use great tact to smooth out the wrin- 
 kles, to encourage where encouragement is needed, to reprove 
 where reproof is necessary, and to commend where commendation 
 is deserved. 
 
 Friendly Relations 
 
 The company must look to the district manager to maintain 
 friendly relations with its customers. He is the main point of 
 contact, and by precept and example, it is up to him to indicate 
 how the public should be cared for. The clerks, collectors, sales- 
 men, meter readers and trouble men are liable to do in this respect 
 what they see their superior do, and what they know he wishes 
 to be done. And the public will keep on judging the company 
 by the words and acts of the employes it sees rather than by the 
 published policies of officers and directors who are seldom seen 
 and rarely known. The district manager cannot be too careful 
 and particular in the selection of employes coming in direct 
 contact with consumers and the public. An ill-natured, indiffer- 
 ent clerk can make more trouble for the company in one day 
 than two tactful men could patch up in a month. The very 
 existence of the company depends upon the good will of its 
 customers. The business cannot be developed if present con- 
 sumers are not satisfied, and they are easily and willingly pleased 
 and satisfied if they receive that courteous and prompt attention 
 to which they are at all times entitled. The alert manager will 
 find that a bright, cheerful office, devoid of partitions, gratings 
 and windows between the employes and the public, will have a 
 beneficial effect and help both clerks and customers to under- 
 stand each other better. The manager cannot give too much
 
 80 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 attention to what goes on in the front of his office — an observing 
 traveler tells of the following incident: 
 
 "I stood in a large railway station, awaiting my turn at the 
 ticket window. Before me in line was a man neatly clad, clean 
 and unmistakably a foreigner. He quietly passed a five-dollar 
 bill beneath the rod and waited. The ticket agent caught up the 
 bill with a vigor that threatened to tear it in two. 'What do you 
 want?' he grumbled. 'I want to go to Boston,' said the man 
 with imperfect Enghsh, but with perfect courtesy. *To Boston! 
 bellowed the agent, 'I guess you don't know what you want.' 'I 
 want to go to Boston,' repeated the man. 'You're either drunk 
 or crazy,' snapped the other. 'This won't buy a ticket to Bos- 
 ton,' and he thrust the offending bill back through the window 
 with a grunt that dragged itself into a crude smile as he turned 
 to me. The stranger-in-our-land took up his money and walked 
 away, his face pathetic in its pained bewilderment. 
 
 "As I folded my ticket, I caught the comment of a keen-eyed 
 business man who stood near. 'Well, I always thought I knew 
 why they have gratings on ticket office windows, but that inci- 
 dent gives me a new idea — it's to keep some agents from hitting 
 the patrons of the road. I tell you, if I were a railroad president, 
 I'd disguise myself like our friend bound for Boston, and two or 
 three times a year I'd call upon every one of my employes. 
 Whenever I'd receive a shade less consideration in my disguise 
 than I received as 'the boss' — the man guilty of discriminating 
 would be discharged." 
 
 The district manager may well look into the question as to 
 how many of his employes are rendering the same kind of service 
 to consumers as they would to him as the boss. How many 
 would stand the business man's test? Of a different type is a 
 story that comes from another source, concerning a recent inci- 
 dent in the office of a power company. A customer, who was 
 also of foreign birth, called one day on the manager to ask for 
 some information regarding his account and contract for service, 
 to be used in connection with a lawsuit the customer had with a 
 third party. The information asked was duly sent and later 
 the customer called upon the manager. He said, "Mr. Blank, I 
 want to thank you for the data supplied, and your courtesy 
 extended to me in connection with the matter." The manager 
 stated that he was glad to furnish the information asked, and 
 told the customer that as for the courtesy, he was entitled to
 
 THE DISTRICT MANAGER 81 
 
 receive that at any and all times. The customer smiled and 
 said, "Mr. Blank, before I die I am going to visit Ireland, so that 
 I may learn to say some things as nicely as you do." 
 
 The Arbitrator 
 
 Experience has demonstrated that in the public utility business, 
 the time comes around when trouble of some sort is threatened 
 in each district. It may be a municipal ownership agitation; 
 the application for a franchise by an opposition company, or a 
 demand for a concession in rates, or something else. Then it is 
 that the company needs a friend and then it is that the public 
 remembers all the good and all the bad that the company is 
 responsible for in the past. The district manager may have 
 people pulling for him or working against him, depending upon 
 the way these same people have been previously treated in their 
 intercourse with the company through its employes. One thing 
 is sure and that is, if all the people were pleased with the com- 
 pany, then they would all be on the company's side in any con- 
 troversy. Knowing this to be a fact, the wise district manager 
 will see that all his points of contact are so protected that no 
 matter how a customer may feel when he enters an office, he will 
 go away pleased. Such a condition may be of greater value than 
 all the franchises, permits and licenses that could be granted or 
 awarded. At any rate, such franchises, permits and licenses must 
 automatically become more valuable, when the permanent good 
 will of the public has become a part of the company's assets.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 
 
 In the conduct of a central station business, the subject of 
 advertising is one that should receive as much thoughtful con- 
 sideration as any other part of the organization's work. Good 
 advertising is as useful to an electric company as it is to a depart- 
 ment store and may readily be developed into one of the main- 
 stays of the business. However, the methods and mediums used 
 by the department store may not be the most effective if applied 
 to the electric company's business, and it becomes a problem or 
 rather a study as to what direction a central station should follow, 
 when spending its yearly advertising appropriation. 
 
 Classifying the Public 
 
 If we take it for granted that the Management acknowledges 
 the importance of advertising, the question arises, "What are the 
 best methods of publicity?" Probably more than anyone else, 
 the man who advertises must put himself in the place of those 
 whom he wishes to reach. With this idea before him he will 
 understand how to attract the attention of the public, where to 
 place his advertisements, and when the psychological moment 
 arrives to produce the best results. Now, advertising of any 
 description must attain its object by a well-defined process. In 
 the first place it must awaken attention; next, promote inquiry; 
 then arouse desire, and, finally, create a demand. Again it may 
 be asked, "What is the best method of doing all this, and increas- 
 ing the sale of electricity?" For the reason that the public can- 
 not all be reached through the same channels, it follows that in 
 various ways, all honest advertising is good. Some people 
 never look at the advertisements in the daily paper, but will 
 eagerly scan each advertising page in a magazine. Others never 
 observe an advertisement in a periodical, yet their eyes catch 
 the announcement on a bill board or the card in a street car. 
 Again, there are others too absent-minded to note anything on 
 
 82
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 
 
 83 
 
 bill boards or in a street car, but, put a circular or letter in their 
 hands, and it will be read from beginning to end. Consequently, 
 if it is the desire to reach all classes, every reasonable method of 
 attracting attention should be used. It may not be desirable to 
 go after all classes of people at once, but the medium of advertis- 
 ing most adapted to reach each class should be used at a time 
 calculated to produce the best results. 
 
 The Supremacy of the Newspaper 
 
 Effective electrical advertising should saturate the community 
 and forcefully emphasize some definite objective. Failing in 
 this it is incomplete and its compelling element is endangered 
 
 EDISON ELECTRIC HOLIDAY GIFTS 
 
 Gladden and Lighten the 
 
 Whole Year 'Round 
 
 W YOUR OUEST FOR GIFTS FOR aOUSTIIAS AMD NEW TEARS THESE AR£ NONE SO NOVEL 
 
 UNIQUE AS ELECTRJCAL CIFTS. 
 ■mEY ARE BEAUTIFUL AND PRACCfOU. AND ARE ALWAYS APPREOATED. BEINC IN DAO-Y USE 
 
 THEY ARE CONTINUAL 
 
 Selection d Holiday Preseots Itod tbe hr^t One ol Qectrica] AppUtoces k easy and lolemtla^— Dfflerent IroB ncktBj y^cr brats cboosia^ 
 
 froa Ue ttdiigs yoa b&ve ahnys tboojpit oL 
 = IT IS WISE TO ORDER NOW TO SECURE PRE-HOUDAY DELIVERY = 
 
 Additional Suggestions for EiectricaJ Chnstm&s Gifta. Appliances that have Proved Ptffect: 
 
 B*k* Oma Cifw Li^bltn Foot Wunm ShaTtn« Ms9 To Kittk* 
 
 T^l* Sco CaunI Utifity MaUn Milk BoUk Wwnos SMnliacn JMe Kaat™ 
 
 ^^ Din Stove* H»ii Dttsi S»tJtf P»n» Te^poti 
 
 (tsBfcs [aunawoB RaAktora Water HiMto* Vbcuub OcaaMt 
 
 Southern California Edison Company 
 
 > BEACON STREETS 
 
 The newspaper is the medium of advertising through which the largest number 
 of persons may be reached. It is essential, however, that a newspaper advertise- 
 ment should dominate the page on which it appears. 
 
 and sometimes lost. Advertising, like literature, poetry, music, 
 drama, art, oratory, and preaching, is not an exact science, and 
 no theory of metaphysics can determine with anything approach- 
 ing exactness the mental impression it implants. Newspaper 
 advertising, however, in its far-reaching scope, so far preponder- 
 ates all other mediums of communicating with the public, that 
 it takes first place. In segregation, other methods can be treated 
 as intensive, stimulative and auxiliary. The number of people 
 who receive and read a newspaper is the first consideration which
 
 84 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 an advertiser gives a publication when contemplating its use in 
 presenting his proposition to the public. Generally speaking, 
 this is a correct hj^pothesis, but it is subject to many modifica- 
 tions. Duplicate circulation, while it may not be an entire loss, 
 is not scientific or economical advertising. Quite a large per- 
 centage of people read both evening papers and morning papers, 
 but the ratio is not sufficiently high to jusify an advertiser who 
 wishes to reach every home in his community in discriminating 
 between them. The Sunday papers in the larger cities running 
 from 100 pages up have enormous circulations, but it may be 
 accepted as fundamental that as the size of the paper increases, 
 the proportion of its advertising matter which is read, decreases. 
 Selecting the best position on the page of a newspaper on which 
 an advertisement is to appear and choosing the page where is 
 will be most apt to be read by the readers the advertiser desires 
 to interest is a subject for thoughtful study. The type of copy — 
 the nature of appeal, should be made to conform to the position 
 of the advertising. It is obvious that advertising positioned on 
 a women's page, should have different treatment from that on a 
 baseball page. 
 
 Central Stations and Cooperative Publicity 
 
 The electrical industry is just beginning to enter the advertising 
 field, with the prospect of quickly becoming one of the greatest, 
 if not the greatest, patrons of printing ink in the world. That 
 it has not done so sooner is due to many reasons, among them 
 being that the demand for electrical installations was so great 
 and so spontaneous that advertising was not deemed necessary. 
 The problem of the central station companies was to finance the 
 construction of generating plants, transmission and distribution 
 lines, in order to keep up with the multiplying demand of the 
 public. But as the business developed and the size and number 
 of generating stations increased, the question of scientific load- 
 building had to be considered, so that the product of these plants 
 should be constantly used, and here is where advertising stepped 
 in, and worked to advantage. Today, an era of cooperation 
 has been reached by means of which the various branches of the 
 industry — the central station, the manufacturer, the jobber and 
 the dealer — are working together for the benefit of all interested, 
 including the general public. The time is at hand when electri- 
 city may be sold through advertising as freely as any form of
 
 Tho liarnossing of the country's waterfalls vitall\- foueerns the pulilic and they 
 should he kept in toufh with new enterprises. 
 
 (Facing page 84)
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 85 
 
 merchandise, and united efforts in that direction are already- 
 producing wonderful results on the Pacific Coast. 
 
 In the West, the central stations were the pioneers in electrical 
 advertising. They took up the work of the advertising and 
 selling of electrical appliances before there were any electrical 
 dealers in the territory who were interested in their sale and use. 
 They did it, not because they desired to enter the appliance 
 business, but because it was necessary that they take the initia- 
 tive in order to blaze the way for future business and the develop- 
 ment of the central station's load. 
 
 It is due to the initiative of the central station companies that 
 the use of electrical appliances became popular, and in nearly 
 every town of importance in California dealers with well equipped 
 establishments are now conducting thriving businesses. Through 
 cooperation, the manufacturers, jobbers and contractor-dealers 
 have now become substantial advertisers, and the character 
 of central station advertising is undergoing a change. Instead 
 of promoting the use of any special device or apphance, the 
 central station company's advertising is now turning toward more 
 general educational lines, emphasizing the many advantages 
 of electricity and the benefits derived from electric service 
 supplied through modern methods of distribution. 
 
 Advantages of the Large Space 
 
 It is obviously the duty of central stations to patronize the 
 local papers in their respective communities, not only because 
 they are good mediums for advertising, but also because they 
 must be regarded as institutions of their respective cities and 
 towns, and classed with chambers of commerce, boards of trade 
 and promotion associations. Large space advertising is neces- 
 sary nowadays to bring big results. Once a double column 
 four-inch advertisement was believed to have drawing power, 
 but a very careful keying of these small announcements proved 
 conclusively that they could not be depended upon to produce 
 any results in a sales campaign. Department stores and all of 
 the larger advertisers have found by experience that an advertise- 
 ment, to have selhng quality, must dominate or occupy the page 
 upon which it is printed. Some years ago a large central station 
 company, doing business with a group of newspapers in the 
 territory which it served, was obliged to take the initiative in 
 introducing the lamp socket electrical appliances to its con-
 
 86 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 sumers, because the few dealers in the field were not in a financial 
 position to carry on a comprehensive promotion campaign and 
 the manufacturers were advertising almost exclusively in national 
 publications. This company had previously followed the con- 
 ventional plan of using a small advertisement in daily and weekly 
 papers in its territory, but continued changes of copy and care- 
 fully watching for sales showed with practical conclusiveness 
 that this method of advertising had no selling value worth 
 mentioning. 
 
 AcctJMtJLATivE Advertising 
 
 This company offered a manufacturer a very large order if he 
 would construct a certain electrical appliance, which it was 
 believed would eventually become a necessity in every home, if 
 offered at a popular price. As it was necessary to sell the utensil 
 at cost, the company could not afford to boost it with a large 
 additional advertising appropriation, and the problem of ac- 
 complishing the desired result without increasing expenditures 
 was referred to the advertising manager. After studying the 
 situation, he proposed a plan which at the time was original, but 
 has since been adopted by a number of central stations and utility 
 corporations, and is known as "The accumulative advertising 
 system." It consisted of an arrangement to take the total 
 money value of the advertising which the company had paid to 
 newspapers during the previous year; figure this amount into the 
 number of column inches of advertising which it would purchase 
 at the column inch rate during a calendar year, and divide the 
 annual payment into twelve monthly instalments. The plan 
 has now been working successfully for eight years, the advantage 
 being of turning the small space advertising of negligible value, 
 into a valuable asset by making it possible for the company to 
 run page and half -page advertisements whenever it desires. The 
 very first appearance of this large advertisement showed its 
 drawing power, and within three months the sales of the appliance 
 which the company was promoting had exceeded expectations 
 by many thousands, and has now become a thoroughly standard- 
 ized utensil and one of the principal articles now sold by electrical 
 dealers. The accumulative system as it is operated by this 
 company is believed to be the simplest form of carryingad vertis- 
 ing accounts with a large number of papers. On the first of each 
 year, the amount of the annual appropriation for each of the 140
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 87 
 
 newspapers on the company's system is worked out into column 
 inches, as for example: a newspaper appropriation of $20 per 
 month, or $240 a year, with an advertising rate of 20c per column 
 inch, is entered on a loose leaf bills payable ledger sheet. At 
 the top of one column is placed the 1,200 column inches of space 
 which the annual appropriation purchases. The monthly pay- 
 ments of $20 are placed in another column as they are paid. The 
 company has a drawing account against the paper for 1,200 
 column inches of advertising space per year, and it can be con- 
 sumed in anything from page advertisements down to one-inch 
 notices as the requirements of the business may demand. As 
 this space is consumed, the advertising agent turns in the clipping 
 of the advertisements to the auditing department, with the num- 
 ber of column inches, accompanied by a blank which shows 
 whether it is chargeable to stock sales, new business or other 
 purposes, and these column inches are recorded in their proper 
 places on the cards. At any time the advertising manager can 
 see by looking at the ledger sheet of any paper just how many 
 column inches stand to the credit of the company for the re- 
 mainder of the year, and can so arrange that his last advertising, 
 which is usually the Christmas advertising, exactly consumes 
 whatever space remains in the paper at the last of the year. 
 Instead of reducing the advertising appropriations for the papers, 
 this system has shown that large advertising space is distinctly 
 advantageous and has resulted in general increases. There is 
 nothing in the plan which presents additional appropriations for 
 papers in which advertising has proven profitable. The column 
 inches made on the first of the year can be increased, when the 
 selling power of the paper shows that its space is valuable to the 
 company. It is possible for the advertising manager to tell 
 which papers are bringing results from their advertising, and to 
 increase the company's patronage accordingly. It also gives 
 an initiative to publishers to assist the electrical industry by news 
 items, which tend to make the advertising more profitable, and 
 in turn to increase its use by the central station company. 
 
