| Show HINDERING PROGRESS while the distressing economical conditions which prevail are due to a number of causes there can be no doubt that restrictive laws which hamper business and industry have been an important factor in the situation an instance of how unwise legislation operates to retard progress is given by A patterson veteran editor in a recent issue of the publishers auxiliary a trade publication for newspaper men mr patterson discusses the effects of laws enacted in oklahoma and kansas which prohibit utility companies from selling electric and gas appliances and the agitation for similar laws in other states he says the enactment of such a law in any state means slowing up of the installation of these modem comfort and convenience producing appliances in the home it means depriving the people of the community of securing them on easy payment terms and at the lowest possible cost it means fewer people employed in the community and in the factories of the nation and in the end it does more harm than good to the merchants of a community it might be added that such laws tend to prevent the extension of electric service to the farms of the country a movement which has made great progress in recent years owing to the enterprise of the utility companies in supplying the necessary appliances on most favorable terms |
