Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

weak part of our business-lack of attention to repairs. We have got to have it, and the more we do in the way of service and maintenance, and of repairs to appliances out of order, the better for us. Whether we sell them or not, they must be kept in repair even if we do it for nothing.

Mr. Miller has called attention to the fact that in Cleveland, where the electric company does not sell anything at all, only 71⁄2 percent of the electrical devices out are not in use. That is remarkable. I hope only 71⁄2 percent of our devices are not in use—but I don't believe it. I would hate to have to make up the figures. I would suggest to Mr. Miller, however, that if he would refer to these articles as appliances and not as currentconsuming devices he would sell more of them. If you were selling brushes for shoes you would not call them blacking consuming devices, would you?

With Mr. Harris of Pittsburgh, I do not agree in the least on any point which he raised. Many of our stores make net profits-many of my stores in Boston make net profits, if you charge the proper expenses to the proper accounts. Mr. Harris called attention to the fact that he was unable to make a success of the business in Pittsburgh although he had used the very best merchandising methods, but he confesses that he has never used any merchant's methods, Marshall Field's nor any of them. I cannot reconcile these statements and therefore I cannot discuss them.

The point in the sale of electrical appliances for a profit by central stations does not differ from that of the Standard Oil Companies, which have been doing this for the last 100 years. If they go ahead and find anything that uses oil, they buy the Company and run it themselves, and don't care whether they make a profit on it or not as long as the oil is used. That is exactly what we have got to do.

In conclusion, I think I ought to say that I have very much more confidence in our presidents and general managers than Mr. Gibbs appears to have.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

OF SALESMEN

ER JENKINS, CHAIRMAN

DISCUSSION

MR JENKINS (continuing! It is not my intention to go ir to details as you all have copies of the report, but there are a few pints that I hope will bring out discussion and a tew to which I want to call particular attention One point which I consider important is that the Committee and the Assocta'ton consider this course a sucer-s This is the first course that the Association has put out under the correspondence method. We were given authority by the General Executive Cominetce under the condition that the work should be se't supporting, and in spite of the low price we are asking we have turned over to the animercial Section about $2,500, which can be used for the ¡tonot: n of further educational work.

[ocr errors]

Another point, not so encouraging, is that the number of con james represented in this course is so stall In spite of the fat that the enr Hent curve shows a wincesstal crime. a very small number of cop | imes is rej re e etted ate a'w it 150 companies ont of a Ciss | གླུ ༄ས renresente 1. We started with, 600 sql r's on Nover Last On March first when the report was printed we ha! 1973 We now have 182 The curve is still gong up a latter fe evention d, old Show a good rise The larger cong ames E. ve come in bot some of the smaller cor; at es do not at interested, vet this course is creed', denged for the se Colo¦aties In the Con monwealth 1ds n Com; any, wh. 1. I represent, we have all sorts of edu ation i work gotten an abent 140 of our men enrolle !, so we are taking our own re

[ocr errors]

We Be it It is disass Som ting that a large number of cop paties erber have not invest, ted the core or have my jo put it before their men I wor! Be to say sott enh ng rring to midive representatives to put this work up to their

Tex can enter at any time starte g wel the first lesning

[ocr errors]

They can have the lessons monthly or semi-monthly. We are forming classes all the time and are sending out lessons all the year except during July and August, when the work is optional.

We have a good general course for men in the commercial departments of the member companies, while about 35 percent of the subscribers are men in other departments who think they are adapted for commercial work and want to prepare themselves to get into it.

We all know, at least we are told, how hard it is for the executives of the companies to find good men, to find "the right men." This work gives the men an opportunity to bring themselves to the front. It has brought out already a number of men not known before. We have many testimonials from the men which are interesting as showing how they appreciate the fact that they have improved their positions. I would like to have you take this into consideration.

After carefully considering the results of the course, your Committee makes certain recommendations which I hope will bring out some discussion from those present. It is recommended that next year we start a fundamental course for men who have not had a technical education, calling it Course No. 1. It will cover the elements of magnetism and electricity, and each company should organize a class of the men who wish to get the fundamentals. This is not a course in electrical engineering, but one that will give students a fundamental knowledge of the business. We have tried this in Chicago and we know that it is a good course. From Course No. 1 we branch out into four or five lessons on appliances; also into another course for illuminating salesmen. We also propose to give work on heating, electric power and commercial management, the idea of the Committee being that from this one fundamental course many branches may be followed without disrupting the first plan of the Committee.