 There is a class of advertising which is not designed to have a 
 direct selling quality, and which is intended to educate the public 
 into greater use of electricity and give information concerning 
 the advantages of high grade electric service. Such advertising 
 to be effective, should make definite statements and not deal in 
 platitudes. For educating the public to appreciate better light-
 
 88 
 
 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 ing service, there are many arguments, among them the greater 
 efficiency of new types of lamps and their placements so as to 
 produce the greatest amount of illumination for the smallest 
 expenditure of current. In advertising power service, such defi- 
 nite arguments as the advantages of the individual drive as 
 against line shafting friction, is illustrative. It is well to an- 
 nounce that the company's illuminating engineers and power 
 experts are always available to take up with consumers the details 
 of their individual problems. In advertising the advantages of 
 electrical appliances, the free services of demonstrators may be 
 announced. 
 
 n.F.r n.'icAi, afjd liances 
 
 ' ,J . ) -, I tic BIGHT] 
 
 imipktrtiL WAY \ 
 
 ^ &U1LT nxTSAFETY 
 
 ELECTUICAL APPLIANCES 
 ABE BUILT roc SArETY 
 
 ire buill fof 
 
 r font 
 
 Hei 
 
 i been 
 
 mike EJectncd AppliiiKci pnio/ ofaimt 
 We neyWt lo iTianr nide thiap. be« 
 
 li^tadUin and 
 e ol E1c( ' 
 
 
 lI ArpliiDce 
 
 A great deal of the advertising done by electrical concerns at the present time is 
 directed not so much towards immediate sales as towards the general education 
 of the people in the use of electricity. 
 
 Simply to advertise good service, or to claim that your service 
 is the best service, is manifestly stupid if you do not give some 
 tangible reason for the assertion. The unsupported proclama- 
 tion savors of the man who professes himself a fine fellow, but 
 does not back it up with any demonstration or performance. 
 There is an antique which runs something like this: "If our 
 service is satisfactory, tell others; if not, tell us." There is no 
 logical reason why a consumer who is forced to borrow a candle 
 because his lights grow dim, should make a profound secret of 
 the reason for the borrowing. It would be well for him to hand 
 in his complaint to the trouble department of the corporation 
 which exists to furnish him good lighting service, and if the service 
 is usually excellent, it might be of advantage to the company if
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 89 
 
 the complainant tells his neighbor that this particular trouble is 
 the first he has had for many a day. 
 
 Being Frank with the Public 
 
 The necessity for what was termed "political advertising" has 
 practically passed away in states where electric rates are regu- 
 lated by Public Utility Commisions. Occasionally, however, 
 there are communities where rate matters and other questions 
 affecting utility corporations become subjects for public discus- 
 sion. In such cases, it is the duty of the utility company to tell 
 the people frankly through the medium of its newspapers, all the 
 facts which enter into this contention and to do so by the free 
 use of advertising space. Emergencies of this kind are in the 
 nature of campaigns, and should be vigorously and fearlessly 
 conducted by the utilities. To rush into print with a kind of 
 advertising which was formerly termed "public utility advertis- 
 ing" when no controversy exists is apt to "sow the wind and 
 reap the whirlwind." A public utility advertising expert who 
 has made a study of practically every series of the class of ad- 
 vertisements referred to, that have been offered utility comp- 
 anies during the past decade, had divided such advertising into 
 two classes — the "boastful ad" and the "whining ad." The 
 first kind when put under analysis simply tells you how wonder- 
 fully good the company is and is prone to provoke discussion by 
 those who do not relish the laudation of corporations. That 
 prolific writer, Pro Bono Publico, has a liking for basing letters to 
 the editor upon these boastful announcements, and the company 
 that prints them sometimes finds that it has started something 
 where nothing exists. The whining or hard luck ad, which tells 
 us what a miserable time the company is having to eke out an 
 existence, is not cheerful reading matter or encouraging to stock- 
 holders, and its psychology is to produce sarcastic comments. 
 The farmer is beset with weevil in the wheat, the orchardist with 
 the scale, and the merchants who have troubles of their own are 
 prone to remark that if the public utility man does not like this 
 avocation, let him go into the balloon business. 
 
 Electric Signs and Billboards 
 
 Electric signs are the latest, and without question the best 
 method of what can be termed stimulative advertising — the 
 class of advertising which by brief,concise statements emphasizes
 
 90 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 a fact, and often induces the reading of the more elaborate 
 announcements in the advertising pages of the newspaper. 
 The electric sign writes its story on the night and is seen where 
 printed signs would never be noticed. One of these signs, which 
 originated in Los Angeles, flashes a slogan which tells the story of 
 electrical advertising. It has since glowed on the Palisades on 
 the Hudson overlooking greater New York, has been used in 
 many large cities, and illustrated in a well-known advertising 
 magazine. It reads, "Night Signs Bring Day Business." The 
 central station has a direct interest in stimulating the use of 
 electric signs — and in this respect should be a good patron of its 
 own product. An electric company can well afford to use electric 
 signs on its stations, sub-stations, garages, warehouses and all its 
 offices, and such use will stimulate others in a community to do 
 likewise. 
 
 Billboards are very effective for stimulative advertising and 
 much more so if electrically illuminated. The newest uses to 
 which they are now devoted is to call attention to advertisements 
 which are to appear in the issue of the daily or Sunday newspaper. 
 They should contain but a few words, and these must be so largely 
 displayed that they can be read from across the street, or by those 
 riding in passing street cars. If they are typed too small they 
 are worthless. Street car advertising is an excellent means of 
 communicating brief, pungent statements. People have plenty 
 of time while they are riding in street cars to read the advertising 
 cards and they usually do so. Such advertising is sometimes 
 productive of surprising results. 
 
 Using the Backs of Bills 
 
 Advertising on the backs of electrical bills may not be con- 
 sidered high grade publicity, but is useful for certain promotion 
 work. The cost, however, is almost infinitesimal in proportion 
 to the large distribution, and may be considered an advertising 
 by-product which should be conserved and put to the best 
 possible use, by carefully preparing the copy. This method of 
 reaching consumers should not be overlooked or wasted any more 
 than are the coal-tar or lamp-black utilized as by-products of a 
 gas plant, or residuum at an oil refinery. Theatre programs 
 have merits as auxiliary advertising, but they must be regarded 
 the same as church catalogs, hotel register advertising and that 
 entire class of publicity which reaches only a very limited number
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 91 
 
 of people — and simply touches spots in a community. To use 
 an electric metaphor, it has a low load factor and it bears the 
 same relation to a comprehensive advertising plan as the massed 
 cluster lights did to modern street and highway illumination. 
 
 Advertising Copy 
 
 In the preparation of advertising copy, the first consideration 
 is to make a strong, forceful announcement, typed in sufficient 
 size to catch the eye. To visualize an advertisement, it should 
 be prepared so that the words which are used to impress will 
 stand out in bold type. The connective lines can be cut down 
 to very small type as they are merely there to make the legend 
 consistent and grammatical. If the main statement catches the 
 eye, the advertiser can consume a great deal of space in type no 
 larger than the text of the paper, and be practically certain that 
 it will be read. A very good form is to place these small text 
 announcements in a one-column box in the advertisement. The 
 displaying of an advertisement should not be trusted to dashing 
 a few pencil marks under the words which are to be printed in big 
 type. Type is all made in standard sizes, the height being 
 measured in points. A type-book, available at any newspaper 
 office, gives specimens of these types, showing the height, width 
 and number of letters that can be made to fit into a column line. 
 By taking one of these books, and working out the typing of an 
 ad on the point system, the exact result desired can be produced 
 instead of leaving the important matter of display to the chance 
 choice of a compositor. It is usually best to type ads in one 
 series. Breaking series gives printed matter the same look as a 
 letter penned in the handwriting of several persons. It implies 
 utter ignorance of the art of printing and has a haphazard appear- 
 ance. The illustration of advertising can do much to improve 
 its effectiveness. It is a part of the business, however, on which 
 many copy-writers go wrong, simply because they have not the 
 necessary knowledge of the technique of reproduction and photo- 
 engraving. Most photographers are unfamiliar with reproduction 
 processes, and do not know how to take photographs so that 
 they will reproduce at correct angles and proper perspectives. 
 
 The central station manager must not overlook the value of 
 folders, circulars and follow-up letters. These are aU effective 
 for special educational and promotion purposes. The fact that 
 they may be mailed to selected lists of prospects or consumers
 
 92 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 ensures their getting into the hands of those who are likely to be 
 interested in what is told or offered, and because of this, satis- 
 factory results may be reasonably expected. 
 
 The Possibilities of the Motion Picture 
 
 Motion picture or film advertising is destined to become a great 
 factor in publicity. It has possibilities of being educational in the 
 highest sense and its scope seems sufficient to include all of the 
 other classes that have been touched upon. But as yet it has 
 not been worked out or reduced to anything having a semblance 
 of system. The obstacles which stand in the way of its general 
 use are these: Large moving picture houses that run five-reel 
 features, and short comedy, and are now supplementing the 
 entertainment with vaudeville and musical attractions, are 
 cutting out the travelogue and educational pictures, and will not 
 use any film that has even an indirect advertising announcement. 
 The neighborhood and rural picture houses will accept educa- 
 tional films with a small amount of advertising included, and if 
 the picture is good many of them will present it without any 
 charge. It would be necessary to run a film through all of the 
 neighborhood and rural theatres in a community in order to give 
 it a general publicity value, and this cannot be accomplished 
 under any of the present releasing arrangements. It therefore 
 follows that money expended for a film without some system of 
 having it displayed, is more or less of a venture. Whether or 
 not the electrical industry can evolve some particular method of 
 film production which will take it out of the class of small spot 
 advertising is an interesting problem, and worthy of careful 
 thought. The cost of producing one negative of a commercial 
 film ranges from one dollar per foot up. Exteriors such as power 
 plants, hydraulic installations and out-door lighting effects 
 cost the camera man's time and the price of the film, including its 
 development. In some respects the moving picture, as an ad- 
 vertising medium, has no equal and there is no business that can 
 use it to greater advantage than the electrical industry. The 
 electrical business is essentially active and aggressive — it spells 
 activity in all its uses. The motion picture can represent action 
 better than any other advertising means — it is activity personified 
 J and is destined to become one of the great mediums for telling 
 ' the electric story of ease, comfort, economy, health and hope for 
 'v'all.
 
 POTENTIAL PUBLICITY 93 
 
 Each type of advertising which has been referred to must be 
 sincerely honest, and have proof for its underlying principle. 
 Fake advertising is always a boomerang. It pays to advertise 
 only when the advertising is truthful, for "above all things truth 
 beareth away the victory." 
 
 Advertising and Development 
 
 The well operated central station company makes an advertis- 
 ing appropriation at the beginning of each year. Of the total 
 appropriation, experience has indicated that approximately 
 seventy-five per cent can well be spent in newspaper advertising, 
 and the remainder distributed among the other mediums and 
 methods mentioned. The amount of this appropriation depends 
 upon the amount of intensive or extensive developments desired 
 — and this development often depends upon the funds available 
 for additions to plants and extensions to distributing systems. 
 Intensive development does not require the additions to capital 
 expenditure that are required by extensive development. In- 
 tensive development represents greater earning from present 
 investment — and as a means to this end, nothing produces more 
 direct results than the timely use of carefully prepared advertise- 
 ments, followed up with personal interviews. To the central 
 station company advertising may be made as effective as in any 
 commercial enterprise. Stereotyped, unproductive advertising 
 should be eliminated without loss of time, and the money hereto- 
 fore wasted in this manner should be invested in such known 
 methods of publicity that will produce satisfactory results.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE COMMERCIAL INSTINCT 
 
 While there is little resemblance between a central station 
 business and that of a mercantile establishment, yet, in the 
 development and up-building of each business the services of a 
 certain class of men become necessary. In the central station 
 business, skilled electrical and mechanical engineers are required 
 to design and construct the plants, and plan and erect transmis- 
 sion and distribution lines — but as a rule, these same engineers 
 know little about marketing the product and selling the service 
 of the central station. The work falls upon the commercial 
 engineer, the sales engineer, the plain salesman or whatever he 
 may be termed — but at any rate, he must be a man who has 
 commercial training with an instinct for finding business, and 
 the sagacity to secure it. Some men innately have the commercial 
 instinct. In some men it may be developed, and with others 
 neither education nor exhortation, neither precept nor example 
 will ever make them realize how to see and how to sell. While it 
 may be true that it is impossible to develop this commercial instinct 
 in some men, it may also be true that other men may be born with 
 an abnormal amount of it. An instance of this may be found in 
 the story of a man who one day rushed into a store and said to the 
 clerk, "Quick, a quarter's worth of carbolic acid!" "This is a 
 hardware store, not a drug store," explained the quickwitted sales- 
 man, "but we have a fine line of ropes, revolvers and razors." 
 Again it is possible where in some instances the commercial 
 instinct is developed, that there may be some over-development, 
 along calm and deliberate lines. A certain printing and engrav- 
 ing establishment in Buffalo one day received a notice from one 
 of its customers in the banking business in a middle west town, 
 containing the information that its president had died. The 
 notice was turned over to a clerk with instructions to send a 
 suitable reply. In due course the bank received a letter from the 
 Buffalo establishment which read as' follows: "We are greatly 
 pained to learn of the loss sustained by your bank, and extend to 
 you our heartfelt sympathy. We notice that the circular you 
 
 94
 
 THE COMMERCIAL INSTINCT 95 
 
 sent us, announcing Mr. Brown's death, was lithographed by a 
 Chicago house. We regret that you did not allow us to figure on 
 this job. The next time there is a bereavement in your bank, 
 we shall be glad to quote you on lithographed circulars, and feel 
 confident that we can give you better work at less cost than any 
 other house in the business. Trusting we may soon have an 
 opportunity to quote you prices, we remain with profound sympa- 
 thy, — " This man's idea of taking advantage of every oppor- 
 tunity may have been carried a little too far, but he certainly 
 had the commercial instinct fully developed. 
 
 Cumulative Results 
 
 The manager of a utility company knows that the fundamental 
 basis for selling his^product is to get the public confidence. The 
 confidence must be mutual between buyer and seller; after that 
 it is only a question of merit — that is, the value of the commodity 
 offered and the ability of the salesman to convince the buyer that 
 he should place an order. In the central station business, the 
 salesman has a wonderful story to tell to the prospects for service. 
 There is a great difference between the results obtained by the 
 salesman for a mercantile establishment and those obtained by 
 the man who sells electric service. For the merchant, when a 
 sale is made, and the money for the goods purchased is paid over, 
 the transaction is closed. But for the electric company the sale 
 of service, be it light, heat or power, the sale of a lamp, a motor 
 or a current-consuming appliance is just the beginning of business 
 — for month after month and year after year, the current- 
 consuming device or its successor, be it lamp, motor or appliance, 
 will continue to produce an income for the company. Conse- 
 quently, the electrical salesman's work cannot be measured by 
 the day, for it is cumulative, and the results go on forever. 
 
 Visualizing Business 
 
 The electrical salesman, with the commercial instinct, sees 
 opportunities for business in every direction. To the merchant 
 he points out the advantages of electric light for displaying his 
 goods, for keeping his ceilings and store clean, by an absence 
 of smoke and smut; for reducing the heat in summer, and per- 
 mitting good air at all times; for improving the decoration of his 
 windows, and keeping them attractive, winter and summer, so 
 that the public may see what he wishes to display. And then the
 
 96 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 salesman shows the merchant a score of electrical devices which 
 may be operated to advantage inside his store, to lighten the 
 work of his employes and help him make money. Finally the 
 salesman takes his merchant friend to the door, and points out 
 the location where an electric sign will work for him while he 
 sleeps; how he can burn his name and business into the public 
 mind — and how the electric company will take care of the sign, 
 turn the current on and off at the proper times and relieve him 
 of all responsibility in the matter. The power user has much to 
 learn and to a great extent the salesman with the commercial 
 instinct must be his instructor. The salesman drops into a 
 factory, in connection with his daily work of spreading the gospel 
 of electricity. Probably this factory is in a crowded part of the 
 city where space is valuable and rents are high. What does he 
 see in connection with the operation of the private plant? Pro- 
 bably fifty per cent of the power generated, wasted and dissi- 
 pated in shafting and belting before the machines commence 
 to operate. Probably ten times as much space given up to 
 engines and boilers, as would hold a complete electrical equip- 
 ment. Probably twice as much money invested in the power 
 end as there should be, and, consequently, twice as much interest, 
 taxes and insurance and four times as much depreciation con- 
 tinually piling up. He probably finds plenty of noise, dirt, 
 smell and inconvenience, to say nothing of high priced skilled 
 labor to keep the decrepit wheels of his private plant moving. 
 Little by little — by explanation and by exhibition, the salesman 
 can show that electrically driven machinery represents economy 
 of power, by means of direct connected units; that motors occupy 
 little space and may be taken off the floors and stuck on the walls 
 and ceilings; that they cost half the price of other kinds of power 
 equipment; that their maintenance and depreciation is a matter 
 of little consideration; and finally, that they are clean, noiseless, 
 convenient and reliable, and do not require skilled labor to 
 operate them. To the manufacturer who has had constant 
 worry keeping his plant going and his factory running, this story 
 sounds like sweet music in his ears, and the skilled salesman 
 sooner or later gets the order he is after. 
 
