in rakish fashion from pole top to house bracket, or whether they be concealed behind plaster and baseboard in a house, they are a nuisance. Nobody wants them. Ask the central station right-of-way man, the construction foreman, or the wiring salesman, what people say and think about wires. It would not look good in print.

People buy many things just for the pleasure of possession. Not so with wiring.

Nobody wants to buy wiring any more than a farmer wants to buy a paved road; he would much prefer to obtain his transportation by the air route, if that were possible. Just so our customers would prefer to obtain electric service by wireless if possible. You cannot dress up a job of wiring and make it look attractive like a silk shirt or a RollsRoyce and there is no use trying. The thing itself has no drawing power.

By use of the means outlined above, and many others will suggest themselves, we can create in the mind of the public a desire to have in the home, the store, the office and factory all the conveniences, comforts and labor-saving devices and luxuries which we know so well are made possible by modern lighting, domestic appliances, and commercial electrical devices, on the market today.

The man who is ready to build is already sold on wiring as a matter of necessity when he starts to build-what we need is an effective method of selling him more wiring than he thinks is enough. It is all a matter of education, and by proper cooperative effort, as previously outlined, results are bound to follow.

Standardization of Plugs and Receptacles (Small Size for the Socket End of the Cord) Our 1921 report was to the effect that several manufacturers had agreed on interchangeable dimensions for the small plug with parallel blades and for receptacles of the so-called double T type that would take both the standard cap with parallel blades and also one of the old types.

We understand that the manufacture of the old non-standard types is rapidly disappearing and that a large number of the manufacturers of heating devices, as well as many of the manufacturers of portable lamps, are using and selling these standard plugs.

Some of the old types now non-standard are still being sold in order to work off old stock. It will take some years before the old installations are all changed over, but the situation is satisfactory on the whole.

Medium-Size Plugs and Receptacles

Work is under way on a 20-ampere 110-volt plug and receptacle which will probably be T form, and also on a 45-ampere 110/220-volt 3-wire plug and receptacle which will probably be -11.

While these sizes will not be suitable for opening the circuit under load, yet they will enable heaters, ranges and portable motors to be transferred from place to place without rewiring. A heater can be put in storage during a non-heating season, or

the range can be taken with the rest of the furniture to another house.

While these plugs will, of course, not be used on all occasions, yet there will be situations in which. they will be advantageous, and it is desirable that if they be used at all they should be interchangeable. Appliance Plugs, i.e., the Plug at the Appliance End of the Cord

The manufacturers report that those who use the round prong are getting together on interchangeable dimensions, but that no compromise is at present in sight between round prongs and flat prongs. Of flat prongs the tandem design is the one most used in spite of the fact that the parallel blades were the practically unanimous choice for the attachment plugs.

As noted in our previous reports, the existence of so-called Universal, Fitzall, T. & W. and other plugs that take both round and flat prongs is a solution of the question of interchangeability, but these plugs are seldom as satisfactory in service as the plugs designed for prongs of a particular design.

A minority of the Committee is in favor of the N.E.L.A. recommending some one design, with the idea that this will give so strong an impetus toward standardization on that design that the other designs will before long disappear.

A majority of the Committee, however, believe that it would be dangerous to act too quickly. They believe that the best results will be obtained by waiting until more experience is available, both field experience and some laboratory tests which are now under way.

One method of acquiring such experience would be for central stations and dealers to buy irons, etc., without cords and plugs, so as to give more incentive to the improvement of design.

A manufacturer quoting his iron without cord and plug would, of course, specify or claim that his plug and cord would have a definite quality, and if he made the best cord and plug he would get the order as he does now for the complete outfit.

The manufacturer who refuses to quote separately on cords and plugs may have a good plug, but is selling his cord and plug by reason of the price and quality of his iron, rather than by the quality and price of his cord and plug.

He, of course, would not stand back of his iron if used with a plug that was not going to be satisfactory, but should be willing to stand back of his iron if used with plugs that stood up to the tests according to his specifications.

Ultimately we look forward to interchangeability of plugs, and there would seem to be no reason why the step of depending on performance specifications should not be taken at once even if a manufacturer feels sure that it will be only the plugs made in his own factory that will fulfill the performance specifications and tests.

If another plug than that made by the manufacturer himself will fit the prongs on the iron and will stand up under a performance test, there would seem to be no reason why it should not be used, and

manufacturer who insists that only the plugs made in les factory shall be used with his iron would seem to be trying to sell his plugs on their reputation ratter than on quality.

