Year Food Electric lighting 1894 100 100 1896 80 92 1898 92 90 1900 100 85 1902 113 77 1904 110 77 1906 115 57 1908 128 30 1910 138 28 1912 144 23 1914 145 17

One feature of electric lighting which puzzles the consumer and which gives the politicians an opportunity for crying “discrimination” and “injustice” at the public-service company is the great variation in rates.  There is no discrimination or injustice when the householder, for example, must pay more for his lighting than a factory pays.  The rates are not only affected by “demand” but by the period in which the demand comes.  Residence lighting is chiefly confined to certain hours from 5 to 9 P. M. and there is a great “peak” of demand at this time.  The central-stations must have equipment available for this short-time demand and much of the capacity of the equipment is unused during the remainder of the day.  The factory which uses electricity throughout the day or night or both is helping to keep the central-station operating efficiently.  The equipment necessary to supply electricity to the factory is operating long hours.  Not only is this overhead charge much less for factories and many other consumers than for the householder, but the expense of accounting, of reading meters, etc., is about the same for all classes of consumers.  Therefore, this is an appreciable item on the bill of the small consumer.

Doubtless, the public does not realize that the enormous decrease in the cost of lighting during the past century is due largely to the fact that the lighting industry has grown large.  Increased production is responsible for some of this decrease and science for much of it.  The latter, having been called to the aid of the manufacturers, who are better able by virtue of their magnitude to spend time and resources upon scientific developments, has responded with many improvements which have increased the efficiency of light-production.  Some figures of the Census Bureau may be of interest.  These are given for 1914 in order that the abnormal conditions due to the recent war may be avoided.  The figures pertaining to the manufacture of gas for sale which do not include private plants are as follows for the year 1914 for this country: 

Number of establishments 1,284
Capital $1,252,421,584
Value of products (gas, coke, tar, etc.) $220,237,790
Cost of materials $76,779,288
Value added by manufacture $143,458,502
Value of gas $175,065,920
Coal used (tons) 6,116,672
Coke used (tons)