at Dickinson. The picnic was given in honor of Miss Alice Wallace, our telephone operator, who was married in May.

The real estate fraternity look for considerable building activity on account of the scarcity of homes. Building permits issued by the city building inspector during the month total $571,047, whereas the permits issued during May, 1918, amounted to only $182,587. At the present time there are practically no cottages for rent and very few apartments or residences. Cottages that rented in normal times for $25.00 per month, are now drawing between $40.00 and $45.00.

The weather during the month of May in Houston was comparatively cool and very rainy. The total precipitation for the month was 6.4 inches, which is the largest rainfall since 1889, except during the years 1907 and 1914. The total of 6.4 inches of rain for the month, compared with the average for thirty-seven years, shows an excess of 1.09 inches. The accumulated excess rainfall since January 1, 1919 was 3.76 inches.

Keokuk, Iowa

The Managers' Meeting for the Middle West District was held in Keokuk on May 5th and 6th, representatives from the Houghton, Paducah, Fort Madison and Keokuk Companies attending. Mr. Edgar presided and Mr. Vittinghoff from the Boston office was also present.

On May 7th a party from Paducah arrived as guests of Mr. Edgar and Mr. Nichols on a fishing trip. The Paducah visitors were shown over the property of the Keokuk Electro-Metals Company and the Mississippi River Power Company, leaving for camp up the Mississippi River on May 8th.

The city of Keokuk was visited on May 14th by a battalion of the 168th Infantry, formerly the Third Iowa Guard, of the famous Rainbow Division, which had just returned from France and was on its way to Camp Dodge. Many soldiers of this battalion were Keokuk men, and Keokuk closed all places of business and gave the returning soldiers a royal welcome.

On the evening of May 23rd the Illinois Mining Institute was a guest of the city of Keokuk. The Institute, which is composed of the men who actually operate the mines, held its convention on the Mississippi River between Keokuk and St. Louis. The visitors were shown over the Government dry dock and the water power plant.

Contracts were signed on May 19th for the erection of the big addition to the Standard Four Tire building. The building itself was contracted for $17,400, and machinery already bought and ordered will cost about $90,000, so that the addition to the plant will cost well over $100,000. When this addition is completed, late in the Summer, the capacity of the factory will be doubled and it will manufacture 1,000 tires a day, besides tubes.

The stockholders of the Purity Oats Company of Keokuk and Davenport have held final meetings confirming the action of the board of directors to consolidate with the American Hominy Company. The capacity of the oats plants at Keokuk and Davenport will be increased as rapidly as possible to meet the requirements of the trade. The consolidation means that one of the industries which has shown a steady growth in

Keokuk during the past ten years will be of still greater importance to the community as an employer of labor and an advertiser of Iowa products. The consolidation will have an issue of paid up common stock of three million dollars, and assets of about nine million dollars.

On May 6th over one hundred members and about fifty guests of the High Tension Club attended the annual dinner in the dining room of the Hotel Iowa. The dinner began with "The Star Spangled Banner" and ended with "America." Mr. A. S. Nichols of Paducah led the singing of "My Country 'Tis of Thee," Mr. E. W. Ferguson playing the accompaniment.

Mr. Carter was up to his standard as toastmaster. Messrs. H. T. Edgar, E. L. Milliken and E. Roberts were other speakers of the evening. When President Scadding read a long telegram from Mr. C. W. Kellogg, now in New York, there was spontaneous and loud applause.

On May 30th the Mississippi River Power Company Tennis Association met the Keokuk Electric Company Tennis Association in their second annual tennis tournament. Messrs. Berryman, Deter and Carlson, representing the Keokuk Electric Company, played three matches of doubles and three matches of singles against eight Power Company players. The matches were all splendidly contested and although the Power Company won five of the six matches, much credit is due the Keokuk Electric players for the splendid fight they put up under the handicap of playing three times as many games as their opponents.

Mississippi River Power Company

On May 11th, the Gas Tank Recharging Company made its first carbide of calcium and has since been operating its large electric furnace successfully.