Polarization

The question of the grounding of frames of port a' e devices is closely connected with the question of panization of circuits and of polarization of the and receptacles.

he present standard attachment plug is designed • polarization in that the slots are of different and the plugs can be similarly made with of different widths, so that a plug will connect the receptacle only correctly.

question of polarization of the attachment where the cord connects to the iron has not been, servis'y considered, so far as we know. If the frames of portable devices are to be ged by a third wire, then the polarization of present plugs and receptacles does not enter, the third wire would be entirely independent rary cord unless a three-wire cord and a new three pronged plug and three hole receptacle be introduced

The main cuestion is that of grounding the frames ese purtalle devices and is now under consider a the Commitee Certain people are recomgit, and it is said that it is now included in sceries, but so far as we know, it is not being anywhere, at least as applicable to the small !pra' le devices

would connect only to a three slot recep’ace and not to a lamp socket, and it would, therefore, seem prob ab'e that we shall continue, for the case of these small portable devices that are used on househ'i circuits and a'so lamp sockets, on the basis that the frames shall be permanently insulated from the potential wire and not be grounded

This subject, however, is under consideration by the Committee and will be made the matter of later reports.

If there is any general demand for the grounding of these frames, it is obvious that the experiment can be tried in small districts first without waiting for a national rule calling for the change of all the existing cords, plugs, and receptacles at the same time

Plug Connections for Fixtures

Elexit is the name selected by several manufacturers for the devices which will be interchangeable and which they hope will become the general standard for such devices

It is hoped that these will be on the market by the time of the convention The principle is that they will enable brackets and chandelier fixtures to be moved from place to place without calling in a wireman for soldering and unsoldering wires They will be arranged so that when the fixture is not in use, the elexit furnishes an opportunity for connection of devices, portable lamps, etc, by means of the standard plug.

Sample Boards to Show Wiring

One of these is on exhibition at head quarters Another one is under construction and will be avar'a' le to show some of the other standard systems of wiring not yet allowed by the code

Heater Cords

It is reported that portable cor 1s, ire'u ling beater cords, cause more fires and trouble than any other electric device except the iron, when the latter is carelessly left in circit

The Committee, therefore, believes that more a tention should be given to these cords, and in the past year or two have conducted a series of tests published in the NELA Puletin which di immense differences in durab ty between cris al of which were presumably made to the underwriters book of spectations

Some cords lasted 170 times as long as others The results of these tests were piel in the November, 192), NELA Baltn wout the – names of the manufacturers

The Comm. fee was frankly disynek ered at reception of these tests, as it hnedt at the facturers whose cor ls stood un we'l won! advertise the fast (each manufacturer given the rewilts of the tests of 1 it was hoped that the central would inest en boving ords

At first the only revit was a res, es central station members that we f of the nautairers

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names. Several (about half) gave permission, while about half requested that we should not publish the tests with their names attached because, as a result of our tests, they had improved the durability of their cords. This, of course, was very gratifying to the Committee.

In the meantime, one manufacturer discovered that he could apparently improve the durability of his cord under bending by including a few steel strands with copper strands; in other words, our bending test is probably affected by the tensile strength.

This further explains the fact that our tests comparing No. 16 and No. 18 cords had given discrepant results.

As reported last year, the abrasion tests were not satisfactory in that it is difficult to get a standard abraiding surface. The files first used turned out clearly unsatisfactory. A standard carborundum rod appears to be more hopeful, and we are also working on the idea of rubbing the cord over itself. The general result is that we are not completely satisfied with our testing methods and the laboratories are now working out new methods which will be discussed by the Committee and the manufac

turers and then more tests will be made.

What we recommend to members is that whenever they purchase cords, they insist on getting whatever information they can from the manufacturers as to the quality. To buy cords merely because a jobber quotes a low price on an Underwriters cord, would be apt to give cords that last, say one-tenth as long and give ten times as much trouble as other cords. Even if the present tests are unsatisfactory, yet any kind of test is better than none at all.

Solid Neutral

This is now allowed by the code in all situations except in the final two-wire branch from three-wire circuits.

To omit the fuse on the grounded side of these two-wire branches gives a safer as well as a cheaper installation, and there appears to be some probability that the code may allow this by 1923.

It is, however, desirable that each company should try to get it allowed in its district even before it is put in the general code, since the code does not prohibit any local inspector or inspection authority from changing the rule in his district if the changed rule gives greater safety and better results.

660 Watt Rule

The principle of the recommendation of the Committee in regard to this is to give up the rating of circuits by the nominal connected load or nameplate rating of small motors, etc., and, instead to control the size of the final circuit first by the fuse and second when desired by providing that each final circuit shall supply not over a certain number of square feet of area (the figure appearing to be in the neighborhood of 800 square feet), or the same thing can be accomplished by providing that the

final circuit shall not feed more than a certain number of rooms, say five or six.

In regard to the fuse, the old code rule was 6 amperes, which was practically never observed, and larger were used. Now the code rule has been changed to 10 and a very large number of inspection districts are allowing 15 either openly or tacitly.

At least one company reports that it is using 20 ampere fuses on the final circuit in its district without any sign of trouble whatsoever.

However, there would seem to be no reason at present for going over 15.

The real point is to prevent overfusing by the use of 30 ampere fuses, etc.