MR. H. H. NEWMAN, Passaic, N. J.: I feel quite sure that there is not a man here who has charge of a department who is not convinced that some training of the average salseman is much needed. It is no doubt disappointing on the face of it to note the small number of employees who are enrolled in this course, but if we make a careful analysis we may find that the situation is not.

drop their correspondence

as lu, as it looks The trole is that we did not get at this work so in enough. In my own situation I know that practically every man in the c'octro' department was taking some educational work before this course was offered and I feel quite sure that this is the ca o generaliy We could not expect the men to +1 the schools, or the gas cour e, wh; h a lot -t electr, al men are tång, and start Mi on is one I torr lv believe that the present sit iation whi be overcome and will look better cach year as new englovers ( me on, of these com es previoudy undertaken are frishe! 1 the courses outlined in electrical work are worth tar Lote to the electrical men than any of the courses tay are tak 11. I trust that the rest met,lation of the Con rottee as to aid tronal courses will iet vei! Practha"yal of te su's *! ts are unquestre ally do which our ren shoul! become are fanlar with, at¦1} pe that some action on these te om Latins will be taken before the meeting closes

1

[ocr errors]

VH RANDED New York City Tas parti u at COPESC was very enthusiastically received in the United Electric Light and Pever Comhjans in New York. Our class consists of 27 students and for each of our sessions we make a joint of obtamHas an expert in the part clar topic urer d 11: 1 w that we can get 1. VICAN He generally takes the pater and andizes it and then gives us whatever ablations he sees it in the way of ex planation, advice or experien e

re is most one point of constru tive intro that I want to present to t'e in- ༄ན་ outer, flere d 11 be perlips Brevity

a little more attention given to the corre ti n of t vera is the soul of wit, but in a great n any cases the correct: ns on our papers have been so brief that they have not been entirely Our men are ali asing this work senon Av at leven

[ocr errors]

h they may gth,hmarks trevit ke corte trans to heart.

at I do not seem to be vitisted unless t'ey ate a

teart or correction.

I note with pleasure in the 1 sing of this report that it is suggested some six diferent Courses be offered at sine future te to the Associati n I baton is a wonderfil thing, and any course or courses that are put out and have t'e san ton of the National body should be enthusiastically received by all nem ber e mpanies.

PROF. C. F. HARDING, Lafayette, Ind.: I am interested in this course from a side that has not been presented thus far in the discussion, having been connected with Purdue University which is of course graduating electrical engineers, many of whom go to the utilities. For a good many years we of the technical universities have been drilling into the graduates the fact that they get their theory in the universities and then must get practical experience in the utilities before they can expect to take positions of responsibility. Many men of course get practical experience in a utility company first and get their knowledge of the fundamental principles of the electric circuit and electrical apparatus afterward, through the agency of some correspondence course, or some such course as has been presented to your organization this morning. In many cases the men who get the experience by the latter method advance more rapidly and ultimately get into more responsible positions than the former class. I think the reason for this is that the men who have the initiative, the ambition and the perseverance to spend their evenings on some correspondence course, after days of hard work, over a period of one or two years, have the inherent qualities which are bound to make good. You are picking out by that automatic process, it seems to me, the very best men in the organization, men well worthy of having that training. When you compare those who have succeeded as a result of such courses you are comparing the cream of your employees with the average of the men who come from technical institutions. It is right that such men in the organization should be thus trained, because many of them cannot afford the four years of technical training. which is expensive to say the least, and many of them cannot even afford the training of the more complete correspondence courses.

I have been very much interested in this subject as the result of the work of the Committee on Relations with Technical Institutions, a report which was presented by Mr. Gilchrist yesterday. I wish, while I am on my feet, to express my appreciation to those executives of the various utilities throughout the country who have so kindly and frankly offered suggestions in answer to the letter sent out by the Committee as to improvements which could be made and subjects which should be emphasized in the curricula of the various technical universities in order best to meet the present demand for commercial men

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »