Clinton News-Record, 1974-03-28, Page 21ON YOUR
60 YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
TO THE...
MEMBERS, MANAGEMENT & STAFF OF THE CLINTON PUC
AUTOMOTIVE
WHOLESALE
DIVISION
INDUSTRIAL
SALES
DIVISION
IDEAL SUPPLY
519-291.1060
We at
IDEAL SUPPLY COMPANY LIMITED
Would like to take this opportunity to express our
congratulatiohs, and to wish continued success to the
ELECTRICAL.
WHOLESALE •
DIVISION CLINTON PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
oh their
bOth ANNIVERSARY
IDEAL SUPPLY
Manager, in 1967,
During this time he saw the
erection and construction of a
new office and service building
designed specifically to meet
the plans and requirements of
the Public Utilities Com-
mission. The new office and
service building were located
on Park Lane.
Meanwhile, the load was in-
creasing and the Commission
began to look for a suitable
piece of land• on which to build
another outdoor sub-station.'
(continued on page 7A)
'BA--CLINTON NEWS-RECORD, THURSDAY, 'MARCH 28, 1974
Electricity gains popularity in TO
In 1916, the PUC decided to
go all out in terms of servicing
the public. Already they had
done considerable wiring in
private homes and as early as
1914 had an exhibit of how
electricity could be used in the'
home in terms of cooking etc.
Now they decided to go into
business. It was not a complete
monopoly in as much as private
operators were allowed to carry
on their trade, but in 191.6
there were very few private
operators. Ten years later it
was another story. The objec-
tive was not primarily to con-
trol the market, but to en-
courage the use of electricity in
the home. They encouraged the
wiring of homes and the uSe of
appliances by all modern
marjceting devices. In Clinton,
for example, in 1923 they
leased the Palace Block and set
up an elaborate display of elec-
trical devices. The next year
they bought the block. This
continued for many years but
now is not part of the Public
Utilities Commission function.
In 1925 Clinton had its Old
Home Week. This was an op-
portunity to display electricity
at its best, and a great deal of
time, money, and ingenuity was
expended in making elaborate
street displays of electricity.
In 1929, H, B, Chant died
and was replaced by A. E.
Rumball, first as acting
superintendent and then as
superintendent in the same
year. Mr. Rumball had been'
associated with the Clinton
Electric Light Company before
the PUC was formed, both as
an electrician and, steam
engineer. He continued with
the Public Utilities Commission
when it was inaugurated and
acted as superintendent until
1963.
In the same year the PUC
decided to provide its own tran-
sport in the form of a half ton
truck. Previously to this, poles
and transformers were tran-
sported by hired horse and dray
and sometimes --by a two-
wheeled cart pushed by mem-
bers of the PUC staff. This is a
far cry from the heavy
automotive equipment used
today.
In 1931 the line to the Huron
County Home was taken over
by Rural Hydro, thus ending
Clinton's singular rural Hydro
line.
From this point on the story
of electricity in Clinton is
largely technological. From an
adjunct to a Woollen FaCtory
through to a full fledged Public
Utilities Commission all the
kinks had been ironed out. Now
it was a question of providing
fuller and better service.
IMPROVEMENTS MADE
For example, in 1937, all the
overhead wires were removed
from the main street and all
wooden poles taken down. In,
stead, the wires were put in
lanes behind the stores or run
in cables in front of the stores.
The old street lights of 100
watts were all removed and
now metal standards installed
with luminaires of 300 watt
lamps.
From 1938 until 1942 the
lead on the existing 3-150 KVA
transformers had reached their
capacity and although make-
shift improvements Were made,
this did not help the situation
very much, and it was decided
in 1942 to order three new
transformers of 250 KVA
capacity each. 'these were
located on a cement pad and
steel structure for on outdoor
sub-station and in 1943 the
new bank of transformers came
alive.
The Commissioners thought
they had everything under con-
trol for a good number of years
but they had kinder-estimated
the increasing uses of electricity
with a result that seven years
later three new transformers'
had to be built of 500 KVA
capacity. They were put in ser-
vice in June of 1949.
But there is no end in sight
for electrical improvement. In
the 1950's the town had to
change over from 25 to 60 cycle
power, Later, they decided to
improve the main street
lighting once more using the
same standards of 1937, but in-
stalling four foot brackets as
close to the top as possible with
six foot fluorescent fixtures on
them.
In 1955, A, E. Rumball
retired as Superintendent to be
succeeded by J. E. Rands, a
young man who had started in
1923 by asking for a job at the
Public Utilities Commission.
His reception was somewhat
cool but later he was offered a
position and started with the
Clinton PUC on May 1, 1923.
After all these years of service,
he became Superintendent, and
then the name was changed to
CONGRATULATIONS
' to the
Clinton Public Utilities Commission
on their
60th ANNIVERSARY
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