

Electrifying Illinois Farms 



.1-. (Continued from page 6) 

 ,-y, over 50 kw. These rates were high be- 

 .. cause consumption was low. We were 

 buying from the company at Peoria at a 

 rate which was high because of low con- 

 sumption. You must have large con- 

 sumption and a good load factor to op- 

 ■ erate economically. 



"Our new rate, which will go into 

 effect when the new customers are 

 connected, will be no higher than pres- 

 ent minimum rates with a rate of 

 •214c for all over 82 kw per month. 

 We will be able to come out on that 

 kind of a rate because our contract 

 with farmer customers provides that 

 they must install at least one of three 

 major appliances, namely, electric refrig- 

 erator, electric range, or electric water 

 heater. We are insisting on this because 

 our past experience proves that you can't 

 make farm lines pay when farmers use 

 the service only for lights and small 

 household appliances. 



"Let no one get the idea that the Rural 

 Electrification Administration is throw- 

 ing money around," said Tegtmeier. "I 

 have been down there several times and 

 have found that the REA officials are 

 high-grade, experienced utility men. The 

 government is making no grants. It is 

 loaning money for rural lines but the 

 cost must be held down and you have to 

 have everything figured out to the last 

 bolt and pin before you can get approval 

 for a loan." 



The Suburban Company proposes to 

 build its rural line extensions free of 

 charge to farm customers. The 320 farms 

 now signed up average about 3'/4 to the 

 mile. The greatest possible average is 

 4.2 farms to the mile in this territory. 



The proposed 98 miles of lines have 

 been .surveyed. Actual out-of-pocket ex- 

 pense on the project from June to No- 

 vember 1 amounted to |3,088.07. Among 

 the 320 new signers are 56 who now 

 have individual light plants which will 

 be junked or sold. 



The 192 farmers served by the Sub- 

 urban Company last year had an aver- 

 age charge for electric service of $64.50 

 for the year. Most of these were on a 

 $4 per month minimum with rates vary- 

 ing from 10 cents for the first 25 kw 

 down to three cents for all energy over 

 100 kw. 



You soon learn that most utility com- 

 panies have all sorts of complicated 

 rates in force. The tendency is to sim- 

 plify them and during the past year or 

 two the Illinois Commerce Commission 

 has been effective in reducing rates 

 both to city and rural consumers. 



The Suburban Company reduced its 

 rates on May 1, 1934 about 16 per cent. 

 This rate reduction increased consump- 

 tion 96.2 kw-hours per customer per year 



New construction work going on at Prince- 

 ville in Peoria county. 



in the 12 months ending April 30, 1935, 

 Tegtmeier said. Average annual con- 

 sumption of electricity went from 720 

 kw to 806. Up to October 1, 1935, line 

 losses of electricity were around 30 per 

 cent. By putting in a synchronous con- 

 denser at the end of his line at Williams- 

 field, Tegtmeier reduced his line losses 

 from 30 to 24 per cent. This equipment 

 will pay for itself in a short time, he 

 said. 



How much does it cost to build a mile 

 of rural electric line? 



This is a question of great importance 

 to farmers because on it hinges their 

 rates and the investment farmers must 

 make in some areas to get service. Tegt- 

 meier has it ail figured out for his terri- 

 tory. His figures show $528.85 per mile, 

 which includes poles, wiring, insulators, 

 brackets, nuts, bolts, etc. and labor. It 

 does not include the transformer nor the 

 service wire from the line to the point of 



Filling silo with electric power on Henry 

 Hey Farm in Lee county. 



distribution in the farm yard. Each three 

 kw transformer insUlled costs $81.98, 

 and each farm must have a transformer. 

 The service wire to the farmstead cost* 

 $12.83. Thus, a complete mile of line, 

 including three transformers to the mile 

 and three service wires, is estimated at 

 5813.28. And this is A-1 construction. 

 Tegtmeier has all the quotations on ma- 

 terial and labor so he knows what he's 

 talking about. Of the $528.85 for a mile 

 of line alone without the transformers 

 and service wires, the material cost is 

 $285.60. Labor and overhead amount to 

 $243.25. These costs take advantage of 

 latest inventions and reductions in prices 

 of materials. 



He estimates that building the 98 

 miles of lines will provide employment 

 for 50 men for three months. The REA 

 requires that the following minimum 

 wages be paid on rural electrification 

 projects: common labor $55 a month 

 (about 35 cents an hour); skilled labor 

 (linemen) $85 a month; professional or 

 technical labor $94 a month. 



I was interested in getting informa- 

 tion about the cost of wiring a farm 

 house and buildings. This varies con- 

 siderably with the size of the house, the 

 number of buildings and the kind of a 

 deal you can make with local ele-tricians. 

 John Learned, big and enthusiastic vice- 

 president of Public Service Corporation 

 of Northern Illinois, a pioneer in rural 

 electrification, will tell you that you can 

 wire a house for as little as $20. But 

 that's a very small house and a very 

 simple installation. The kind most farm- 

 ers want costs from $80 to $120 for a 

 house alone. Many contractors charge 

 by the outlet, which varies from about 

 $2.25 to $3 each. You can get a com- 

 plete job, which includes wiring a large 

 house, cattle and horse barns, corn crib, 

 granary, hog house, chicken house, yard 

 lights, etc. for $150 to $200. . . , 



The Peoria-Knox county electrification 

 project, according to estimates of the 

 Suburban Electric Corporation's engi- 

 neers, involves the wiring of practically 

 all the new customers' homes and build- 

 ings. The 320 new farm signers have 

 indicated their intentions to buy 252 

 electric irons at $4 each, 63 electric 

 washers at $49.50, 85 radios at $44.95, 

 216 electric refrigerators at $175, 73 

 motors at $40 each, 17 water systems 

 and bathroom $287.50, seven electric 

 ranges at $74.50, one flood light $50, 

 six water heaters at $49.95. These costs 

 are somewhat lower than much equip- 

 ment now on the market. You can buy 

 appliances at many different prices. 

 There may be possibilities here for co- 

 operative buying to reduce costs. 



The cost of wiring an eight-room 

 house, including a switch for pole light 

 and installation for electric stove, Tegt- 

 (Continued on page 16) 



DECEMBER, 1935 