To provide for this, the Committee recommends that the ordinary fuse for household circuits, whether it be 10 amperes or 15 amperes, continue to be made as at present, but that any larger fuses which can be connected to the small or final circuit should, so far as practicable, be supplied by central stations only to qualified persons, and that in any case, these larger fuses should be given some distinct marking, as by being painted red or green, so that the ordinary householder can be warned that, while he may restore service by putting in the ordinary fuse, yet that he should be careful not to put in the larger fuse of the distinctive coloring without consulting some expert who would know whether it was safe.

Necessary Large Copper in the Mains

Inside the Building

This has been made the subject of an interim report, which has appeared in the N.E.L.A. Bulletin.

National Code

The Code Committee has appointed a subcommittee of its own members to recodify the code.

Before this action had been taken, Mr. Doane and some of his able assistants had done considerable work on a classification of the various paragraphs in the code. In view, however, of the fact that the Code Committee itself had taken up this work, the Wiring Committee has offered to turn over all of this work to the Code Committee.

In regard to the trying out of new systems, the Code Committee has, at our request, appointed a subcommittee consisting of the ten chairmen of ten of its standing subcommittees with authority to recommend for field trial new systems, etc.

The Wiring Committee, therefore, voted to request the insurance expert of the association who represents the association on the Code Committee to ask for the immediate approval for field trial, of the use of lead-covered wire as now in successful use in England under the (English) Institute of Electrical Engineer Rules.

Also for the trial of the use of lead-covered wire as now successfully used in Cleveland under the local municipal rules.

Also for the use of open wiring with tough rubber insulation, or the so-called cabtyre wire as successfully used in England under the (English) Institute of Electrical Engineer Rules.

At the time of writing this report, no report of action of the Code Committee in regard to these d been received

itere are numerous other things which the WirCommittee believes can be improved in the code as to give safer, cheaper and better installations ving, but the Wiring Committee deems it wise > to concentrate its efforts on only the few referred to in thus report.

Progress in the Art

Progress in the art of wiring was practically ast year as for several years. Due to inspection, my re g ××d wiring and less poor wiring is installed 5 year, but good wiring costs more than it used a thugh the arts of generation and distribution telectricity have advanced so much as greatly to erase the cost and increase the ethuency and stery of these branches of the industry.

The action of the Code Committee in voting to ty and simpôty the code, and their action in g a committee to help the introduction of new systems, shows a willingness to cooperate in vancement of the art which is very gratifying

Flatiron and Other Fires

The Committee reiterates its recommendation of es, is reports that the most practical method to the number of hires caused by the careless of flatirons in circuit is not to require any wiring device, pilot light, etc, but instead to rate the public as far as possible

we be seve that to educate the public by means of ers, ars, articles, etc, calling their attention to spe

let rite dangers of electricity will not hurt our avtry, but instead will help our industry far more the present situation where all electrical fires Jumped together so as to include not only the electrical fires due to defective wiring, but also care essness, fires due to leaving of flatirons in t and in many cases including such things as *res due to street railway current entering houses er gas pipes or water pipes and even due to elecstatic sparks in gasoline cleaning establishments

* ( "mmittee is discussing a classification of chires so called into three classes

* Fires due to static electricity, street railway et er tering buil lings over gas and water pipes.

electric ignition systems of automobiles, etc All of which do not concern the central station business 2nd Fires due to detective installation or appa ratus such as sparks from motors, detective wiring, etc

3rd Fires due to misuse of properly made instal lations, such as flatiron hres, misuse of portab'e cords, etc

Such a classification will help reduce fires and will not hurt our business

Standardizing of Sizes

Requests have been made to the Committee to take action on the standardizing of sizes of certain articles and a'so on the standardizing of conduit on the use of white only.

While the Committee believes and knows that

great economies can be made in manufacture and distribution by the use of standard sizes, yet it believes that this matter can be dealt with much more efficiently by the manufacturers and jobbers and sellers themselves than by any outside commit tee. When any real saving can be made, a manufac turer or jobber or seller should immediately cut out the odd sizes, either entirely or by charging an extra price for them, and his savings should be such that he can afford to give a lower price on the standard articles He will on the whole, give a better service to his clientele than if he continues to manufacture or stock too many odd sizes

This subject is also treated this year in the report of the Standardizing and Testing Division of the Merchandise Sales Bureau of the Commercial Section

The National F'ectric Light Association members can help chiefly by remembering to recognize that an extra charge for an odd size is in principle a per fectly reasonable charge

It is for each manufacturer and seller to deter mine for his own business where to draw the line between few sizes and low costs on one hand and more sizes and higher costs on the other hand

The Committee, as usual, plans to continue its work without regard to any oftatal ending of the year, but to do nothing that will em' arrass its suc cessor if the Association should make any change in its personnel or policy

C Asexiation Representatives, National As of Electrical Contractors and Dealers,

JF BUCHANAN, 1719 Chestnut Street, Ph'a Ser phia, l'a