B. M. Downs listed as Director of Society for Electrical Development

Annual Meeting of the Society for Electrical Development.

The annual meeting of the Society for Electrical Development, Incorporated, was held at the Hotel Sherman, Chicago, on the morning of Monday, June 2. Ernest Freeman, president of the National Electrical Contractors' Association, presided, and the meeting was called to order promptly at 11:00 o'clock.

James M. Wakeman, general manager of the Society, explained that quite a number of manufacturers and central-station interests who were contemplating subscribing to the funds of the Society, objected to basing their subscription upon a definite figure as representing the amount of their gross business. It had been deemed expedient, therefore, to prepare a classification which would allow considerable latitude in the placing of the gross figures and at the same time strike a mean average so as to bring to the Society a maximum contribution. He explained a system of grading of gross values and percentages which would be embodied in a later report, suggesting changes in the by-laws which would be voted upon during that session.

Mr. Wakeman announced that at the recent meeting of the Electrical Supply Jobbers' Association in Chicago, 22 jobbers had elected to make their subscriptions to the Society's funds and that 16 preferred to come in under the graded classification. Mr. Wakeman stated that in response to the advertisement calling for an emblem and slogan in the technical press and by the central stations all over the country in their local papers, that 2,675 replies had been secured.

P. S. Dodd, secretary-treasurer of the Society, reported that there were now 181 contributing members of the Society. The Society was incorporated on November 13, 1912, and the directors had advanced 20 per cent of their subscription so that a fund might be established for the beginning of the work. This had amounted to $20,476.01. There have been expended $11,420, leaving a balance of $8,665.49. This, however, included $999.85, which had been subscribed as the yearly contribution from several sources, and which must be held in a suspense account until the full $200,000 had been secured. Consequently, the balance was $7,765.64. These accounts have been audited and approved by a special finance committee.

Mr. Dodd read suggestions with regard to the amendment of the constitution and by-laws, and it was unanimously voted to change Sub-Section d of Section 4 of Article II to read as follows: "(d) Seven members of the board of directors will constitute a quorum at any meeting for the transaction of business."

Amending Article IV relating to subscriptions, the following paragraphs were inserted:

(c) Alternative Plan of Subscription. — Any member, whose gross annual sales amount to less than $25,000,000 preferring not to state the exact amount of his annual sales, may subscribe in accordance with the following classification:

The subscription will be figured on the mean amount between the limits stated for each class except that Class A will be figured on the one amount stated, the percentages for each class to be the same as stated in sections (a) and (b) above.

(d) On January 1 of each year the secretary-treasurer of the Society shall send to each member a card to be filled out by said member or by the firm, corporation or association he represents, and return prior to the following February 1, stating the amount of his or its sunbscription for each year. The amount so stated shall be based on the gross sales made by such member or firm or corporation or association represented by membership in the preceding calendar year and shall be not less than the rates above fixed, except that members choosing the alternate plan shall state the class in which their business comes, and when so stated, dues for the ensuing year become fixed in accordance with the above classification.

The report of the nominating committee was then presented, and the following officers and directors elected for the ensuing year:

President, Henry L. Doherty; first vice-president, W. H. Johnson; second vice-president, W. E. Robertson; third vice-president, A. W. Burchard; fourth vice-president, Ernest Freeman; fifth vice-president, J. Robert Crouse.

Directors representing central stations — Henry L. Doherty, of Henry L. Doherty & Company, New York City (four years); W. H. Johnson, Philadelphia Electric Company, Philadelphia, Pa. (three years); John F. Gilchrist, Commonwealth Edison Company, Chicago (two years); Joseph E. Montague, Buffalo & Niagara Falls Electric Light & Power Company, Niagara Falls, N. Y. (one year).

Directors representing the manufacturers — A. W. Burchard, General Electric Company, Schenectady, N, Y. (four years); L. A. Osborne, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa. (three years); W. A. Layman, Wagner Electric Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo. (two years); B. M. Downs, Hemingray Glass Company, Covington, Ky. (one year).

Directors representing the jobbers — W. E. Robertson, Robertson-Cataract Company, Buffalo, N. Y. (four years; Gerard Swope, Western Electric Company, New York, N. Y. (three years); F. S. Price, Pettingell-Andrews Company, Boston, Mass. (two years); W. W. Low, Electric Appliance Company, Chicago (one year).

Directors, representing the contractors — Ernest Freeman, Freeman-Sweet Company, Chicago (four years); E. McCleary, McCIeary-Colquitt Company, Detroit, Mich, (three years); J. A. Strong, New York, N. Y. (two years); G. N. Sanborn, Indianapolis, Ind. (one year).

Directors - at - Large — J. Robert Crouse, Cleveland (four years); Hugh M. Wilson, McGraw Publishing Company, New York (three years); Charles W. Price, Electrical Review Publishing Company, New York (two years); the Reigning Jupiter of the Jovian Order (one year). In the latter case, until his successor is elected the incumbent is F. E. Watts.

The appointments of J. M. Wakeman as general manager, and P. S. Dodd, as secretary-treasurer of the Society, was voted by the directors to stand approved.

Mr. Wakeman announced that the National Electric Light Association was working in close co-operation with the Society, and that as general manager he had been invited to attend the meeting of the executive committee of the National Electric Light Association, and also to be present at the public policy session. The program committee of the National Electric Light Association had arranged on Friday, June 6, for a presentation of the plans of the Society for Electrical Development by Mr. Doherty and all of the members were urged to be present.