N. E. L. A.

Ten thousand electric light, heat & power men went to Atlantic City last week for the 50th annual meeting of the National Electric Light Association.

It became known that during 1926 members of the association manufactured 47,030,000 miniature bulbs for Christmas tree decoration, 32,700,000 for flashlights, 116,300,000 for motor cars. This was apart from the 294,000,000 large Mazda and tungsten filament bulbs used for household and industrial illumination. Because N. E. L. A. regulates its production to demand, these figures represent the bulbs bought last year.

Also, it was disclosed how customers of electric light and power companies are buying stock in those concerns. The idea of selling stock to consumers originated in 1914. Last year, 228 companies reported, 1,432,277 of 15,531,660 customers were stockholders. The 1926 gross earnings of those companies was $1,113,865,470. Although the goodwill value of this company-customer relationship is incalculable, since 1914 it has brought $1,100,000,000 new financing to the companies.

The electricity companies are making money. But they do not intend to slacken development of new business. About 1,000,000 new U. S. homes are wired for electricity each year. But there are millions of old houses, particularly in rural communities, that need wiring or rewiring. The electric light companies are going to solicit this business with great vigor next year.

Considerable of the solicitation will be by means of "institutional" advertising, in which public utility companies have been laggard. James Edward Davidson* of Omaha, Neb., scolded N. E. L. A. for its negligence in this respect.

Citrus fruit growers, cement makers, paint and varnish makers, jewelers, soap purveyors, coffee venders, and sellers of two dozen more items are doing such national advertising, he explained. His argument: "Someone else has had to begin doing the job for us. We are living in an advertising age. It is a recognized fundamental in salesmanship. Our industry should undertake a nation-wide advertising program."

.* Not to be confused with James Edward Davidson, ship builder, of Bay City, Mich.