 Transforming a Home 
 
 When the electrical man with the commercial instinct has an 
 opportunity to turn himself loose in the modern home he speaks
 
 THE COMMERCIAL INSTINCT 97 
 
 with the tongues of men and angels. At every turn he can make 
 a suggestion that will help the customer and benefit his company. 
 There is some electrical device for every room which will lighten 
 labor and ease the strain of daily life. The kitchen has many 
 electric appliances, and other devices for cleaning, polishing and 
 dishwashing. The laundry has the electric washing machine 
 and electric irons, mangles and dryers. The dining room has 
 electric table accessories such as toasters, percolators, tea-urns 
 and chafing dishes; the living room has eye saving electric 
 reading lamps, fans, foot warmers, cigar lighters and motors on 
 the piano and organ. The bedroom has electric heating pads, 
 water bottles and water heaters. The bath room has electric 
 shaving mugs and curling irons — while the work of the vacuum 
 cleaner and other sanitary appliances is in evidence in every 
 direction. In all his work the man with the commercial instinct 
 in selling electric service has no more convincing argument than 
 that of saving time. Electric service saves time, and to save 
 time is to lengthen life. In this age of hurry, time is one of the 
 most valuable assets of the business man and the woman in the 
 home, and a proposition that will save time is one that will 
 invariably receive careful and eager attention. 
 
 Diversity of Load 
 
 To the man with the commercial instinct, the electric company 
 looks for the up-building of the load factor as well as the load. 
 It is an easy matter to explain the difference between load build- 
 ing and load factor building, but not always easy to tell how to 
 obtain a better load factor when building up the business of a 
 central station company. In most communities evening peak 
 will come without much effort, but not so with day load and 
 early morning load. In order to build up a really good load 
 factor, there must be a great diversity in the classes of service 
 supplied, and for an electric company to attain a really high load 
 factor there must be a great diversity in load, or else relatively 
 large blocks of power must be sold for continuous use. The 
 man with the commercial instinct knows of no class of business 
 that would not be better for using electric service, and by getting 
 all classes into line, and selling the limit each class can consume, 
 he obtains the needed diversity of load and builds up the load 
 factor on his company's system. This can be done only by 
 extensive and intensive development, mainly brought about
 
 98 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 through the personal efforts of the man with the commercial 
 instinct, in constantly explaining and demonstrating the undeni- 
 able advantages derived from the use of electric service — "To 
 every man according to his necessity — for every man according 
 to his need." 
 
 Creating Opportunities 
 
 The problem for the central station manager is to develop the 
 commercial instinct in all departments of his organization, and 
 not look for it alone in his new business department or among his 
 salesmen. There is no kind of business that is as susceptible 
 of development through suggestion as that of the electric dis- 
 tributing company. The clerk at the counter receiving an 
 application for service can inquire if the applicant has this 
 appliance or the other and point out where it may be seen and 
 purchased. The cashier or his assistants may easily suggest 
 that the customers making payments look at some new electrical 
 device which may be on exhibition in the office display room. 
 The man who comes in to make a complaint, if properly handled, 
 may go away with a determination to buy some other current 
 consuming apparatus just because its advantages were carefully 
 explained by the clerk who received his complaint. The col- 
 lector has a splendid opportunity for he talks to scores of cus- 
 tomers daily. The trouble man who goes into the home to make 
 repairs has a rich field in which to sow the seed that arouses 
 interest, and develops inquiries for greater service. There are 
 no limits to where suggestions may be made for there is no con- 
 sumer using so much service that he cannot take some more to 
 his own advantage. 
 
 The Personal Element 
 
 The man with the commercial instinct fully developed usually 
 knows the value of attention to" his personal appearance, and 
 how much depends upon the impression his appearance makes 
 when calling upon prospects. In the central station business, a 
 man representing an import^t company has a great responsi- 
 bility for the magnitude and importance of his company is often 
 measured by the appearance of the representative. The man 
 with careless apparel and unshaven face always places himself 
 at a disadvantage, and, of necessity, the company he represents 
 also. The world rarely puts a higher price upon a man than he
 
 THE COMMERCIAL INSTINCT 99 
 
 places upon himself, and frequently it marks him down from his 
 own estimate. Carelessness, untidiness, and disregard for the 
 conventionalities have relegated many a man to the bargain 
 counter. There are only two kinds of men who can afford to 
 disregard their personal appearance — the very rich man and those 
 without ambition. However, if either of these classes get into 
 the central station business and remain untidy, their careers in 
 that industry would necessarily be short. The successful com- 
 mercial man also knows the value of courtesy and enthusiasm — 
 in reality it is the greatest factor in his success. With this enthu- 
 siasm he will at all times work to convince the people that his 
 company is operating in their interest — and will do everything 
 possible to render the business relations betwen the company 
 and its patrons, pleasant, agreeable and profitable to both. 
 The more people the commercial man can get to think favorably 
 of him and his business, the faster will the business develop and 
 increase. Then, mixed with courtesy and enthusiasm, there is a 
 tremendous asset in a pleasant smile, and the man behind the 
 pleasant smile has a tremendous advantage — 
 
 "The thing that goes the farthest towards making Ufe worth while, 
 That costs the least and does the most, is just a pleasant smile. 
 It's full of worth and goodness too, with hearty kindness blent, 
 It's worth a milhon dollars, and — it doesn't cost a cent." 
 
 Recognizing Friends 
 
 The central station man with the commercial instinct has one 
 friend for whom he has the highest regard — that is the customer. 
 There are some men in the industry who seem to think the central 
 station business would be simply irresistible, if it were not for 
 the customer. Such men look jipon an applicant for service as 
 an objectionable nuisan(/e; a request for information about some 
 electrical appliance as simply a bore, ahd a desire to pay an 
 electric bill something that should be barely tolerated. Such 
 men, however, are being gradually eliminated, either by the 
 process known as "the survival of the fittest" or by assasination 
 at the hands of irate customers. But the man with the com- 
 mercial instinct knows that the customer is the best friend he has. 
 This friend patiently listens to wonderful tales of a light that is 
 more fascinating than that which gleamed from Aladdin's lamp 
 — of the marvelous, health-inducing and s^^nitary heat, and of the 
 mysterious power, which works quietly and effectually in day-
 
 100 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 light and darkness. This friend signs all apphcations for various 
 kinds of service as they are presented to him, orders all sorts of 
 current-consuming devices and appliances to increase his con- 
 sumption, sits up nights to use more freely the commodity 
 suppHed, and at the end of the month, insists upon paying good 
 money for the most intangible product ever sold or distributed. 
 The man with the commercial instinct recognizes that customer 
 as the one thing needful to him and the company, and that the 
 customer should always be treated with such courtesy, deference 
 and tactful politeness that he will think and believe doing 
 buisness with him and the company he represents a real pleasure. 
 To the engineer, it is a great source of satisfaction to have the 
 honor of aiding substantially in the construction of some immense 
 power plant that harnesses and tames a mountain torrent and 
 delivers its energy in a commercial form in some center of popula- 
 tion, maybe a hundred or more miles away. But the satisfaction 
 and pride of the engineer is not greater than that of the man with 
 the commercial instinct who goes out and finds a market for 
 that power. Through his untiring efforts it is advantageously 
 used every hour in the day, thus producing earnings which justify 
 the investment represented in the installation. At the same 
 time, cheerfulness, health, hope and happiness are brought to 
 the many who have been persuaded to accept the magic service 
 of the electric company through whose foresight and enterprise 
 such service has been made possible.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 THE ART OF CONCILIATION 
 
 In America, when an editor rejects your manuscript, he does 
 it either with a curt "Dechned with thanks," or else sends a 
 printed sHp on which he presents his compHments, which you 
 don't want, and regrets he cannot grant you what you do want. 
 But when an editor in a certain oriental country finds that your 
 article or poem or story isn't worth the paper it is written on he 
 sends you a letter like this : 
 
 "Illustrious brother of the sun and moon — Behold thy servant 
 prostrate before thy feet. I bow to thee and beg of thy gracious- 
 ness that I may speak and live. Thy honored manuscript has 
 deigned to cast the light of its countenance upon me. With 
 raptures I have perused it. By the bones of my ancestors, never 
 have I encountered such wit, such pathos, such lofty thought. 
 With fear and trembling I return the writing. Were I to publish 
 the treasure you sent me, the Emperor would order that it should 
 be made the standard, and that none be published except such 
 as equaled it. Knowing literature as I do, and that it would be 
 impossible in ten thousand years to equal what you have done, I 
 send your writing back. Ten thousand times I crave yoiir par- 
 don. Behold my head is at your feet — Do what you will — 
 Your servant's servant — The Editor." 
 
 Winning the Public's Confidence 
 
 If nothing better could be said about the foregoing letter, it 
 must be acknowledged that the writer had some conception of 
 the Art of Conciliation. The trouble with so many Public 
 Utility employes is, they apparently feel that if brusqueness and 
 abruptness will do the work, why bother about trying conciliation 
 to please? If some interested organization, seeking the truth, 
 were to send broadcast throughout the land this question, "What 
 is the greatest need of the Public Utility Company of today?" 
 the returning answer would be, "The confidence of its patrons in 
 particular and the public in general." There are many phases of 
 
 101
 
 102 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 a utility company's business which require more than ordinary 
 attention, and many problems yet to solve, but the ever present 
 problem is how to eliminate the lingering prejudice against such 
 corporations. The responsible heads of companies have little 
 difficulty in obtaining the services of competent engneers to 
 construct and operate a property. There is not such trouble in 
 enlisting the financial aid necessary to develop a property if it is 
 located in a thriving territory with growing population, but there 
 is always a difficulty for even the best intentioned corporation 
 when it comes to the question of winning and holding the confi- 
 dence and good will of a community. The question is often 
 asked, "Why does this unfortunate condition continue to exist?" 
 The answer to the query points in two directions — external 
 reasons on the one hand and internal causes on the other. It is 
 a far cry down the centuries when we look back two thousand 
 years, but before we analyze present conditions it might be profit- 
 able to recall some words uttered twenty centuries ago. At that 
 time there lived in Rome a man named Cicero, one of the wisest 
 men whose words and deeds are recorded in the annals of history. 
 He said on one occasion, "It is difficult to tell how much men's 
 minds are conciliated by a kind manner and gentle speech." 
 He must have known that conciliation precedes and induces 
 confidence. If the art existed in Rome in those early days, 
 maybe it can be revived in this country during the present 
 century and applied in such directions as it will do the most good. 
 
 The Origin of Distrust 
 Looking at the external reasons for distrust of corporations, we 
 find that there is more than one page of earlier corporation history 
 written over with true stories of greed, aggression and disregard 
 of public rights. Turning from the past we find that there is 
 more than one latter day example of short-sightedness,br each of 
 faith and mismanagement; added to this is the ever present yellow 
 journal, with its failing for startling headlines, inveighing against 
 the so-called Trusts. Then there are the mouthings of the pro- 
 fessional agitator, and the theories and vagaries of the self- 
 appointed reform politician. We cannot deny that the yellow 
 journal, the agitator and the politician have had some excuse for 
 their utterances, because of the mistakes, indifference and 
 incivility on the part of the management of some utility com- 
 panies under their observation, and with whom they have had to 
 do business.
 
 THE ART OF CONCILIATION 103 
 
 Turning to the internal causes of public distrust, it might be 
 well for each company through its officials to make a self-exami- 
 nation. Much regrettable history of corporations, which has 
 left its mark to prejudice on the public mind, is not chargeable to 
 any present day company, but existing companies are responsible 
 for what goes on within their organizations. If the public today 
 does not seem to exhibit complete confidence in all a corporation 
 says and does, perhaps it is not the public that is most to blame. 
 
 ENVELOPMENT OF REGtJLATION 
 
 The regulation of public utilities by State Commissions has 
 advanced step by step during recent years, and it is inevitable 
 that every public utility company in the United States will 
 eventually be subject to the immediate control of some Commis- 
 sion responsible to the people. In the main, patrons, consumers, 
 managers, owners and security holders of such properties have 
 been satisfied with the results thus far achieved. Uniform rates 
 have been established, uniform systems of accounting have been 
 put into effect and in some directions uniform methods of opera- 
 tion have been made possible. Some Commissions have very 
 broad powers, and while the distinction between regulation and 
 management is recognized, there is always a possibility that 
 regulation may be extended. If a State Commission has power 
 to dictate what rates shall be charged, what shall be the quality 
 of service and the conditions under which it shall be supplied, 
 then why should it not control the personal treatment which 
 shall be given customers by a public utility through its employes? 
 Are not civility, courtesy and attention as much a part of good 
 service as the rate charged or the voltage delivered? These 
 questions are asked, but such minute supervision is not advo- 
 cated. However, the trend of the times may bring some sur- 
 prises in this direction. It would not be an improbable thing 
 for traveling representatives of a Commission to drop into some 
 of the public offices of utility companies, just to learn at first 
 hand how the company treats its patrons across the counters and 
 over the telephones, and through this agency a few company 
 managers might be enlightened about the way their assistants 
 are handling the public. Maybe the trend of the times is point- 
 ing to something still more radical. Is it not within the bounds of 
 possibility that some commissions might put a premium upon 
 records of broad public policy and the personal touch in manage-
 
 104 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 ments, and a penalty may be imposed where a company's repu- 
 tation in this regard is below a deisred standard. Such pre- 
 miums and penalties might be easily provided when rate fixing 
 investigations are under way. All rates are calculated upon a 
 basis to yield a certain net return on the capital invested. An 
 increase of, say, one per cent above the average allowed would 
 be a handsome premium for some companies, and a decrease of 
 one per cent would, in some cases, be a severe penalty. 
 
 -,^ Incentives to Courtesy 
 
 Many officials of companies will say, "Oh, things are alto- 
 gether different now to what they once were — the public is being 
 well treated." For the present it may be acknowledged that 
 there has been a great improvement in matters of this kind. 
 Managers have sent out correctly worded circular letters with 
 carefully prepared instructions to employes as to how the public 
 must be treated. If instructions given were always carried out, 
 conditions would be ideal. But they are not. Time and again 
 a man may be instructed to be considerate, civil and polite, but 
 he will not unless he so desires. Unless a man has within him 
 the desire to be conciliatory and courteous, there are only two 
 ways to make him at least observe the forms of civility — namely, 
 through incentive or fear. If he has ambition to progress and 
 knows that he must follow instructions to do so, he will likely do 
 his best. If he has the fear of losing his position for disobeying 
 he will likely make a brave attempt to do what is wanted. If a 
 company manager wants really to know how his patrons are dealt 
 with, let him send a representative unknown to employes to his 
 different offices to make such inquiries or complaints as are 
 usually made by patrons or the public, and learn how they are 
 treated or answered. Let the representative call up the offices 
 on the telephone asking for information and learn what replies 
 are given or what delays are met with. Some surprises will be 
 in store for the manager who shows this amount of interest in 
 his business. He will learn that he has some clerks who are won- 
 ders in diplomacy, and others who handle customers as if they were 
 material to be "eaten up." 
 
 The Nature of Service 
 
 It too frequently happens among corporation employes that 
 the words "serve" and "service" are not rightly understood.
 
 THE ART OF CONCILIATION 105 
 
 The utility company serves the people and consequently the 
 company, its officers and employes are servants. Dignified 
 service is honorable, and in no way degrading, unless the servant 
 himself degrades it. Life is made up of serivce — all are servants 
 in some respects, although perhaps masters in others. The motto 
 on the coat of arms of the heir to the throne of England is, "I 
 serve." The policeman on his beat, the judge on the bench and 
 the governor in the capitol, all serve, and the President of the 
 United States is the greatest servant of all, because he serves all 
 the people. 
 
 If a servant in a house should become incivil, inattentive, 
 indifferent or discourteous to his master, would the master be 
 pleased? Would he love that servant and say that he would be 
 delighted to help him to the utmost? No, not likely! The mas- 
 ter would probably say to himself, "I will let that fellow go as 
 soon as I can find someone decent to take his place." The rela- 
 tion between the utility company and the public is very similar. 
 The public is the master and the company is the servant. The 
 company exists by virtue of the franchise granted by the public. 
 The public patronizes the company and from the public the 
 company derives its income. The company is the servant and 
 the public is the master. In the very nature of things, the ser- 
 vant must frequently ask the master for more favors — are they 
 granted cheerfully or reluctantly? That depends upon how the 
 servant has pleased the master. Favors asked by companies 
 often look formidable to those who do not understand; but with 
 communities as with individuals, conciliation may be better than 
 logic — they may often be persuaded when they cannot be 
 convinced. 
 
 The public is the people, but whom do the people know as the 
 company? Not the bondholders, stockholders, or directors — not 
 the president, secretary or manager — just the employes who 
 transact the company's business with the public. In all truth 
 a company is known and judged by the men it keeps; at any rate, 
 the public knows of no other way to determine whether a com- 
 pany is good, bad or indifferent — no other way to tell whether a 
 company is worthy of confidence or entitled to distrust. If the 
 confidence of the public is the greatest need of the public utility 
 company, then the way to supply what is needed is to conciliate 
 — not one department — but all through the organization; not 
 once in a while, but all the time.
 
 106 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 Courtesy Which Convinces 
 
 It has now become a habit to lay stress on the word "courtesy" 
 in referring to the relations between a utility company and the 
 public, and it is a good habit. But there are degrees of courtesy 
 — or rather it had better be stated, there is the imitation and the 
 real article. There is the formal courtesy of the lip and manner, 
 and there is the courtesy that flows from the heart. The former 
 freezes and the latter warms — the one is seldom mistaken for the 
 other. In other words, real civility and courtesy must come 
 from within a man and not from without. Stripped of all ver- 
 biage, genuine courtesy is the "doing unto others as you would 
 others do unto you." But courtesy is not all that is required to 
 obtain confidence; there must be conciliation. This word 
 expresses a combination of the atrributes which compel confi- 
 dence — namely, consideration, alertness, sympathy, attention 
 and courtesy. 
 
 The paramount question is, how to spread the gospel of con- 
 ciliation among company employes so that they may be perme- 
 ated with the knowledge of what the word stands for, and its 
 importance to them and the organization of which they are a 
 part. Connected with every up-to-date electric company, there 
 is a New Business Department, and it is a notable fact that the 
 experienced salesmen attached thereto do not require to have the 
 word explained to them. To use a colloquialism, conciliation is 
 the middle name of every successful salesman. They have 
 learned that there can be no success in their work without cour- 
 teous cheerfulness. They know that conciliation makes friends, 
 and friends make business for the salesman. Now, if the sales- 
 man has learned how to spell conciliation, what has kept the 
 cashier, order clerk, and other office employes dealing directly 
 with the public so backward in their lesson? Because the cashier 
 or order clerk is behind a counter in an office, and the customers 
 go to him to do business, is he any better than the salesman who 
 must go out and seek the customer? Is there any reason why 
 an office man should adopt an air of superiority and talk to the 
 customer impatiently, incivilly or condescendingly? There is no 
 reason — but even today there are some office clerks so blind that 
 they cannot or will not see the bad light in which they place the 
 company which is paying their salaries, because of lofty indiffer- 
 ence and careless discourtesy to the company's patrons.
 
 THE ART OF CONCILIATION 107 
 
 Selecting Representatives 
 
 The principal points of contact between a company and the 
 pubHc should be guarded by employes who have been carefully 
 selected for the position they have to fill. The manager will find 
 that for the good of his company and its standing with the public, 
 he cannot give too much thought to this important matter. The 
 question of salary should not be allowed to interfere with getting 
 good men for such work — or of keeping good men at it. Em- 
 ployes of the wrong stamp are dear at any price. Men who are 
 forgetful, moody, grouchy or dyspeptic should be kept in the 
 background and only such men as are cheerful, alert and con- 
 siderate should be in the forefront in whatever place or through 
 whatever medium the company may transact its business with 
 its consumers and the public. 
 
 Some men are born with the natural desire to win friends by 
 conciliation — a few men may have this quality developed in them 
 by education, and others could never acquire it by any possible 
 way. Most electric companies hold regular or occasional meet- 
 ings of their employes, and it is suggested that at these meetings 
 those responsible for proper public relations should give a series 
 of "little lessons on conciliation." Employes might be called 
 upon to demonstrate how customers should be handled under 
 different conditions. At each meeting one department should 
 show by actual demonstration the ideal way of pleasing the public 
 from its standpoint. In their turn those in charge of office work, 
 collection department, sales department, trouble department, 
 service deparment, and telephone exchange should show to 
 others in the company how the work can be done in a manner 
 which will please and make friends. The manager should be on 
 hand to criticize, suggest and point out the value of the right 
 way and the injury resulting from following the wrong way. 
 Such a program would impress employes with the absolute nec- 
 essity of conciliation, and will produce good results, where cir- 
 cular letters of instruction would not avail. ^^ 
 
 The Extent of Conciliation 
 
 There is an attitude of conciliation which almost every man can 
 assume if he is personally desirous of impressing another to gain 
 a wished-for end. It expresses a desire to please which is clearly 
 visible in the eyes, in the features, in the gestures and in the tone 
 of voice which cannot be misunderstood. This attitude of con-
 
 108 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 ciliation is visible not only in personal contact, but may be traced 
 in the wording of letters, and felt in conversations over the tele- 
 phone. If a man can effectually assume this attitude in personal 
 matters, he surely can also assume it when transacting business 
 for the company which pays for his services. It is the part of the 
 prudent man to conciliate the minds of others and turn them to 
 his own advantage. It is the part of a wise man to conciliate 
 others and turn them to the advantage of the company with 
 which he may be connected and to whom he looks for his future 
 advancement. 
 
 Some men think they have done their full duty towards the 
 policy of conciliation if they "meet the customer half way." 
 Some men go a little further and say, "Give the customer the 
 benefit of the doubt," believing that should be sufficient to please 
 and satisfy. But no! perhaps both classes of men have stopped 
 too soon, for in a complaint or controversy, the real attitude of 
 conciliation assumes that "the customer is always right." 
 Before such an attitude, complaints are forgotten, troubles 
 vanish, and opposition fades away. The attitude of conciliation 
 does not mean a loss of self-respect or the relinquishing of any 
 rights. On the contrary, the implied consideration for the feel- 
 ings and rights of others adds dignity to a position and costs 
 absolutely nothing. 
 
 Representatives of a corporation, in its defense, will sometimes 
 state that it is qnly an aggregation of individuals, and that the 
 corporation should not be blamed for individual transgressions. 
 What is the public but a greater aggregation of individuals who 
 like their individuality recognized? 
 
 The corporation whose employes consistently practice the Art 
 of Conciliation when coming in contact with its patrons will 
 realize some day that, having pleased the individuals, it has 
 finally won the much desired confidence of the public.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 SERVICE 
 
 In these latter days, any man who possesses the most ordinary 
 capacity for observation has learned that in every kind of busi- 
 ness, be it big or little, be it new or old, there is a universal 
 thought in one direction, and that direction points to Service. 
 Many concerns use the word without clearly understanding its 
 meaning, but to them it sounds well and they hope the sound will 
 make a favorable impression. Other businesses are talking ser- 
 vice because they feel something is needed to satisfy that vague, 
 indefinable demand their customers are making upon them. A 
 third class, and this includes many public utility companies, is now 
 endeavoring to preach and practice better serivce, because they 
 have learned a little concerning what has been lost in the past, by 
 withholding the real service which they should have given and 
 which their patrons had a right to expect. There is still another 
 class of business men, engaged in various commercial enterprises, 
 who have long supplied a conscientious service, and they will 
 continue to do so because they have learned that service is the 
 secret of success. They well realize that service is progressive, 
 and may be constantly improved, and they are ever striving to 
 do those things that will help their particular service approach 
 perfection. 
 
 The keynote of the best thought in modern business is Service 
 First, and as the object of all business enterprise is rightfully 
 profit, the wise man of affairs sooner or later learns that "he 
 profits most who serves best." In a communication addressed 
 to the public in his own city, a western banker recently said : "If 
 . I had the world to make over, I would plant in the minds of all 
 men a desire to serve. Service covers a multitude of aims in the 
 business world. It is the big factor in business life. It was the 
 paramount or chief requisite in the Christian dispensation — 'He 
 who would be great, let him serve.' He who would achieve pro- 
 nounced success in business must be strong in service." 
 
 There is an idea prevailing in the minds of many that the mod- 
 ern central station company sells light, heat and power, which 
 
 109
 
 110 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 are measured by units called kilowatt-hours. Such an idea is a 
 fundamental error — what the central station sells is service. 
 There is a tangible service and an intangible service, and the one 
 is not less important than the other. Every act of every em- 
 ploye in a company, from the trouble boy to the president, from 
 the meter-reader to the chairman of the board, points to one 
 thing, namely — Service. Every directors' meeting, every power 
 plant constructed, every wire suspended, every waterfall har- 
 nessed, every generator installed, every transformer hung, every 
 meter set and every gathering of employes for instruction, all 
 mean the effort to supply service. Service does not depend upon 
 the work of one department, but of all departments, and if the 
 work of any department fails, then the service thereby becomes 
 impaired. Service does not depend upon any individual or class 
 individuals, but upon the whole organization, and if the work of 
 any man fails, then the service becomes impaired even in greater 
 proportion than the importance of that man's particular work. 
 Good service does not mean alone the kind of light supplied — 
 it includes everything relating to the affairs of the company. It 
 does not mean alone the kind of power furnished — it includes the 
 manner in which poles are erected and wires strung; in which 
 streets are opened and pavements relaid. Good service does not 
 mean alone how heat is delivered — it includes the promptness 
 with which customers' wants are met; with which service inter- 
 rupted is restored, and the attitude and consideration with which 
 every kind of work and every detail is handled. There is the 
 practical side of business and there is the sentimental side, and 
 never before in the history of business has the sentimental side 
 counted for so much. This is the day of big things, great indus- 
 trial establishments, vast commercial enterprises, and giant 
 engineering undertakings. It is also the day when attention to 
 the so-called "little things" is more essential than ever. What 
 is being done may be important, but how it is being done may be 
 much more important. What is being said may be of interest, 
 but how it is being said may be of wider interest. What has 
 been accomplished may be wonderful, but how it was accom- 
 plished may have greater significance. Were these big enter- 
 prises put through after giving full consideration to the rights or 
 wishes of the little fellow who may have been affected? Was 
 he consulted, compensated and placated? Was he recognized 
 as an individual and given a hearing? Yes, sometimes he was
 
 SERVICE 111 
 
 considered, but often he was overlooked or ignored. Abraham 
 Lincoln once said that the Lord must have loved the common 
 people — He made so many of them. It is the common people 
 that the central station has most to do with, and, strange as it 
 may seem, the common people are human, and like to be con- 
 sidered as individuals whenever possible. The service which 
 carries with it small attentions, small courtesies, small considera- 
 tions, habitually practiced alike to the common people and the 
 uncommon people, may result in prosperity to a great corpora- 
 tion — and if omitted, might mean only an imitation success or ^ 
 even a miserable failure. — 4 
 
 In order to fully analyze the subject of service, it will be con- 
 sidered from two angles: first, " On What Good Service Depends," 
 and, second, "What Depends on Good Service." To be useful, 
 any analysis must be critical and present facts, even if holding 
 up the mirror may reflect weaknesses in some directions and cast 
 shadows in others. It may be that in the past too much stress 
 has been laid on the side of the tangible service at the expense of 
 the intangible side. Not that the tangible service is to be con- 
 sidered of less importance than formerly, but that the intangible 
 service should have at least equal consideration, and be treated 
 more in detail and less with an impatient wave of the hand, or 
 pushed aside with a mouthful of plausible and meaningless 
 platitudes. 
 
 On What Good Service Depends 
 
 What is termed "good service" does not depend upon any one 
 item or upon any one branch of the business. The proper deliv- 
 ery of electrical energy depends largely on human energy utilized 
 in the right direction. Good service for a utility company is a 
 composite of the best in the organization, embracing every 
 department and every employe. Human energy means work. 
 A well-known writer has said : "The law of work is, that a certain 
 quantity of work is necessary to produce a certain quantity of 
 good of any kind whatever. If you want knowledge, you must 
 toil for it; if food, you must toil for it; if pleasure, you must toil 
 for it" — to which may be added, if you want to give good service, 
 you must toil for it. Good service is not a theory — it is concrete 
 result, produced only by carefully planned work throughout an 
 entire organization. There are certain component parts of ser- 
 vice which will require to be discussed separately, and they will
 
 112 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 now be referred to, though not necessarily in order of their 
 importance. 
 
 Physical Conditions. — The delivery of electrical energy in the 
 form of a good and sufficient service means endless and untiring 
 effort on the part of those responsible for the generation, trans- 
 mission and distribution of the tangible element in such service. 
 It goes without saying that there should be an ample supply, 
 close frequency, proper voltage and assured continuity. To be 
 able to meet such ideals, there is an obligation on the central 
 station company to install the best type of equipment and main- 
 tain it in the highest condition of efficiency, from the pen-stock 
 on its hydroelectric system and the fuel reservoirs of its steam 
 generating plants to the premises of its consumers. Under the 
 most favorable conditions interruptions will sometimes occur, and 
 at all times and in all parts of a company's system there should 
 be adequate facilities for prompt restoration of service. 
 
 Where there is long distance transmission, the same causes 
 which produce "shorts" will frequently interrupt the telephone 
 service, causing serious and often expensive delays. Under such 
 conditions the installation of a wireless system of communication 
 to distant power houses and switching stations may be of great 
 advantage alike to the company and its consumers. Who can 
 properly estimate what an interruption to service may mean to 
 the people whom the representatives of the central station com- 
 pany have educated to use electricity and to rely upon it! When 
 the system of such a company ceases to operate normally, the 
 immediate results are inconvenience, personal and community loss 
 and disaster, and even life itself may be at stake. The bigger the 
 system the greater the consequences to its consumers, when inter- 
 ruptions occur — and the greater the necessity for safeguarding 
 the continuity. Duplicate generating equipment, parallel trans- 
 mission systems, loop or alternative distribution lines all mean 
 increased investment, but is not some increased investment justi- 
 fied with increased responsibilities to supply an uninterrupted 
 service? 
 
 The human element is a most important factor in maintaining 
 continuity and shortening uncontrollable interruptions. Effi- 
 cient, wide-awake operators in stations and sub-stations, and 
 careful, cool-headed dispatchers can frequently prevent troubles 
 and quickly clear away disturbances. Men of the opposite 
 type can easily muddle a whole system by losing their heads in
 
 SERVICE 113 
 
 an emergency, thereby prolonging interruptions and possibly 
 causing inconvenience and loss to the people of a great city or 
 maybe a territory embracing half a state. Because so much 
 often depends upon the knowledge and discretion of one man, the 
 greatest care should be given to the selection of all operators hav- 
 ing charge of important switching centers. 
 
 Good service demands that all the plants and physical prop- 
 erties of a company should be kept in such condition that the 
 public in general will be proud that the company is part of the 
 community. Such properties should not only be kept scrupu- 
 lously clean and conspicuously tidy, but they should be made as 
 attractive as is reasonably possible. A moderate amount of 
 money spent in this direction will usually be found productive 
 of highly pleasing results. 
 
 Good service means safe installations and unobtrusive con- 
 nections on consumers premises, and that care be exercised to 
 see that all work be properly done, and left in a condition pleasing 
 to the eye. The customer should feel that he is relieved by the 
 making available for his use an adequate supply of electricity, 
 when, how and in such amounts as he may require it. 
 
 Rate Schedules. — It is the business of the good central sta- 
 tion company to cater to the public and anticipate its wishes. 
 Now, if there is one thing a consumer likes to know more than 
 another, it is what his service is costing him and how his bill is 
 figured. For this reason rate schedules of the simplest form are 
 the most desirable. From an engineering standpoint, the so- 
 called scientific schedules, where the rate curve is supposed to 
 follow the cost of service, are interesting, educational and valua- 
 ble — and such schedules may be used to advantage in handling 
 the larger blocks of lighting, heating and power business. But, for 
 the ordinary man — the smaller consumer — complicated schedules 
 are mystifying and confusing and tend to create the impression 
 that they are framed to conceal the cost rather than to reveal it. 
 
 It is well to apply the theory of a scientific schedule to any 
 class of service, and find the results to be obtained — then simplify 
 the schedule to an A, B and C form, filling in the values so that 
 the desired revenue may be secured. This method may not 
 mean that the rate to each consumer willl bear its exact propor- 
 tion of the cost of service, but by taking the lean with the fat, the 
 same ultimate results may be obtained. And the consumer — the 
 man who pays the bill — will be better pleased. His reasonable
 
 114 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 desire will be satisfied — he will be able to check his monthly 
 account, and of his own knowledge will understand whether or 
 not he is getting all he is paying for. 
 
 All employes of a central station company who receive appli- 
 cations or sell the service should thoroughly understand the rate 
 schedule. They should know why rates differ for different 
 classes of service. They should be able to point out the various 
 factors which make rates vary; hours of use, quantity, on peak 
 and off peak, seasonal characteristics, load factor and other 
 elements should be intelligently explained when necessary. The 
 average man cannot understand why he should pay a certain rate 
 per kilowatt-hour for his lighting service, and maybe the man 
 next door buys energy off the same wire for one-half the rate, 
 using it at the same time, but under different conditions. Good 
 service means that employes take the time to explain these 
 matters, so that consumers may understand there is no mystery 
 and no attempt at discrimination, and that each consumer should 
 feel the rate schedule under which he is supplied is the most favor- 
 able schedule available for his particular class of service. 
 
