Discussion on “some comments on remarks made by Colonel R. E. Crompton before the International Electrical Congress at St. Louis”

In the discussion which Mr. Howell refers to, and which took place in Section “E” of the International Electrical Congress, the question of the best form of distributing system to use hinged largely upon the question, whether the 220-volt lamp had arrived at a point where it was quite equal to the 110-volt lamp. Colonel R. E. Crompton and some of his confreres of the Institution of Electrical Engineers maintained very stoutly that this was the case in England, whereas general experience in the United States had been to the contrary, and therefore if their contention was right an explanation should be forthcoming why americans had not gone to the 220-volt × 2 system. If their contention could not be made good, evidently a part, at least, of the argument in support of their contention of the wisdom of changing to the higher voltage must needs fall. Hence the desirability of such information as Mr. Howell has laid before us. in his paper.