OPENING OF THE CONVENTION

MINUTES

FIRST SESSION

The Forty-second Convention of the National Electric Light Association was held on the Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 19th to 22nd, 1919.

TUESDAY MORNING, MAY 20, 1919

The President of the Association, Mr. Walter F. Wells, of the Brooklyn Edison Company, called the meeting to order promptly at 10 A. M. and said:

In opening this Convention I might say that our reason for coming to Atlantic City was based upon past experiences. We have been here a number of times, and have always received a most cordial welcome. This welcome has come not only from the Hotel Men's Association, but from the people of Atlantic City, who have done everything in their power to make our stay pleasant and agreeable. This, also, in a great measure has been due to the very popular Mayor of this town, and I consider it a great honor, as well as a great pleasure, to present to you at this time His Honor, Mayor Bacharach. (Applause.)

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ADDRESS OF THE HON. HARRY BACHARACH

I assure you it is a great pleasure, as you must know, to welcome you gentlemen to this, great city of ours. You represent a great industry and have done most wonderful work during the war period. There is not one of you, as there is not one of the really true big business men of this country, who has not made wonderful sacrifices in his business, and who was not willing to do anything he could for the benefit of the country. I assure you that it is a pleasure to have men of your type visit our city and to welcome you here. I know that at this Convention you will have great problems to solve in the reconstruction work which is confronting our country at the present time problems as great, perhaps, as those you have solved in the past.

We, as you well know, are mighty proud of our city and its magnificent boardwalk, one hundred feet wide and five miles long, where at times a quarter of a million of people promenade at one time. We are proud of our clean and well-lighted streets. We are proud of our Police Department and our Fire Department, and we are proud of our magnificent hotels where, we believe, people get more for their money than in any other place in the country. But, above all that, we are proud of the type of American citizen that resides in our midst. We in Atlantic City do not want as residents of our town, and do not permit to remain here, men who are not one hundred per cent American citizens. (Applause.) We do not want any conventions, anxious as we are for conventions, save those whose membership represents one hundred per cent Americanism. We believe that the men in this country who are not willing to fight and die for our flag, who are not willing to stand for everything that flag represents, should return to the lands whence they came. (Applause.)

And in this great city of ours, the playground of the world, the great convention city of America, where our business is nothing but entertaining-with no manufacturing interests-there has never been a drive of a patriotic nature but Atlantic City "went over the top." From this city we gave 3,500 of our brave young manhood to fight for your country and our country, and to

morrow as two of our magnificent companies come from over the sea, we can look them in the eye and say: "As you went over the sea to fight for our country, we who remained here looked after your dependants, not in a mean and miserly manner, but we took charge of them as the dependants of the soldiers and sailors of the United States should be looked after." (Applause.)

We are proud of this flag of ours, representing, as it does, that its stripes shall be forever thirteen and that one of those stripes represents our great state of New Jersey. We are proud of this because, as you all know, were it not for Atlantic City, New Jersey would be unheard of. (Laughter.)

This war, in my opinion, has accomplished and will continue to accomplish great things. I believe the question of labor and capital finally will be more easily settled, also the question of differences of opinion between different religious denominations, for on the other side they met in the trenches and on the field of battle, and considered not what a man's religion might be, but whether he was a true American and would carry forward the Stars and Stripes.

And as to your Convention, I want to present to you not only the key of Atlantic City, but the key of the hearts of the people of Atlantic City. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT WELLS: Mr. Mayor, in the name of the Association I desire to thank you for the kind welcome you have tendered to us here.

(The Mayor then left the hall.)

VICE-CHAIRMAN BALLARD: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasant privilege to present to you formally our President, Mr. Walter F. Wells, of Brooklyn, who will now address us.

CONVENTION ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT WELLS

A year ago today the great German offensive which began the previous March was still progressing with seemingly resistless force, and grave doubts existed in the minds of all as to the ability of the allied armies to stop the march on Paris. Little did we think, two weeks later, when the American Marines first held and then turned back the German forces at Chateau-Thierry, that it was the beginning of the end. Until that time the German advance had been continuous, but from that date they began to weaken and then began the retreat which continued until six months ago, when the armistice was signed.

Today, we cannot honor too highly the brave men who offered their lives, nor the brave mothers who offered their sons in the great cause, nor should we fail to give due credit to those who gave up their vocations to serve their country or to professional men and others who devoted their entire energy to the work behind the lines.

At last year's convention we passed a resolution to "pledge all that we have and all that we are to the holy cause." From that time until the armistice was signed we as individuals, or as corporate entities, used our best endeavors in following out this pledge. Since then we have been working to readjust our business, not to the pre-war basis, but to an entirely new basis in which there are many unknown factors. As we were able during the war to meet and solve the unforeseen problems presented, so we will now go forth in the same spirit and cope with those that are to come.

During the past year your officers and committees have endeavored to make the Association work conform with the everchanging conditions presented from day to day. During the first six months all but the most essential Association work remained at a standstill, and our members devoted their energies to the service of the Government. As suggested by the Chairman of the Public Policy Committee at our last Convention, our motto was "Service First"; cost, efficiency, and all other considerations being secondary.

Some of the work considered essential was that of the Lamp Committee, which, under the chairmanship of Mr. Smith, cooperated with the Government by collecting and disseminating information productive of economy in the use of artificial lighting and the limitation of inefficient carbon and gem lamps.

The Committee on Gas and Electric Service, with Mr. Lieb as chairman, maintained an office in Washington and rendered most valuable aid both to the Government and our member companies in connection with such matters as those relating to fuel supply, extension of service and priorities.

Our membership in the United States Chamber of Commerce gave us additional opportunity for cooperation with industries other than electrical in connection with war work, and will be of immense advantage in working out reconstruction problems in the future.

A meeting of the Third Resuscitation Commission was held under the auspices of our Committee on Safety Rules and Accident Prevention, of which Mr. Eglin is chairman, and the resolutions adopted by this body at the meeting were given wide publicity. This committee also kept in close touch and cooperated with the Bureau of Standards at Washington on many matters affecting our members.

Various plans have been discussed for increasing the efficiency of the Company Sections, the activities of which have been limited by war conditions. In some cases radical changes have been made in the Section organization and scope of the work. These modifications have been studied by your Committee on Company Sections, and it has suggested amendments to our Constitution to meet the situation, which will be presented later on during this Convention. The aim has been to perfect a form of organization which will give the maximum amount of assistance to the employees of the Class A members.

The question of revenue for the Geographic Sections, which was brought up at our last Convention, has been studied with a view to equalizing conditions and yet provide sufficient funds to carry on our work. About one-half of our members are affiliated with Geographic Sections, which are entitled under the present Constitution to a rebate of 50 per cent of the fixed membership dues. Should additional Geographic Sections be formed on this