 Meter Reading and Billing. — Every member of a public 
 utility force is valuable to his company only in proportion to his 
 ability to serve the company's consumers. Each employe 
 should have a clear answer to the question, "From the consumer's 
 standpoint, what is the best way to do the work assigned me?" 
 Meter readers and billing clerks do not command the highest pay 
 in a central station organization, but their work demands that 
 there shall be punctuality, accuracy and courtesy, else good ser- 
 vice is withheld. Instead of careless boys, the importance of 
 meter reading demands the services of thoughtful men. Regular 
 dates for reading ensure the appearance of uniform and consistent 
 consumption when bills are presented. Accuracy of reading 
 prevents an endless amount of trouble in the bookkeeping, billing 
 and collecting departments as well as irritation to the consumer 
 and loss of prestige to the company. It is easy for a company 
 to lose more in good will than it will save in salaries by using 
 a class of men for meter reading who are either incompetent or do 
 not have a proper appreciation of the importance of their work. 
 
 Service Applications. — The patron of an electric company 
 goes to its office because he expects to receive what he wants with 
 celerity and cheerfulness. When an applicant applies for 
 service, then is the great opportunity for the company to be
 
 SERVICE 115 
 
 placed and viewed in the proper light, through a carefully selected 
 and well-trained employe. First impressions are the ones that 
 are most vivid and persistent in an applicant's mind. They in- 
 fluence his entire subsequent ways of thinking. The employe at 
 the application counter should be fully informed as to what the 
 applicant is likely to want. He should have the manner of 
 interest, no matter who the applicant may be. He should 
 welcome questions — what may be a matter of course to the 
 employe may be entirely unfamihar to the applicant, and his 
 confidence should be encouraged and invited. With such a 
 reception the prospective consumer finds it easy to do business. 
 Usually when an application for service is received, the con- 
 nection is wanted at once, or in the very near future. All parti- 
 culars should be carefully set forth so that if there is to be delay, 
 the reason will be understood. If premises to be supplied require 
 inspection by municipal representative, this should be explained 
 as a possible cause of delay. If there are many prior applications 
 or much work ahead on account of which there may be delays, 
 this, with any other uncontrollable conditions, should be gone 
 over in detail. It is often likely that the prospective consumer 
 makes important business or personal arrangements dependent 
 upon the date he is to receive service, and if the date given by the 
 employe is not kept, serious trouble or inconvenience to the 
 consumer may follow. Promptness in supplying service is 
 essential — but no promises should be made, calculated to please 
 the consumer at the time, which later cannot be lived up to. 
 
 When applications for service are received it is fitting time for 
 the creation of an atmosphere that will convince prospective 
 consumers that their money is not all the company wants, nor 
 that the selling of energy is its only desire. On the contrary, it 
 should be made evident that the chief aim is to supply such a 
 service that in every respect and every reasonable way will not 
 only satisfy but please the consumer. 
 
 Educational Responsibilities. — The central station company 
 that progresses is the one that gives its consumers a little more — a 
 little better service. The great majority of people have only a 
 vague conception as to what a kilowatt-hour is, and what it can 
 be made to do. It would seem that educating its consumers as 
 to what they may get out of their electric service is thus giving 
 them a little more — a little better service. Perhaps the most 
 practical education to begin with is to instruct consumers regard-
 
 116 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 ing the economical use of the service ah-eady supplied. A business 
 maUj using a lighting service does not feel hurt if a represen- 
 tative of the company drops into his establishment and makes 
 practical suggestions as to how more light may be obtained 
 without increased expense. If the merchant is told that the 
 service will be better, if a more scientific distribution were 
 adopted or if lamps of higher efficiency were used or even if 
 present installations were cleaned and dusted, he is not going to 
 be offended. 
 
 An industrial plant using power service may be wasting energy 
 every hour of operation. It is good service on the part of the 
 company to point out this waste and at the same time indicate the 
 best means to correct it. Such methods start consumers investi- 
 gating and thinking electrically. They soon become imbued 
 with the feeling that the company aims to render an economic as 
 well as efficient service. Consequently, when the time comes 
 that a consumer can use more energy, he will use it eagerly and 
 pay for it cheerfully. There should be a continuous campaign of 
 public instruction through every available medium, to show what 
 electric service may do, and the possibilities of its freer and more 
 extended use. Information should be sent broadcast that 
 consumers may have, without charge, the expert advice of the 
 company's illuminating, power and heating engineers; that infor- 
 mation on all electrical matters in which the consumer may be 
 interested, will be made available, and that the company's 
 customers and the public have at their command a free consulting 
 service, in the uses of electrical energy. 
 
 There is information to be given concerning the economical 
 and efficient use of electric devices and appliances in the home, 
 workshop, office, warehouse, storeroom and industrial plant that 
 would benefit thousands of consumers on any central station 
 system. Good service demands that such information be dis- 
 seminated, otherwise the company is not living up to its responsi- 
 bilities. Consumers should be made to feel that the company is 
 a great asset in the business and private affairs of the community 
 and that they are privileged and invited to consult the company 
 on all electrical matters as they would consult their bankers 
 concerning financial matters. 
 .^^'-^omplaints and Troubles. — To a central station company 
 complaints fulfill the same function as a safety valve does to a 
 steam boiler. They may cause considerable noise when they
 
 SERVICE 117 
 
 blow off— but they protect the service. A company is weak or 
 strong in a community, depending on how complaints are hand- 
 led. Too many companies have been satisfied in believing con- 
 tinuous service is good service. That is only part of the service, 
 just as a plate of soup may be part of a good dinner, but it takes 
 more than a plate of soup to make a good dinner, and more than 
 the delivery of energy to make a high grade service. The best 
 service yet devised cannot prevent local disturbances, such as 
 transformer difficulties, fuse troubles, lamp burn-outs and appli- 
 ance breakages. The quahty of the service depends upon how 
 these complaints are disposed of. Is the welfare of the consumer 
 the first consideration? Is a thought given to the inconvenience 
 produced by the trouble, and is prompt dispatch used in remov- 
 ing the cause for complaint? If there must be some delay in 
 reaching the trouble, is the consumer notified as to the reason? 
 
 Troublemen should not be ordinary men — there should be men 
 of extraordinary worth on trouble duty at all times. The men 
 who go out to look after the troubles in connection with the tangi- 
 ble service can do much to help the company's standing while 
 attending to their duties. A cheerful "Good morning" when 
 they call — a word or two as to what they propose to do — an 
 explanation when the work has been accomplished — a query 
 if there is anything else that needs attention, and a polite "Good 
 day" when departing, will leave an excellent impression of the 
 man and of his company. Under such conditions, an occasional 
 interruption, burn-out or drop in voltage, would not be noticed 
 enough to cause even a comment. Troubles are often reported 
 through what may appear to be irregular channels. They may 
 be told to a collector, to a meter-reader, or to a connection crew, 
 and because these men are part of the company's force, the con- 
 sumer assumes the report will receive attention. It should be 
 the business of each employe receiving such a report to see that 
 it reaches the department without delay. If this is not done, 
 then there is a distinct neglect of duty on the part of some em- 
 ploye and an injury done to the company that pays his salary. 
 
 Complaints about bills and inattention or discourtesy on the 
 part of employes cannot be too carefully handled or too closely 
 investigated. No attempt should be made to stifle complaints 
 or head them off. On the other hand, they should be encouraged, 
 listened to with attention, and the customer should feel that what 
 he complains of is entirely reasonable, and that the company is
 
 118 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 thankful for the information and glad of an opportunity to 
 remedy any unsatisfactory condition. What company employes 
 need more than technical knowledge is a deeper human under- 
 standing, so that they may endeavor to see this question of service 
 through the customer's eyes rather than through their own. 
 Then the customer will realize the company has a genuine desire 
 to please, and wants his good will quite as much as his money. 
 That is the real attitude — Service First. Under such conditions, 
 business becomes more than business. It becomes more impor- 
 tant to please a customer than to take his money — it becomes an 
 adventure in human understanding — and ultimately it cannot 
 fail to become a financial success. 
 
 In larger companies, it will be found of great advantage to have 
 an officer who will be known as Service Inspector at the head of a 
 service bureau. Complaints should be grouped into classes, and 
 the causes for each group should be analyzed, with the idea of 
 applying the proper remedy. If the causes are discovered and 
 removed, the complaints should disappear automatically. The 
 Service Inspector should inspect complaint lists, and also the 
 employes handling them. One misfit employe in a complaint 
 department can cause more trouble for a company in one day 
 than an army of men could remedy in a week. A man without 
 a business conscience and a human understanding has no place 
 near a complaint department — the past is full of troubles created 
 by such men. They are fit only for shoveling coal or digging 
 post holes, if they are to remain in the central station business. 
 
 A public utility manager cannot always obtain from the inside 
 all he should know about the working of his organization. Now 
 and again the opinion of an experienced outsider will be found 
 valuable. Such a man would be a consultant who would be 
 called in to go over a system as a physician might examine a 
 patient. There are weak spots in nearly all organizations, some 
 of them visible only to the onlooker. 
 
 Contacts with Consumers. — The operation of a direct current 
 generator is improved by increasing the area of contact of brushes 
 on the commutator. In a somewhat similar manner, a central 
 station company may improve its service by increasing and 
 enlarging its points of contact with all its consumers. Many 
 managers do not seem to realize the weighty responsibility that 
 rests in the hands of telephone operators, information clerks, 
 meter-readers, collectors, troublemen and other employes who
 
 SERVICE 119 
 
 are constantly meeting the public. Such employes should be 
 carefully dressed, clean, cool, cheerful and contented. Meter- 
 readers and troublemen would serve their purpose better if they 
 wore suitable uniforms — or at least had a distinctive cap and 
 badge. This is a protection to the consumer and often prevents 
 employes being delayed in their work because of lack of 
 credentials. 
 
 In meeting the company's customers and the public, no matter 
 in what place, or for what purpose, employes should always have 
 before them the idea that theirs is a personal service. Consumers 
 dislike to be bunched into classes — they like to be considered 
 individually and personally, and any other type of service, no 
 matter how good, falls short of the requirements. Employes 
 need special and constant training with that end in view. It is 
 the personal touch that wins — it is the mechanical method that 
 loses. One hears of "that certain something" which goes with 
 the intangible service and engenders in the heart of the customer 
 a feeling of confidence in the company and its employes, and of 
 good will to the organization. Well, that certain or indefinable 
 something may now be defined — it is the recognition that the 
 consumer is human, that he is an individual, and that he likes 
 personal consideration. It is the personal touch. For this 
 reason, when a customer first receives service, he likes some one 
 to send him a letter thanking him for his patronage and asking 
 if everything in connection with the service is all right. For like 
 reason, when a complaint or trouble has been reported, the con- 
 sumer likes some one in the company to call him up on the tele- 
 phone and inquire if everything is now satisfactory. It pleases 
 him to feel that his case was treated as a special. For the same 
 reason, after he has been a customer for some time, he likes to 
 feel that some one in the company is keeping in touch with him, 
 and that he is advised by letter or some other way when a new 
 device or appliance has been brought out which will be helpful 
 to him in his office, warehouse or home. 
 
 In large companies, occupying extensive territory, the personal 
 touch is difficult to accomplish, unless there are numerous local 
 offices. Remote control may be satisfactory in handling some 
 kinds of energy, but it is inherently weak when handling a com- 
 pany's customers. It is said that when a Korean gentleman 
 entertains a friend, he designates one of his servants to be in 
 constant attendance on the guest. His particular duty is to
 
 120 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 prostrate himself before the guest once every two hours and 
 inquire into the condition of his excellency's stomach. If it 
 were possible for the central station company to supply a special 
 attendant for each consumer, the condition would be ideal, but, 
 of course, such luxury is out of the question. The next best thing 
 is to keep as close to the individual as circumstances will permit. 
 In the various centers of distribution, local offices are essential 
 for good service. Such offices should be well equipped and able 
 to give proper attention to all details which go to make the con- 
 sumer contented. There should be a responsible head in each 
 of such offices, clothed with ample authority to handle all business 
 pertaining to service, without having to stand off the customer 
 by stating this matter or that must be referred to the head office. 
 
 The average customer is not concerned with the detail work 
 of the serving company. To him good service means getting 
 what he wants with a minimum amount of annoyance as far as he 
 is concerned. He makes application for service and regularly 
 pays his bills. Everything between these points should be hand- 
 led by the various departments so smoothly that the customer 
 does not require to give the matter of his service any more 
 thought. A good servant is never in the way, but always on hand 
 when needed. 
 
 In the present day, the attention to personal appearance is 
 absolutely necessary if a man expects to make the most out of life. 
 It is also desirable from the standpoint of a utility company that 
 its employes make a favorable impression at the points of contact. 
 This is not only important because of its influence on the self- 
 respect of the employes, but the world in general has a habit of 
 judging men by their personal appearance, and, of course, of 
 similarly judging the companies they represent. It is safest 
 for men and utility companies always to look their best. Failure 
 or success often depends upon the impression made, and usually 
 it requires only a little more thought to make a good impression. 
 
 Courtesy and Conciliation. — Courtesy lends to service what 
 the sparkle lends to the diamond and the fragrance to the rose. 
 No matter what else may be done to ensure good service, it 
 cannot be delivered to the consumers of any utility company 
 unless accompanied by courteous consideration — not because it is 
 good policy to be courteous, but because courtesy is its own 
 reward. There is always time for courtesy and there is never a 
 moment to spare for discourtesy. This applies between man and
 
 SERVICE 121 
 
 man under any circumstances — between employer and employe, 
 between chief and subordinate, and between a corporation and 
 its customers. The greater the man, the greater should be the 
 courtesy; the greater the company, the greater the need for 
 consideration. In a central station company there is an 
 other attribute which may be used with advantage along with 
 courtesy. It is something that is too little considered in con- 
 nection with business, and yet it helps to emphasize courtesy — 
 it is hospitality. In company offices, too little attention is paid 
 to the reception consumers receive when they call on business. 
 Employes on the outside of the counter, in the show-room or 
 elsewhere should notice visitors when they enter. Consumers 
 should see in the eyes and in the attitude of employes that they 
 are welcome; the atmosphere of hospitality should pervade the 
 office. A little effort in this direction will produce wonderful 
 results. 
 
 Conciliation is a friend of courtesy, and means an effort to 
 placate and please those who may be indifferent or antagonistic. 
 Conciliation requires more thought than courtesy, and sometimes 
 means a study of individual necessities. What purports to be 
 an authority on the subject of "How to Win" says — "If you 
 want to win a young fellow, admire his neckties. If you want 
 to win a mature man, ask his advice. If you want to win an old 
 chap, ask him what he eats. To please a young woman, praise 
 her taste in dress. To please a middle-aged women, praise her 
 taste in dress. If you want to please an elderly woman, praise 
 her taste in dress." At any rate, people like to be pleased, and 
 there is a way to please and conciliate everyone. A little experi- 
 ence along with a little desire will point the way in each case. 
 The Chinese have a saying that is worth remembering — "If 
 you bow at all — bow low." Half hearted, grudging or stinted 
 courtesy is a shame, and is soon uncovered. If it is worth while 
 to conciliate, it is worth while doing it with a whole heart. The 
 end and aim of it all is good service, and the winning of good will. 
 Many little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Many tiny 
 grains of sand make a great desert. Likewise that intangible, 
 but invaluable thing called "good will" is the result of thousands 
 of little things, each of which in itself may not seem of great 
 importance, but the total of their influence on the public mind 
 affects public opinion for good or ill.
 
 122 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 What Depends on Good Service 
 
 There is a feeling of deep satisfaction in the mind of every 
 officer and employe of a utility company, who knows that he is 
 connected with an organization which is giving a good sevice 
 to the public, and that his particular efforts along the lines of 
 efficiency and courtesy have contributed in obtaining the results 
 desired. The real test of worth is service, and to be able to stand 
 the test is a source of inward satisfaction. There is a certain 
 joy in being of service to others — and the man who serves no one 
 else but himself, at best is only a successful failure. But good 
 service brings some tangible rewards which are of unusual 
 importance. The central station company which supplies a 
 service that is of the highest grade, reaps benefits which are of 
 immediate value as well as of lasting advantage. 
 
 Increased Earnings. — Good service stimulates business to a 
 high degree. If comsumers feel they are under the protection 
 and care of the company, that the company's first aim is service, 
 then they are going to feel contented. But their contentment 
 will not be of a negative character. They will become enthu- 
 siastic, and enthusiasm is contagious. They will use the service 
 freely and unstintingly, and they will welcome additional 
 opportunities to use more. It is easy to do business and increase 
 consumption when there is confidence. When other ways and 
 means open up for a greater use of electric energy, the pleased 
 consumer is not going to hesitate. He will say to the company's 
 representative when a new current consuming appliance is 
 shown him, "If you say I should have it, then send it along. I 
 rely upon you." 
 
