Symposium on Coordination of Power and Telephone Plant 



Closing Remarks * 



By B. GHERARDI 



THE papers which have been presented here today bring out clearly 

 the progress which has been made by the power and telephone 

 companies in the study and development of methods for coordinating 

 their facilities. It seems to me that this is an outstanding example 

 of what can be accomplished through joint study and cooperative 

 methods generally. 



This work illustrates also the way in which the field of activity of the 

 engineer is broadening. While the main duty of the engineer may still 

 be the application of physical laws to accomplish the most satisfactory 

 results in the most economical manner, the very organization of society 

 which has resulted from these applications of physical laws, requires 

 the engineer, if he is to play his full part, more and more to include in 

 his considerations the broad economic and human factors which govern 

 the success of social and business enterprises. In the work described 

 in this symposium the approach has been not only the consideration 

 of the complicated technical questions involved, but the working out 

 as well of these questions on the basis of good business relations be- 

 tween two large utilities, having in mind that both have the responsi- 

 bility for providing important services to the same public. 



I would like to reiterate certain fundamentals which have played an 

 important part in bringing about the present satisfactory situation. 

 First, is that of getting together and getting acquainted, to the end 

 that frank and friendly discussions will be promoted and misunder- 

 standings avoided. Second, is the continued development of technical 

 information for the coordination of power and communication systems 

 adequate to keep pace with the rapid amplification and growth of 

 these two services. Third, is a desire on the part of the companies 

 concerned to work out each case in accordance with the best over-all 

 engineering solution as though both utilities were under the same man- 

 agement. Where there is such a desire, the working out of the job is 

 largely a matter of detail and results are assured which will be fair to 

 all concerned. 



We feel that the results of the cooperative work have been good from 

 every point of view, and I want to express the appreciation of the Bell 



* Presented at the Winter Convention of tiie A. I. E. E., New York, N. Y., 

 January 26-30, 1931. 



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