| Show seventy years of life on october 21 the anniversary of Edi sons invention of the incandescent lamp will bs be celebrated the lamp which is so commonplace today marked the beginning of the electric age even as it marked the beginning of a great industry whose service has revolutionized lut ionized agriculture industry and domestic life today there are nearly wired homes in the united states almost all have radios the great majority have electric refrigerators irons washing machines and other labor saving conveniences that are virtually considered necessities cowand would have seemed the wildest luxuries not long ago rural electrification got its real start in 1929 a mere 20 years bick back at the end of that year the power companies compani eshad had brought service to farms today nine tenths of all our farms have ser vice available and 82 per cent are using it in those 20 years the average farmer has tripled his consumption of electricity yet his annual electric bill has increased only 40 per cent bast 1 ast year according to the department of commerce electricity took lessl lessa than one per cent of the average I 1 family budget and for that tiny sum it renders miracles of service what built the electric industry 1 I 1 and gava the nation light arial and power the answer to that question is free enterprise the industry is owned by some americans most of them people of moderate means it has physical assets worth lit it is one of the biggest tipa taxpayers earsl f and its rates and standards of I 1 service are regulated by state and I 1 federal commissions which rep resent the interests of the colsum I 1 er it can look back on 70 years of life with pride in a great job well done |