 It is said the difference between results and consequences is 
 that results are what you expect and consequences are what you 
 get. In the central station business where there is good service, 
 no chances are taken as to the character of the results which will 
 accrue. There will be an ever-increasing number of consumers 
 to serve, and existing consumer will make ever-increasing 
 demands for more service. Such a condition not only means a 
 growing volume of new business each year, but greater earnings 
 from present investment. With greater revenues, there should 
 be greater profits, and again it becomes evident that "He profits 
 most who serves best. " 
 
 Public Good Will. — It must not be overlooked that in any busi- 
 ness it takes two — the server and the served — to produce good 
 service. When a central station company asks its consumers to
 
 SERVICE 123 
 
 assist the company, by means of information, criticisms and sug- 
 gestions, to improve its service, and when consumers reahze that 
 such suggestions are thankfully received and adopted if practicable, 
 then something happens — and that something is that public 
 sentiment is being formed which will be useful to that company 
 later on. The company's right to exist comes from the public, 
 and what the public can confer it can also withdraw. Public 
 sentiment controls the ultimate destiny of every utility company, 
 and the value of the good will of the public cannot be easily 
 measured. A central station company may enjoy a monopoly — 
 but service should always be as high grade under a monopoly as 
 if strenuous competition existed. 
 
 Under conditions of constantly improving service, the com- 
 pany can ask nothing reasonable from the public which the public 
 will not cheerfully grant. A new franchise may be needed — rate 
 increases may be necessary — and even tolerance with a restricted 
 service may be asked — and the public, knowing the character 
 of the company and the standing of the men who control its 
 destinies, will say, "It is our company and to our interest that 
 such reasonable requests be granted." To some this may seen 
 an altruistic condition not possible to obtain. But it is possible 
 and entirely practicable. Such a condition cannot be born in a 
 day — but many days of untiring effort to supply the right kind 
 of service, coupled with a constant thought for the necessities, 
 desires and preferences of the individuals, will eventually bring 
 it about. Such a service cannot fail to win and hold the con- 
 fidence and good will of consumers, who, after all, largely make 
 up that same public which is so often feared and dreaded. 
 
 Financial Advantages. — Every public utility company must 
 have money to carry on its business, and no company subject 
 to regulations can finance its requirements out of earnings. 
 Consequently, each company needing money must find a market 
 for its securities, either at home in its own territory, or abroad 
 in the great money markets of the land. In either case, the 
 local standing of a company is closely scrutinized. The scrutiny 
 includes such questions as, "What kind of physical service is 
 supplied?' "How does it stand with the officials of regulating 
 bodies?" "What are its future prospects?' "What can be said 
 about public confidence and good will?" A utility company that 
 supplies good service, including all that the words properly imply, 
 cannot proceed on its career entirely unnoticed. It policies and 
 methods are known to the banker and broker in the money
 
 124 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 centers, and through them to individual investors. And locally, 
 such a company is well known to its consumers and the public. 
 It is a natural thing for a pleased consumer to say, "I like the 
 way the Cascade Power Company does business. I'll invest 
 in some of its securities. " And he does so when the opportunity 
 offers. The stranger, visiting a community often asks: "What 
 is a good investment hereabouts?" And the local man, proud 
 of his company, tells the story of the high grade management and 
 unexcelled service of the Cascade Power Company. It is not 
 luck that such a company meets with success in disposing of its 
 stocks and bonds. It is because some men have been working 
 for years, with keen eyes and strong purpose — and their object 
 and aim have been "Service First." With such an aim, with 
 such an object, there is no element of chance, for it will follow, 
 as the night the day, that success and profit must eventually 
 be at their command. 
 
 Prosperity of Territory Served. — The modern central station 
 company should be the pulsating heart of the territory which it 
 serves, and its distribution lines should be the veins and arteries 
 that supply vigor, energy, and life to the community. Every 
 home, every business, every workshop, and every industry should 
 be dependent on the central station for their service. Does it 
 not seem, therefore, that the electric service should be ideal in 
 every respect? Let it be supposed that the tangible service 
 were completely discontinued for one whole day. The energies 
 of the entire community would then become paralyzed — and 
 where there was action there would be inaction; where there was 
 cheerfulness, there would be despondency; and where there was 
 hope, there would be despair. Why? Because there is nothing 
 available to take the place of such a service if lost. Everything 
 and everybody must mark time until it returns. Under such 
 conditions the electric service can never be too good. 
 
 The company which, through its representatives, has pictured 
 the advantages to be derived from the uses of electricity, has 
 invited and solicited business, and has built up a load based 
 upon promises of service, has assumed a tremendous responsi- 
 bility. The greater the company's responsibility, the greater 
 and better should be the company's service in all its details. 
 If that service fails, either in its tangible or intangible qualities, 
 for any controllable reason, then that utility companj^ becomes a 
 delinquent, and may be branded as unfaithful to its trust. There 
 must be an adequate and liberal service, generous in all its details
 
 SERVICE 125 
 
 and without any semblance of discrimination to the community 
 as a whole, and to each individual in particular. The prosperity 
 of the territory served by any central station company absolutely 
 depends upon the quality of the electric service supplied, and 
 the better the service, and the more advantages it offers, the 
 greater should be the properity. 
 
 Unlimited Possibilities. — Just as long as there is a service to 
 be supplied, just so long will there be possibilities for improving 
 service. Service is distinctly progressive. What was good 
 service one year ago, stands a chance of being considered ordinary 
 service today, and what was rated ordinary service a year ago 
 may possibly be considered poor service tomorrow. Through 
 the efforts of thoughtful inventors and energetic engineers, 
 the tangible service has shown constant improvement. The 
 intangible service should also improve, through close study of the 
 needs and preferences of the community, the adoption of advanc- 
 ing methods, and the practice of discernment in considering the 
 personal equation when serving the individual. The aim of the 
 utility company should ever be, not how little may be offered, 
 but how much can be given. Is the question asked, "What are 
 the limitations to good service?" The echoes from past experi- 
 ence, coupled with the call of the future, supply the answer — 
 "There are no limitations." Good service will yet embrace 
 many attributes heretofore omitted, overlooked and for the 
 present undreamed. 
 
 Of necessity, all progressive central station men must be 
 students, with many difficulties to ponder and many problems to 
 solve. But the solved problems of today should become the 
 stepping-stones that lead to the greater achievements of to- 
 morrow. With this in mind, the constructive message sent some 
 eighteen hundred year ago to a people called the Philippians, is 
 suggested for thoughtful consideration : 
 
 "Whatsoever things are true. 
 Whatsoever things are honest. 
 Whatsoever things are just. 
 Whatsoever things are pure, 
 Whatsoever things are lovely. 
 Whatsoever things are of good report; 
 If there be any virtue, 
 If there be any praise, 
 Think on these things. "
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 CUMULATIVE COOPERATION 
 
 There are some words in the Enghsh language whose original 
 meanings have changed somewhat in the course of time, and it 
 would seem as if the word "cooperation" were one of this class. 
 The modern definition of cooperation is "the act of laboring to- 
 gether with others for a common end." 
 
 The Cooperative Society 
 
 The pioneer of cooperation in Great Britain and America was 
 a man named Robert Owen, and his type of cooperation bordered 
 on communism. Cooperation has always consisted of two kinds — 
 simple cooperation, when individuals strive to help each other in 
 the same employment, and complex cooperation, when they 
 attempt to do so in different employments. In Robert Owen's 
 time, about one hundred years ago, there were great philanthropic 
 ideas advanced along the lines of community cooperation, many 
 of them meeting with failure, and the best meeting with only a 
 limited success. During the nineteenth century the cooperative 
 society spread to France, Germany and America, but did not 
 take hold in the same manner it did in Britain. In the latter 
 country the most notable and perhaps the most successful experi- 
 ment was in Rochdale, which has been called "the Mecca of 
 cooperation." There they developed what is termed "coopera- 
 tion in production and cooperation in distribution," the latter 
 being designed to save profits by cutting out the middle man. 
 In the United States, cooperation of the community type like 
 Rochdale has made little progress. There has been a great 
 development of mutual insurance and building and loan societies, 
 which are examples of cooperative action. Cooperative distri- 
 bution has attained no marked success, and cooperative produc- 
 tion still less. Profit sharing is the nearest approach to this 
 principle in manufacturing concerns. Cooperation in the last 
 century had more or less of a concrete form, but today in the 
 public utility business it is dealt with more in the abstract and 
 
 126
 
 CUMULATIVE COOPERATION 127 
 
 might best be termed "The Cooperative Spirit." The coopera- 
 tive spirit today does not aim at cutting out any wing of an 
 industry, the middle man or any other man, but rather aims at 
 helping each wing properly to fulfill its particular function. 
 
 The Cooperative Spirit 
 
 It was Elbert Hubbard who said, "The valuable man in any 
 business, is the man who can and will cooperate with other men. 
 Men succeed only as they utilize the services and ideas of other 
 men." The spirit of cooperation is a vital element in every suc- 
 cessful business; it tends to the fullest development of the indi- 
 vidual and necessarily of the business as a whole, and fosters a 
 feeling that gives a man a joy in his work. The spirit of coopera- 
 tion means not only acting or laboring together to a common end, 
 which may be more or less mechanical, but it means putting the 
 soul into the work; all having at heart the one purpose, thinking, 
 planning and dreaming it, as well as working for it, cheerfully 
 and enthusiastically. That is cooperation in its highest form, 
 and there are few businesses and fewer industries that have yet 
 developed the cooperative spirit to such a degree. Yet it is 
 entirely possible to instill this vital force into an organization and 
 to foster and maintain it. It may be termed an intangible force, 
 like personality, on which it depends to a considerable extent. 
 In many organizations in the public utility business, little or no 
 attention has been paid to the development of the spirit of 
 cooperation in the past, and such organizations have suffered in 
 consequence. It is fast becoming a recognized factor in economy 
 — confidence and strength from the standpoint of the progressive 
 management, and of development, opportunity and advancement 
 from that of the thinking employe. In a large organization the 
 spirit of cooperation means team work and something more. It 
 is intangible and yet a real force, as is the college spirit to a uni- 
 versity, esprit de corps to a regiment, civic pride to a municipality, 
 and patriotism to a nation. 
 
 In applying the term "cumulative cooperation" to the central 
 station industry, the idea is to show the advantages to be derived 
 from "heaping together" the results to be obtained from develop- 
 ing the spirit of cooperation in the various branches, so that the 
 industry as a whole may feel its beneficial effects. It seems 
 advisable to start with the individual employe and first discuss 
 the subject of
 
 128 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 Cooperation with One's Self 
 
 On the face of it, self cooperation may sound paradoxical. It 
 takes two to make a quan-el, and some may think at least two to 
 practice cooperation. On the other hand, there is a verse in 
 the Bible which reads, "But when thou doest alms, let not thy 
 right hand know what thy left hand doeth." It may be granted 
 that this is metaphorical, but if it is not possible to segregate part 
 of one's self for one purpose, it is surely possible to cooperate 
 with all parts of one's makeup for another purpose. An employe 
 of a utility company may have decided talents along certain 
 lines. He may have the very qualities which are needed for 
 important positions ahead — but he may be handicapped by 
 himself. If he is careless about his personal appearance, if his 
 clothes are untidy, his shoes down at the heel, his collar soiled 
 or his hat dirty, then he is condemning himself in the eyes of 
 others who are observing him. Such indifference is not self 
 cooperation. Again, in the daily round of his work, is he prompt, 
 or is he tardy? Is he at his desk at the appointed hour in the 
 morning, and after lunch is he back at the hour expected? Does 
 he waste the company's time? Does he keep other employes 
 awaiting his appearance in order to transact the company's 
 business? If he does, then he is doing the reverse of cooperating 
 with himself. Others are noting his movements and they won't 
 forget when promotions are under consideration. His company 
 has framed certain rules and regulations for its employes to go 
 by. Does he go by them, or "go-by" them? If the rules are 
 disregarded, then he is not cooperating with himself. Further, 
 in transacting business with the company's patrons, does the 
 employe always treat these patrons with proper consideration? 
 Is his voice gentle, attitude conciliating and his words courteous? 
 If not, then there is a distict absence of self cooperation. Is he 
 doing his best at all times and under all circumstances, in his 
 business and in his home, during his work and at his play? Does 
 he hold that inward desire to do what is right and appear to 
 the greatest advantage? Then, if he does, he has acquired the 
 spirit of self cooperation, a valuable asset on which he will some 
 day realize substantial dividends. 
 
 Cooperation Among Employes 
 
 To accomplish the greatest possible results, employes as indivi- 
 duals must cooperate with each other. Business without coop-
 
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 CUMULATIVE COOPERATION 129 
 
 eration is like sound without harmony, — it stunts individual 
 character, strangles ability and exaggerates difficulties. It is a 
 tremendous handicap for men to work under such conditions. 
 Take the volume of business being handled by a force in which 
 lack of harmony is conspicuous — put in the hands of an organiza- 
 tion that is working in the right spirit and all the leaks and waste 
 that accompany dicord will at once be converted into savings of 
 time and money. The spirit of cooperation is just as important 
 between the different departments of an organization as it is 
 between the different workers in each department. Each indi- 
 vidual and each department has its functions. The manner of 
 doing the work finally means a success or failure of the whole 
 concern. Of what ultimate good to himself or to the organiza- 
 tion is a well balanced man in a well run department, if the other 
 members and departments making up the organization cannot 
 or will not cooperate with each other and work for the benefit of 
 all? In the long run, a man is going to get just about what he is 
 entitled to — that is, what he earns. If he works selfishly, 
 which is short-sightedly, and cannot cooperate with his fellow 
 employes, and does not consider the interests of the organization 
 as a whole, he will not go very far. On the other hand, the man 
 who earnestly cooperates with his fellows, works loyally for the 
 good of his company, which is his good also, will find before long 
 that the net results of his work will show for themselves. Such a 
 man is a credit and a profit to an organization — and his future 
 is assured. There never was a time in the history of this country 
 when there was so much industrial unrest and so much vague 
 dissatisfaction among workers. There seems to be a recklessness 
 among wage earners that has no parallel. They need guidance 
 and leadership of the right character more than anything else. 
 One of the chief duties of an executive is to do everything that 
 will help to develop this spirit of loyal, hearty, enthusiastic 
 cooperation, from the heads of departments down to the newest 
 employe, filling the smallest position. It can be done by taking 
 a live personal interest in their welfare, and encouraging them 
 to improve their present conditions and future prospects by 
 cultivating the spirit of cooperation, and getting out of it the 
 inherent benefits which accrue to those who believe in it. Man- 
 agers of today and some of the future must have the faculty to 
 manage men — which is a more difficult problem than operating 
 a motor or running a generator. The human element in industry 
 
 9
 
 130 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 is still larger than the mechanical element, and managers, super- 
 intendents, and foremen often lose, or maybe deliberately throw 
 away their largest asset by failing to create and develop that 
 spirit of cooperation, that friendly relationship with subordinates, 
 which makes for the highest success. Organizations and business 
 enterprises seem to grow bigger as the years go by, but personality 
 is also increasing in value. The executive or manager of today, 
 to be successful, must through his personality create a spirit 
 of cooperation and loyalty — not to himself alone, but to the great 
 organization of which he for the time being is the head, and of 
 which his lieutenants are important parts. Such an organization 
 can accomplish anything in reason. A great ironmaster once 
 said, ''Take away all our factories and trade, our avenues of 
 transportation, our money, but leave me an organization, and in 
 four years I shall have re-established myself." No man could 
 talk with such assurance if the true spirit of cooperation did not 
 permeate his organization from top to bottom. 
 