The plant of the Fluid Compressed Steel Company is going up very rapidly. The furnace house has its frame up and is now nearly all under roof. High water has interfered with furnace foundations, but it is now believed that initial service will be given on or about July 1st.

Mr. R. B. Howland, formerly assistant general superintendent of the Mississippi River Power Company and for the past year and a half general superintendent of the Utilities Department of the American International Shipbuilding Corporation, Hog Island, has been appointed to the position of superintendent of operation of the Power Company.

Messrs. C. A. Sears, J. H. Bissell and E. Maxwell attended a hearing before the State Public Utilities Commission of Illinois, held at Springfield on May 20th.

Mr. N. T. Wilcox attended the recent Annual Convention of the National Electric Light Association at Atlantic City.

Keokuk Electric Company

Mr. Vittinghoff of the Boston office spent May 8th, 9th and 10th inspecting the gas plant and going over gas matters with us.

Mr. Wm. H. Kennedy, assistant treasurer of the Houghton Companies, paid us a visit on May 26th and 27th.

Mr. J. P. Ingle attended the Annual Convention of the National Electric Light Association at Atlantic City. He stopped en route at

Philadelphia to view the Hog Island enterprise. He visited the Boston office during the latter part of the month of May.

Messrs. J. P. Ingle, manager, and A. L. Berry man, assistant treasurer, attended a hearing before the State Public Utilities Commission of Illinois, held at Springfield, Illinois, on May 20th.

Mr. Wilber E. Davis, accountant, left for his vacation and wedding trip on May 17th, which was spent in Chicago.

The railway, electric light and power and gas receipts of this company this month show substantial increases for May over the previous year.

Key West, Fla.

Under date of April 27, 1919, T. M. Bragg, who left this company for military service, wrote from Uruffe, Meurthe et Moselle, to Mr. H. H. Hunt, as follows:

"It gives me great pleasure to acquaint you with my movements since leaving the Training Camp.

"In August, 1917, I was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant of Engineers and after a year of service, mostly at Camp Shelby with the 113th Engineers, finally landed in France toward the latter part of September, 1918. I was promoted to 1st Lieutenant at that time, the rank which I now hold. "We were detained at Brest on account of quarantine until the middle of October, and as our Division became a replacement Division we were held on S. O. S. work, in various places, until way into February of this year. I therefore missed seeing any of the real war, but since our assignment to the 7th Division have been over all the battlefields east of Verdun, and am not so keenly disappointed as I was in November at not having been in it.

"Our work since we have been in France has been chiefly road work and miscellaneous construction, everything from aeroplane hangars to interior equipment for box cars, with a certain amount of military work thrown in for good measure.

"In regard to the future, I don't expect to be demobilized yet for another three or four months, as we are slated for a tour of duty in the Army of Occupation before our return to the States. However, all things come to an end and eventually I will be back in civil life. I look forward to this event with great anticipation, as it will be over two years since I entered the service."

The smoker given by the service men of this city recently was a great success. Several thousand people witnessed it.

Key West is to have a new ice plant and cold storage, strictly modern and complete in every detail, within the next three months. Plans are already prepared and the work of construction will begin without delay.

Mr. J. H. Monticino, commercial agent, has returned to work after being away on a month's vacation.

Key West almost doubled her quota in the Victory Drive, making a fine showing for the people of this city.

The German submarine U-88 visited Key West May 19th and 20th, during which time it was on exhibition. Thousands of people saw this boat.

Aviator Green made a safe flight from St. Petersburg to Key West

in a Curtis plane, covering a distance of 260 miles in 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Aviators Green and Parla left here on the 20th of this month with a cargo of freight for Cuba. This is the first freight ever conveyed from America to a foreign country by means of an airplane.

Lowell, Mass.

Authorization for the erection of a Public Auditorium in this city costing $1,000,000, to be a memorial to the soldiers and sailors from Lowell serving in the recent war, has been duly passed upon, and a Board of Commissioners appointed to carry out the plans for this project. Already some suggestions as to a suitable location for the Auditorium have been placed before the public.