 Cooperation with the Industry 
 
 In what is termed the electrical industry, there are numerous 
 branches each presumably fulfilling its own particular function. 
 This condition does not prevail with other utilities such as water, 
 gas and telephone companies, except to a limited extent. The 
 principal segregations in the electrical industry are, the central 
 station, the manufacturer, the jobber, the dealer and the con- 
 tractor — each branch has a mission of its own, but all are tied in 
 together — distinct as the billows, yet one as the sea. However, 
 if one branch of the industry does not properly fulfill its function 
 then the work must be done by one or more of the other branches. 
 When the business of distributing electrical energy first started, 
 it was all in the hands of the central station, which was then 
 distributor, manufacturer, contractor, dealer and everything 
 else. As the business developed, the other branches sprang into 
 existence and the central station operators were glad to concen- 
 trate on the production and distribution of electrical energy. 
 But where and when the other branches did not keep pace with 
 their growing responsibihties, then the central station had still 
 to perform the functions of the weaker or lagging branches. In 
 some parts of the country there were, and there are today, many 
 dissensions among the various branches of the industry. One 
 branch will claim the other is eating into its business and another
 
 CUMULATIVE COOPERATION 131 
 
 branch will claim that its neighbor is not doing its duty. In 
 some localities conditions were strained to a point of open war. 
 It has been said that before cooperation comes in any line there 
 is always competition pushed to a point that threatens des- 
 truction and promises chaos; then to avert ruin, men look for a 
 better way, a plan that conserves and economizes, and this 
 better way is found in cooperation. Some attempts have been 
 made at so-called cooperation, when the plans really spelled 
 coercion. Men were threatened instead of persuaded, and as a 
 natural sequence, such combinations were short-lived and the 
 last state was worse than the first. There is no industry in which 
 cooperation can be made so effectual as in the electrical, but the 
 union must have the real spirit and not the imitation. There is 
 a positive cooperation and a negative cooperation. A farmer 
 was one day driving a team of horses attached to a cultivator, and 
 a stranger stopped to look on. "Your horses work well to- 
 gether," said the stranger. "Yes," rephed the farmer, "one is 
 willing to do all the work, and the other is willing to let him. " 
 This is a sample of negative cooperation which is not infrequently 
 seen where others are struggling to make the positive or real 
 cooperation a success. Cooperation in the electrical industry 
 should be definite and simple; simple, because it should not 
 involve methods that may be termed experimental, freaky or 
 untried, and definite, because the end to be looked for is a better 
 understanding, through consistent and persistent educational 
 endeavors, between the different branches of the industry, and 
 between the individuals who make up the different branches. 
 No attempts should be made to dictate to any individual or 
 branch of the business what must be done. No one part of the 
 industry should say to one neighbor, "Thou shalt not!" or to 
 another, "You must not!" and no one should be threatened, 
 intimidated or cajoled. On the other hand, every reasonable 
 effort should be made to educate and inform each branch of the 
 industry as to how its own particular business may be more 
 efficiently handled, and a constant effort made to assist each 
 branch more intelligently to understand some of the problems and 
 perplexities of the other branches. Real cooperation is an appeal 
 to the intelligence of the individual rather than an appeal to the 
 old-time prejudices of any group. It should be the crystallization 
 of a desire to have each branch of the business recognize the 
 responsibilities it owes to the other branches of the industry, and
 
 132 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 to teach the individual that, after all, he may to some extent be 
 his brother's keeper. Discord in the electrical industry stays 
 development, for there cannot be a canker in one branch without 
 affecting the whole. On the other hand, true cooperation benefits 
 all. The contractor gets more orders on a profitable basis and 
 is able to accumulate capital and extend his business. The 
 work of the contractor means that the dealer sells more supplies 
 and appliances. The dealer looks to the jobber to meet his 
 increased demands. The jobber sends larger requisitions on the 
 manufacturer, and with it all, the central station adds more 
 consumers and sells more electric energy. Such cooperation 
 means harmony and advancement. It brings about cooperative 
 methods for displaying and merchandising, cooperative advertis- 
 ing, and cooperative distribution of educational literature and 
 electrical knowledge. But with it all, there should be modesty 
 and appreciation. In the past the thing that has usually made 
 cooperation successful has been a moderate amount of adversity. 
 Too great prosperity has wrecked many well intentioned coopera- 
 tive schemes. Prosperity is apt to make men reckless and forget- 
 ful of their obligations to others, but in the electrical industry, 
 cooperation, if properly guided, should only be strengthened and 
 cemented by the prosperity of the individuals who are its 
 beneficiaries. 
 
 Cooperation with the Community 
 
 A mans' value to the community in which he lives lies in his 
 ability to think individually and act collectively. A man con- 
 nected with a public utility cannot be of proper value to himself 
 and cannot properly advance the interests of the organization 
 with which he is connected unless he cooperates with the com- 
 munity wherein he dwells and has his business connections. In 
 all civic organizations, such as boards of trade, chambers of 
 commerce, merchants' associations and business men's clubs, the 
 live public utility man should be a conspicuous figure. In the 
 construction of the modern automobile, there is the engine, the 
 running gear, and the tonneau. In all civic organizations like 
 those referred to, there are the parts to correspond with the 
 automobile. First, the executive, which represents the motive 
 power and resembles the engine; second, the men who do the 
 work and carry the load, which corresponds with the running 
 gear of the auto; third, the men who are carried along, but who
 
 CUMULATIVE COOPERATION 133 
 
 do nothing but look pleasant. These correspond to the tonneau 
 of the car. Now the public utility man should be a hustler and 
 faithfully represent the progressive character of his business. 
 His standing in the community will usually reflect the standing 
 of his company. In his connection with civic bodies, he should 
 not be one of those who always ride in the tonneau and do 
 nothing. He should be alive and aggressive, and he will learn 
 that both himself and his company will be the gainers by his 
 brushing up against and cooperating with the other men. In 
 local politics, however, the public utility man should not be 
 aggressive, otherwise he may injure his value to his company and 
 maybe impair its standing. The utility man should in all 
 political affairs take no public stand unless in a crisis. Political 
 parties come and go, but the central station business goes on 
 continually. He should hold his own views as a private citizen 
 and vote and act accordingly. Communities need the true 
 spirit of cooperation among their citizens for protection and 
 advancement. Men cannot work together, save for the common 
 good, and active cooperation in local affairs will benefit the indivi- 
 duals and the business interests of those locally established. 
 
 Courting Success 
 
 The greatest game in the world is success and every man who 
 is a man is playing his cards to win. Success is made up of many 
 attributes and no one element in itself can assure it. The annals 
 of successful men clearly demonstrate that all such men knew the 
 value of cooperation — could cooperate themselves and always 
 picked assistants who understood the meaning of the word. The 
 young man who will commence by cooperating with himself and 
 carry the spirit of cooperation in all his contacts with his fellows, 
 will gradually bind success unto himself "with hoops of steel", 
 and will eventually reap the desired fruits of cumulative 
 cooperation.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 OVER-COMPLACENCY 
 
 More than a Century ago a Noted Frenchman Declared. — 
 "Complacency is a coin by the aid of which all the world can, for 
 want of essential means, pay its bills in society. It is necessary, 
 finally, that it may lose nothing of its merits, to associate judg- 
 ment and prudence with it." 
 
 One dictionary defines the word complacency as "tranquil 
 satisfaction of mind and heart" . . . It will be observed there- 
 fore that complacency is not necessarily a reprehensible attribute, 
 but it is over-complacency — the complacency without judgment 
 and prudence — that requires attention and frequently correction. 
 
 In the public utility business in America during the past two 
 or three years there has been a change of front in some particulars. 
 In the earlier days of the development of the electrical industry 
 and for a long period subsequently the central-station company 
 was compelled to educate, illustrate, demonstrate, advertise 
 and solicit in order to sell electric service. Today with many 
 companies the conditions are entirely changed, and in some 
 instances the motions have been completely reversed. Just at 
 the time when the persistent labor of years was beginning to 
 bear its best fruit, for justifiable reasons, the supply of surplus 
 energy became diminished and in some instances gave out 
 entirely. Applications for service poured in faster than ever 
 before. "Prospects" that once were coy and had to be coaxed 
 even to consider the proposals made seemed to change overnight 
 and became friendly and familiar, and "prospects" that had been 
 almost persuaded to change to electric drive quite suddenly 
 became insistent in their demands and talked of their prior 
 rights, because of offers previously made to them. The managers 
 of power companies, on their part, who once were worried how 
 they could get new business began to worry how they could keep 
 new business from coming in so rapidly. 
 
 134
 
 OVER-COMPLACENCY 135 
 
 The Offensive Air of Superiority 
 
 Of course, this was considered a temporary condition — one 
 that would last only until additional funds or more power might 
 be available — but it lasted long enough to bring about an undesir- 
 able attitude in some directions. Big and little applicants, 
 going into a power company's office in good faith to ask for 
 electric service, were often received by employes and frequently 
 by managers with an air of superiority as much as to say, "Our 
 time has come and you may now await our pleasure." Then, 
 with a "why should we worry?" tone and attitude, the anxious 
 would-be customer was told that all the present supply of power 
 had been sold, that there were three thousand seven hundred 
 and sixty-five applications ahead of his, that he had better get 
 busy and patch up his old plant and apply again for service at a 
 later date, and if the Fates were kind maybe he would get it. 
 Unfavorable comments on the power shortage situation in local 
 papers were allowed to appear without any attention being given 
 to them or the real causes of the embarrassing conditions being 
 stated. No anxiety on the power company's part to explain 
 assist, modify or ameliorate the troubles — just an attitude of 
 exaggerated complacency. 
 
 During this period there has accumulated a real danger to the 
 utility company, and a reaction may be brewing that will strike 
 at its very existence or at least impair its standing, usefulness 
 and earning power. The public has a long memory — particu- 
 larly for real or fancied wrongs — and when the opportune time 
 arrives it will recall the over-complacent attitude of the com- 
 pany's representatives at a period when a little interest, anxiety, 
 courtesy and consideration would have been more acceptable. If 
 the rough edges of some of the spoken words had been trimmed 
 off, it would have left a better feeling — and there would be fewer 
 hurts and scars to be healed later. Too much complacency on 
 the part of employees is irritating to a utility company's cus- „j 
 tomers and also to the public. Persistence in this attitude should 1 
 likewise be irritating to the responsible executives and managers^ 
 of the utility company. Complacency is a twin sister of apathy 
 and a near relative of contentment, and contentment often 
 means stagnation. The managers of utility companies are 
 trustees charged with heavy responsibilities — first to the public 
 in connection with the needed service they supply, and second 
 to the security holders, who by their confidence in the enterprise
 
 136 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 make the service possible. At no time can a utility company 
 afford to be complacent and remain complacent, and least of all 
 when things appear to be coming its way and it has the semblance 
 of prosperity. Then is the time it needs most of all to ingratiate 
 itself with its customers and intrench itself in public favor. The 
 public may be kept quiescent and even pleased if it obtains what 
 it wants — that is, good service under reasonable conditions — but 
 no company ever accomplished this result through an attitude 
 of complacency. On the contrary, over-complacency at critical 
 times can easily undermine all the good work which may have 
 been done previously and create a condition of antagonism and 
 unrest which will surely hamper the business and ultimately 
 decrease the revenues. 
 
 A Word to the District Manager 
 
 The "bug" called complacency has another direction of attack 
 which is particularly dangerous to the company. This is through 
 its district managers. The district manager is the head of the 
 organization in his territory and the representative of the com- 
 pany as a whole and all for which it stands. It is his duty to be 
 a big man in the community, just as the company is a big and 
 necessary factor in its business life. For this reason the district 
 manager should be actively interested in all the business and 
 community organizations — political organizations excepted. He 
 should have a place in the chamber of commerce, board of trade, 
 business men's clubs, improvement associations and similar 
 institutions, for they are useful and educational, and all of them 
 more or less affect or are affected by the company's business and 
 interests. Complacency in this direction is dangerous. The 
 desire to let the other fellow do it should be throttled. For the 
 district manager to say he is too busy and cannot keep up with 
 these affairs is only an excuse. He may be busy doing less im- 
 portant work which might be done just as well by assistants. 
 His duty is to know all that is taking place in his district. Per- 
 haps he is sometimes weary and would like to stay home. It 
 takes a mighty conscientious man to tell the difference between 
 when he is tired and when he is just lazy. Over-complacency is 
 liable to make a man think he's tired when he's only looking for 
 an excuse to sit down and rest. Interest and anxiety to miss 
 nothing are good antidotes for laziness, and these go with the 
 brand of complacency that is associated with judgment and
 
 OVER-COMPLACENCY 137 
 
 prudence. Most men want advancement and prosperity — that's 
 the incentive that beckons through the daily grind of work. A 
 man must go after what he wants, and what he doesn't want will 
 come after him. Complacency is a finely disguised enemy of 
 ambition — but an enemy just the same. 
 
 Complacency in Complaint Department 
 
 If there is one place more than another where a central-station 
 company cannot afford to be complacent, it is in the complaint 
 department. This observation applies not only to the manner 
 in which complaints are received but also to the way in which 
 care is taken of them. If there were less complacency in some 
 directions, many complaints could be averted. Sometimes the 
 operating department knows of conditions where lines or trans- 
 formers are overloaded, where voltages may be low or interrup- 
 tions may occur; but those in charge "take a chance" about the 
 service, and it goes without saying that complaints usually fol- 
 low. Sometimes fuses blow out, lamps burn out and appliances 
 get out of order because of unnecessarily high voltage. Some one 
 in authority has said, ''Never mind; we'll try it out." Again 
 complaints pour in and consumers are inconvenienced, just be- 
 cause there has been too much complacency. Bills sent out for 
 monthly consumption are not always clear and readily compre- 
 hended, and the consumer complains because he does not under- 
 stand the calculation or thinks he is overcharged. This is indi- 
 cative of too much complacency in the bookkeeping department. 
 A collector is sometimes known to be a "grouch," or perhaps he is 
 only temperamental, but at any rate customers complain about 
 the treatment received. Some one is to blame, and probably it 
 is that collector's chief who is too complacent about his work and 
 takes a chance with the grouchy employee. 
 
 It is better to avert complaints if possible, but if they exist, 
 the reporting of them should be welcomed. In the first place it 
 gives the company a chance to remedy wrong conditions and to 
 improve the service, and in the next place it creates an opportun- 
 ity to make real friends. Nothing will please a patron more 
 than to have his complaint received with polite consideration 
 and to have the trouble remedied promptly. He is not only 
 pleased but often he feels flattered that he, one of the thousands 
 of customers, by simply saying a word to a clerk in the company's 
 office or over the telephone should start something which pro-
 
 138 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 duces quick action and desired results. He talks it over with his 
 wife, and tells his neighbors about the splendid service furnished 
 and how the big company had given his complaint special con- 
 sideration. There is a fitting time for the company to play its 
 trump card in connection with each complaint filed. After the 
 complaint has been courteously recorded and passed on to the 
 trouble department for prompt action — and after everything is 
 supposed to have received attention — some one in the office, pref- 
 erably a girl with a pleasing voice, should call the complaining 
 customer on the telephone and inquire if everything is now satis- 
 factory. If something yet remains to be done, it can be reported 
 and cared for, and if everything is as it should be, the office knows 
 it. But in either case the consumer is more than pleased, because 
 his individuality is recognized and he feels that he counts for 
 something. 
 
 It is not altogether improbable that some day the public 
 utility commissions will measure the standing of a central-station 
 company by the character and quantity of complaints received 
 and the manner in which such complaints are disposed of. When 
 complaints are at a minimum, the indications are that service is 
 supplied at a high standard, and when complaints are many and 
 poorly handled, then something must be wrong, and some one is 
 to blame. At any rate, in some way the commission will find out 
 what is wrong, if the company managers don't, and the trouble 
 will be found to be over-complacency on the part of some one 
 who is likely a square peg in a round hole. If absence of com- 
 plaints is to be one measure of good service and the proper recep- 
 tion and care of complaints is to be another, then some company 
 organizations had better be reorganized. Complacency and 
 good service have never yet traveled together and met with 
 success. One of them must be sacrificed — and it is up to the 
 district manager to indicate which. 
 
 Personal Appearance and Complacency 
 
 There is one other brand of complacency that is a menace to 
 the district manager and all his assistants. It is an individual 
 matter — sometimes even considered a delicate subject — and 
 that is complacency regarding personal appearance. A sore 
 cannot be cured by covering it up; it must be open to the sun- 
 light and air. There is no use sidestepping this subject as it is 
 important alike to the individual and the company. Some one
 
 OVER-COMPLACENCY 139 
 
 once said that "a man may be known by the company that keeps 
 him." As far as it goes the expression is all right, but it might 
 well be paralleled by saying that "a company is known by the 
 men it keeps — and that is the only way it is known." If such 
 is the case, does each company employee, each man who is 
 regularly seen and known as a company representative, do his 
 part by watching his personal appearance and safeguarding the 
 impression he creates? The answer is no. There are men in 
 the district-manager class who set very poor examples to those 
 under them. Then down the line there are men who ought to 
 know better who are hurting themselves and hurting the company 
 by their complacency as to their personal appearance. Unshaven 
 faces are unpardonable of men whose work requires them to meet 
 the company's customers in any capacity. In some parts of the 
 world where conventionalities are more closely observed a man 
 who had to meet the public for a business organization would 
 lose his position if he appeared for a day's work with an unshaven 
 face. Clothes don't have to be new, but a little pride and effort 
 will keep them clean. If a collar is supposed to be white, then 
 it should be white as the snow on the mountain tops. If shoes 
 are supposed to be black, then they should be as black and shiny 
 as the face of a native in Central Africa. If a man is going to 
 apply for a position, he usually endeavors to create a favorable 
 impression by making a good appearance. He should be just 
 as particular after he gets a position as he was when seeking it. 
 Sometimes employees a little bit down the line think they are not 
 observed and that their full value is not appreciated. If such 
 employees only knew how much they are observed, their worries 
 in that direction would soon cease. Some wonder why one 
 man is sent up and another remains down. There is always a 
 reason for promoting one man and passing by another. Some- 
 times the reason for staying down is too much complacency — too 
 much self-satisfaction and not enough mental and physical 
 activity. The well-managed utility company is jealous of its 
 reputation and jealous of the reputation it makes through its 
 representatives. Personal appearance is not everything, but it 
 means a great deal, and each employee owes it to the company 
 as well as to himself to give close attention to the impression he 
 is making in this direction and see if he can improve it. If he is 
 in doubt, let him ask some one who will tell him the truth. A 
 writer has said: "Man was made for growth. It is the object.
 
 140 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 the explanation, of his being. To have an ambition, to grow 
 larger and broader every day, to push the horizon of ignorance 
 a little further away, to become a little richer in knowledge, a 
 little wiser and more of a man — that is an ambition worth while." 
 To reach out toward these ideals might well be the desire of every 
 public utility employee. As he progresses, he will be of greater 
 value to himself and of greater usefulness to the company he 
 represents; but if his ambition becomes stimulated and he has his 
 eyes glued to the upper rounds of the ladder of success, he will 
 have said goodby to complacency until such time as he reaches his 
 desired goal.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 I THANK YOU 
 
 There is a story told of a young man who was what might be 
 termed a strenuous lover. On one occasion, when embracing his 
 sweetheart, he fancied he heard something that sounded like a 
 gasp. "Am I holding you too tight?" he queried. "No," was 
 the young lady's reply, "all I ask is that you leave breath enough 
 to say 'I thank you.'" Whatever else may be said, there is no 
 doubt but this lady understood a fundamental principle, namely, 
 that the best protection for present joys and the best assurance 
 for the fulfillment of hopes for the future, is a thankful apprecia- 
 tion for past favors. 
 
 Now let us suppose you are an employe of a public service 
 corporation, possibly not very long in the business. You may 
 have come to the company from the ranks of prejudice and hos- 
 tility toward corporations in general, and all concerned with 
 them. But, doubtless, you have personal ambitions — you 
 desire to increase your usefulness to the company, and you are 
 striving to be recognized by the management of the corporation. 
 If you are in this class, if you desire to reach the goal of you ambi- 
 tion in as little time as possible — in short, if you want to hold a 
 trump card in playing the great game of success — then here is a 
 message for you. Learn to retain breath enough, at all fitting 
 times to say "I thank you." Some man of a mercenary mind 
 once said that the four sweetest words in the English language are 
 "Enclosed please find check." Be that as it may, sweetness 
 does not draw all the prizes in life, and other attributes may be 
 considered with advantage. After all, the envied man is the man 
 who possesses personal power. The power to disarm prejudice 
 and to dispel opposition. The power to win friends and to draw 
 business. Find such a man and he will tell you that the three 
 most potential words in the English language are "I thank you." 
 If it is checks a man wants, then the checks will come more fre- 
 quently and their amounts will be greater if "I thank you" is 
 never overlooked. If it is ultimate promotion to a high position 
 
 141
 
 142 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 an emploj^e seeks, then one of the surest ways to draw the atten- 
 tion of the superiors and create a favorable impression is to 
 thoroughly understand the potentiality of the words "I thank 
 you." 
 
 Most men know there is a proper time for everything, and the 
 proper time to commence saying "I thank you" is not next year 
 or next week, but now and at once. 
 
 Look to this day: — 
 For yesterday is only a dream 
 And tomorrow only a vision." 
 
 Join the Thank You Club 
 
 An editorial writer, in a recent issue of a daily paper, published 
 an article under the caption "The Thank You Club," which 
 writing indicated that he realized some men and women were 
 daily missing great opportunities. He said in part: "Its great, 
 the Thank You Club. No initiation, no dues, no long-drawn- 
 out meetings, and no reports. Anyone can join, and so small a 
 number as two makes a quorum to do business. No stated meet- 
 ings, and no stipulated place of meeting. Anybody can start 
 a Thank You Club. Beats Overall Clubs all to pieces, lasts 
 longer, does more good and spreads sunshine. One carries the 
 by-laws around in his head. The password is 'Thank you.' 
 And that's all there is to the whole book of rules. That's all it 
 means — the Thank You Club — just a 'Thank you' for the little 
 services performed daily as well as the big ones. A 'Thank you' 
 is more appreciated by many people than a tip, which by some 
 may be considered an insult. Start a club some morning — 
 watch your club grow — good ideas spread. Try the club for one 
 day. It may make you a life member — and the 'Thank you's 
 will increase and radiate like ripples from a stone thrown into 
 a mill-pond." 
 
 The modern public utility organization is much like a great 
 machine, and its employes are the cogs in the wheels which grind 
 out the daily round of usefulness. But one must stop right there 
 in the simile as to a machine. A machine itself has no thinking 
 power and no initiative. A man or woman should possess both 
 judgment and discernment and be capable of independent 
 thought and action. Upon the proper use of these qualities
 
 I THANK YOU 143 
 
 depends the degree of ultimate success obtained. The prosperity 
 of a utility company hinges upon the kind of men who handle 
 the details of its business. Do these men work together har- 
 moniously and efficiently? Does the company as an organiza- 
 tion, endeavor to please its patrons and satisfy the public? Let 
 us assume they do. Then there will be in evidence a spirit of 
 courtesy and consideration between man and man, and between 
 the company and its customers. The more respect and consider- 
 tion fellow employes have for one another, the greater will be the 
 amount of kindly courtesy exhibited in daily intercourse. And 
 the more a utility company aims to please its consumers, the 
 greater amount of public confidence and good will it must enjoy. 
 The outward and visible sign, in all this intercourse of a pleasing 
 character, is the frequent and consistent use of the words "I 
 thank you," when prompted by the right spirit. 
 
 It is quite possible some may query what is the proper time and 
 place to say "Thank you," and to whom shall it be said? A 
 little practice will soon clear up all doubts in this regard. Some 
 people may be surprised at first to hear the words addressed to 
 them, but they will not be shocked. The words become sweet 
 music to the ears of him who gives and him who takes. The 
 time? Any time — in personal intercourse, over the telephone 
 or through correspondence. The place? Any place — where an 
 opportunity is given to recognize the existence and assistence of 
 another. The one? Any one — whoever does you a small favor 
 or a big one; anyone who serves you, either in a special manner or 
 along the fines of regular routine. "Thank you" is rarely out 
 of place and almost always welcome. 
 
 Many individuals say "I thank you" because the words 
 express their feelings, and they like to use them. Some people 
 feel "I thank you," but leave the feefing to be understood. 
 Others there are who do not know the "I thank you" feeling 
 and rarely use the words. But the "I thank you" gospel may 
 be spread if it is consistently promulgated. Ideas are like nails — 
 the oftener you hit them, the deeper they sink. Those who 
 believe in the "I thank you" policy, need not be discouraged 
 if success does not immediately crown their efforts to convince 
 others of its value. The idea wifi eventually sink in through 
 persuasion, conviction or self-interest, if the hammering is kept 
 up.
 
 144 WINNING THE PUBLIC 
 
 Thankfulness a Duty 
 
 There is another angle of the "I thank you" idea, which is 
 not along the lines of policy or self-interest. It is that each of 
 us owes a debt of courtesy and politeness to our fellow men with 
 whom we come in contact. Shakespeare has said, "Thanks to 
 men of noble mind is honorable meed. " We have no more right 
 to be discourteous or impolite to our neighbor at home, our 
 fellow employe, or those with whom we come in daily contact, 
 than we have the right to hold a gun at their heads and forcibly 
 rob them. On the other hand, if one finds it necessary to commit 
 robbery, the average man is liable to forgive the robber, if he 
 does his unpleasant task in a polite manner and says "I thank 
 you, " when finished. 
 
 The fixed star of ambition is the eternal guide which beckons 
 men on to the goal of success. Its light flashes from the desired 
 haven of ease, comfort and affluence. The lives of successful 
 men illuminate the pathway for those who seek the guiding 
 light of experience. All successful men have not reached the 
 goal through the same attributes or by the same means. But 
 all signs point to the quickening power of courtesy and politeness. 
 History demonstrates that most men who have climbed highest, 
 learned when their feet were yet on the lowest rounds of the 
 ladder, of a marvelous compelling power, whose use had an irresis- 
 tible effect. The marvel was its simplicity, for this mysterious 
 power was tied up in tte use of the three words, " I thank you. "
 
 INDEX 
 
 Accounting, regulation of, 52 
 Advertisement, the boastful and the 
 
 winning, 89 
 Advertisements, size of, 85 
 Advertising, accumulative, 86 
 
 and development, 93 
 
 copy, 91 
 
 the value of, 54, 82 
 Ambition, enemies of, 140 
 
 lack of, 32 
 Apathy, danger of, 135 
 Appliances which increase the load, 
 
 60 
 Application, the value of, 32 
 Assets, intangible, 13 
 Attitude of superiority offensive, 135 
 
 B 
 
 Bacon, quotation from Francis, 39 
 Bell, Alexander Graham, 67 
 Bills, collecting promptly, 78 
 complaints about, 117 
 using backs of, 90 
 Buildings and oiEces, appearance of, 
 
 8 
 Business development in the Central 
 Station industry, 77 
 
 C 
 
 Central station plant, its load, 28 
 Central station, service and the, 110 
 Central stations and cooperative 
 
 publicity, 84 
 Cheerfulness, 35 
 Circulars, value of, 90 
 Civilization, measured in terms of 
 
 kilowatt hours, 45 
 Classifying the public, 82 
 10 
 
 Cleanliness, in the office, 8 
 Collectors must not be grouchy, 137 
 Commercial instinct, the, 94 
 Commission, public utility, 13, 25, 
 
 52 
 Commissions, the regulation of state, 
 
 103 
 Company reputation, jealous of, 139 
 Complacency, definition of, 134 
 Complaint department, the employe 
 in the, 118 
 
 danger of complacency, 136 
 Complaints and troubles, 116 
 Complaints, avert if possible, 137 
 
 handling, 27 
 
 quick action, 137 
 Conciliation, art of, 101 
 
 extent of, 107 
 Confidence, value of the public's, 95 
 
 winning the public's, 101 
 Consumer, contact with, 118 
 
 co-partners, 2 
 
 effect of office on, 7 
 
 impressing the, 7 
 
 knowledge of corporations in- 
 terest, 6 
 Contact, personal, 44 
 
 points of, 38 
 
 with the consumer, 118 
 Conventionalities, importanc'fe of, 
 
 139 
 Cooperating through the display 
 
 room, 54 
 Cooperation, history of, 126 
 
 need of, 30 
 
 negative, 130 
 
 with one's self, 128 
 Cooperative publicity and central 
 
 stations, 84 
 Courtesy, 15, 79 
 
 aggressive, 16, 18 
 
 and conciliation, 120 
 
 conventional, 18 
 145
 
 146 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Courtesy, incentives to, 104 
 
 value of, the, 12 
 
 which convinces, 106 
 Customer, as a friend, the, 99 
 
 man in the street as a, 28 
 
 D 
 
 Demand for electric energy, increas- 
 ing the, 54 
 
 Demonstration classes, 17 
 
 Demonstrations, value of special, 58 
 
 Development and advertising, 93 
 
 Display room, appointments and 
 methods, 55 
 value of the, 55 
 
 District manager, the, 51, 73 
 
 interest, community organiza- 
 tions, 136 
 
 Distrust, the origin of, 102 
 
 E 
 
 Edison, quotation from Thomas A., 
 32, 68 
 
 Educational responsibilities, the, 61 
 
 Efficiency, definition of, 69 
 
 Electric energy, increasing the de- 
 mand for, 54 
 
 Electrical industry, branches of the, 
 130 
 
 Electricity and the home, 61, 96 
 
 Employe, impression on public, 16 
 
 Enthusiasm, 14 
 
 Environment, the psychology of, 19 
 
 Example, District Managers', 136 
 
 F 
 
 G 
 
 Good service impossible with com- 
 placency, 138 
 Good will, how to capture, 3 
 Greater Service, department of, 4 
 what it means, 5 
 
 H 
 
 Harmony, 78 
 
 Home, transforming the, 96 
 
 Hospitality in the company oflSce, 
 121 
 
 Housework and electricity, 61 
 
 Hubbard, Elbert, quotation from, 
 127 
 
 Human being, the man in the street 
 as the, 26 
 element in industry, 130 
 machinery toned up, 3 
 
 Hydroelectric power, value of devel- 
 oping, 49 
 
 Information for the man in the 
 street, 25, 29 
 
 Information, distribution of, 3 
 
 Informing the public, 46 
 
 Impressing the customer, 7 
 
 Impressionist, the, 22 
 
 Instinct, the commercial, 94 
 
 Investment, in the electrical in- 
 dustry, 67 
 
 Investor, the man in the street as 
 the, 29 
 
 Investors, outside, 10 
 
 Factory, electricity in the, 96 
 Financial advantages coming from 
 
 good service, 123 
 news, 48 
 Folders, value of, 90 
 Franchises and the district manager, 
 
 75 
 Friends, recognizing, 99 
 
 Ladder of success, 140 
 Lamps, displaying, 58 
 
 number of incandescent in use, 
 69 
 Laziness, antidotes for, 136 
 Letter writing, 139 
 Letters, follow-up, 90
 
 INDEX 
 
 147 
 
 Lighting, business of developing, 77 
 
 extension of, 69 
 Lines, transmission and distribution, 
 
 7 
 Load, diversity of, 97 
 Load-building, the question of 
 
 scientific, 84 
 Load curve, the, 28 
 Load factor, the, 70 
 Loyalty, 37 
 
 M 
 
 Management, good, 13 
 
 Manager, company, 7, 23 
 district, 51, 73 
 Managing men, 129 
 
 Meetings of employes, 107 
 
 Memory, lasting characteristics, 19 
 
 Meter reading and billing, 114 
 
 Misinformation, counteracting pub- 
 licity of, 25 
 
 Motion picture, the possibility of 
 the, 92 
 
 N 
 
 New business department, a, 106 
 News, distribution of, 53 
 Newspaper, supremacy of the, 83 
 value of using, 47 
 
 O 
 
 Office, hospitality in the, 121 
 Offices and buildings, appearance of, 
 
 8, 72 
 Operators on private telephone 
 
 exchanges, 42 
 Opportunities, creating, 98 
 
 for business, 95 
 Organizer, the district manager as 
 
 the, 73 
 Over complacency, danger of, 136 
 Owen, Robert, 126 
 
 Peak bug-a-boo, the, 70 
 
 Persistence, 34 
 
 Personal appearance of employes, 
 120 
 avoid over complacency, 139 
 Personal element, the, 98 
 Personal items, value of publishing, 
 
 51 
 Personal power, the value of, 141 
 Personal solicitation, 54 
 Personality, importance of, 6 
 Physical conditions which make for 
 
 service, 112 
 "Pinafore," quotation, 20 
 "Please," use of the word, 19 
 Point of view, 6 
 Points of contact, 38 
 Politics, the public utility man and, 
 
 133 
 Politeness, definition of, 44 
 Polonious, saying of, 7 
 Possibilities of improving the ser- 
 vice, 125 
 Private ownership, 30 
 Procrastination, 33 
 Progress, recognizing, 71 
 Promises broken, 2 
 Property, of the company, 7 
 Psychology, of environment, the, 9 
 
 of monopoly, 14 
 Prosperity, of a public utility 
 company, 142 
 the danger, 132 
 Public, being frank with the, 89 
 classifying the, 82 
 control, 29 
 Good will, a result of good 
 
 service, 122 
 How it judges, 6 
 Impression of company's pro- 
 perties on, 7 
 Impression of employes on, 6 
 Public relations, progressive policy, 1 
 Public utility company, the organi- 
 zation of a, 142 
 interest in, 6 
 Publicity, Central stations and 
 cooperative, 84 
 methods of, 82 
 value of, 46
 
 148 
 
 INDEX 
 
 R 
 
 Rates, commission regulation of, 52 
 increase of, 103 
 value of schedules, 113 
 Railway electrification, 64 
 Regulation, development of State, 
 
 52, 103 
 Relations with the public, 79, 105 
 Representatives, selecting, 107 
 Responsible employe, the, 36 
 Revenues, collecting the, 77 
 Riley, quotation from James ^\Ti^^- 
 comb, 21 
 
 S 
 
 Salesman, the electrical, 95 
 
 Scope of central station business, 16 
 
 Securities, regulation of issuance of, 
 
 52 
 Service, and the central station, 109 
 application, treatment of, 114 
 component parts of. 111 
 tangible and intangible, 111 
 the nature of, 104 
 various conceptions of the word, 
 
 109 
 what depends on good, 122 
 Service inspector, need of a, 118 
 Shakespeare, quotation from, 144 
 Smile, the value of the, 99 
 Solicitation, personal, 54 
 
 Special demonstrations, value of, 58 
 Standing of company indicated by 
 
 number of complaints, 19 
 Stockholders, increasing the, 30 
 Street lighting, developing, 77 
 Student, the, 24 
 Success, courting, 133 
 Success, cornerstone of, 14 
 elements of, 33 
 
 Telephone, contact over the, 41 
 Telephone, invention of the, 67 
 
 operator, the, 26 
 
 operators on private exchanges, 
 42 
 Telegraphy, development of, 66 
 Thank You Club, the, 142 
 Tidiness, in the office, 8 
 Transportation, air and electricity, 
 65 
 
 land and electricity, 63 
 
 sea and electricity, 64 
 Troubleman, 117 
 Troubles, preventing, 113 
 
 U 
 
 United States, central stations and 
 municipal electric plants 
 in, 13 
 
 Uses of electricity, the increasing, 71
 
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