Mr. James H. Wood, chief engineer at the plant, for many years associated with this company, has resigned his position and has moved to his country home in East Barrington, New Hampshire. Mr. Everett T. Reed, formerly of the Blackstone Valley Gas & Electric Company of Woonsocket, has been transferred from that company to fill the vacancy created.

Mr. M. C. Smith, formerly with the Brockton & Plymouth Street Railway Company, is now with this company engaged on special work.

Of the thirty-five men from this company who entered military service, nineteen have returned to the organization.

Work of installing new boiler and auxiliary equipment at the plant, under the direction of Mr. G. P. Jessup from the Division of Construction and Engineering, Stone & Webster, which has been in progress for the past year, is now practically completed and the equipment has been turned over to this company.

Mr. Caleb F. Rogers, formerly of the accounting department, has received honorable discharge from service and has returned to this company to assume the duties of cashier.

Miss Amanda Lambert and Miss Jessie Hanson of the accounting department have left the employ of this company.

Mr. Wm. F. Ryan of the commercial department has been transferred to the accounting department, and will act as collector for the company. Mr. Raymond Ingham, formerly of the commercial department, has been discharged from service and is now employed in our meter department. Miss Doris Fletcher and Miss Blanche Gosselin have recently joined the clerical force of the engineering department.

Mr. Willis E. Hawkes, formerly of the accounting department and recently discharged from service after having received commission as ensign, has left the employ of this company to accept a position with the United Fruit Company at Colon, Panama.

Pensacola, Fla.

Mr. Thomas J. Hanlon, Jr., who for over five years has been manager of this company, has been transferred to Tampa as manager of the Tampa Electric Company. On the day before his departure Mr. Hanlon was presented with a beautiful gold watch, as a token of the esteem of the employees of the company. The presentation was made by Mr. C. L.

Shine, in the presence of every employee of the company whose duties would allow his presence. Mr. Shine expressed the regret of the employees at losing their "Boss," and the feeling of each man in wishing Mr. Hanlon the best that life can offer.

Mr. Hanlon has been succeeded by Mr. J. G. Holtzclaw, who for the past three years has been general superintendent.

Messrs. Roberts and Sweetnam of the betterment division spent several days in Pensacola recently.

Mr. H. C. Foss, acting district manager, spent several days with us during the month.

Mr. Dudley Gunn of the Engineering Division is in Pensacola supervising the installation of the steel drawbridge at Little Bayou. All piles have been driven and the contractors are ready to pour concrete. It is expected that the steel work will arrive early in June. Mr. Gunn will also supervise the installation of the submarine cables at this point.

The enlisted force at the Naval Air Station has been reduced about fifty per cent since the first of the year. The number of student officers in training has also been greatly reduced. It is understood that the force now on duty, enlisted and civilian, is about what will remain in times of peace.

The Pensacola Shipbuilding Co. has also made a great reduction in its force, and states that it is now working on a peace time basis. One 9,000-ton steel ship has been launched.

Savannah, Ga.

Mr. Geo. D. Semken has been succeeded as claim agent by Mr. A. F. Solms.

Mr. J. H. Harrison, claim agent of Jacksonville Traction Company, spent a few days in Savannah during May.

Mrs. G. A. Webb and little daughter have returned to Tampa, Fla. The Savannah Electric Benefit Association have arranged for their annual picnic, which will be held in July.

Mr. Ernest Schmitt is now rapidly recovering from an operation undergone on May 12th.

Messrs. H. A. Kimball and Paul Markle have completed the installation of the new boiler at our Riverside Plant.

Seattle, Wash.

Anticipating executive orders drafted for issue in May, Executive Order No. 19-1 appeared in the latter part of April under a Seattle date line, April 15th, signed by Vice-President W. H. McGrath and approved by President A. W. Leonard, setting forth the procedure of official orders and bulletins of all companies in the Puget Sound District and the settlement of disagreements between division managers and members of the staff by reference to an executive official.

Under the same date Executive Order No. 19-2 was issued, bearing upon organization, as follows: · (1) The position of Manager of Auxiliary Operations is created. (2) The position of Assistant to the President is abolished. (3) The Manager of Auxiliary Operations will report to the Vice-President. (4) The position of Chief Electrical Engineer is created.