June 16, 1928: WINNETKA TALK MAKES ANNUAL REPORT TO WINNETKA COUNCIL Village Manager H. L. Woolhiser Presents Report and Recom- mendations by H. L. Woolhiser Edior's note: Appended is presented the fifth installment of the annual re- port on all branches of municipal ad- ministrative government made recently to the Winnetka Village Council by Vil- lage Manager H. L. Woolhiser. Other installments of the report will be pub- lished in subsequent issues of WINNETKA TALK. ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT It is believed that the needs of the council will be served best by a few concise statements summarizing the outstanding facts relative to the oper- ation of our municipally owned electric utility. 1. The book value of property of the electric department, including gen- erating station and distribution sys- tem as of the beginning of the fiscal year, was $534,142. It is estimated that the cost of re- production of the property is at least $800,000. 2. Consumption of electric current for all purposes increased 18.7% over the previous year. Consumption for lighting increased 13.6% and for power 54%. 3. The gross revenue was $336,374, an increase of 15.9% over the previous year. 4. Operating expenses were $115,838, an increase of 9.1% over the previous year, with a total output of 5,186,652 kilowatt hours, an increase of 17.7%. 5. Operating surplus for the year, after deducting depreciation of $21,761 and the 8% dividend to the General Fund of $42,731 was $156,044, an in- crease of 20% over the previous year. 6. During the year, $77,944 of the foregoing surplus was spent for im- provements to plant and distribution system, covering the following princi- pal items: Completion of fan house for new boHer wi i. vii sala 1,226 Installation of new 500 H. P boiler" ihe, Hd GE SE 59,394 New lathe for shop ........... ,09 Meters... nes nici mia 3,501 Distribution System ........... 11,100 The present surplus in the Elec- tric Fund, subject to auditor's adjust- ments, is $128,608, and in the Electric Depreciation fund $69,306, making a total surplus in the electric depart- ment of $197,914, as compared with $98,054 a year ago. 8. The average coal consumption per kilowatt hour for the year was 342 pounds, as compared with 3.58 pounds last year, a decrease of 4.4%, largely resulting from increasing the steam pressure to 225 pounds and the installation of more efficient equip- ment. 9. The coal consumption for the year was 8,839 tons, an increase of 11.6% over the previous year, with an increase in plant generation of 17.7%. 10. The average price of coal per ton for the year was $5.10, as compared with $4.66 the previous year. This in- crease was principally due to the coal strike and the resulting necessity of storing a reserve supply at Northfield, with extra cost for rehandling and storage space. 11. The average cost per kilowatt hour sold, including depreciation, was 2.91 cents, as compared with 3.13 cents the previous year, a decrease of 7%. The distribution loss was 11.5% of cur- rent distributed, which is considered to be a low figure in public utility opera- tion. : 12. The total number of electric meters in service on April 1, 1928 was 3,385, an increase of 308 meters for the year, or 10%. (Continued on Page 59) WILL FETE CHILDREN Winnetka Circles Plan Many Picnics for Tots at Chicago Commons and Onward Mission House The Circles of the Winnetka Con- gregational church are again planning their annual picnics for the children from Chicago Commons and Onward Neighborhood House. The following have been definitely scheduled: June 19--The Pine and Cherry street Circles will have a picnic for the Kindergarten children from the Com- mons. Mrs. Theodore Coyne and Mrs. 'Richard Webster will be in charge. June 26--The Willow road Circle will entertain fifty children from the Commons. Mrs. Ira Wilson is chair- man. June 28--The Lincoln avenue Circle under Mrs. D. S. Lasier, chairman, will entertain thirty children from the Commons. June 29--The Walden road Circle will have a picnic for fifty children from Onward Neighborhood House. Mrs. R. N. Butow and Mrs. Albert Martin will be in charge. July 11--The West Elm street Circle will have a picnic for thirty-five, from Chicago Commons. Mrs. Burton H. Atwood, Jr., is chairman. July 10--The Foxdale avenue Circle will have a group of thirty, from the Commons. Mrs. Ralph Morphett will be in charge. July 17--The staff House will entertain from the Commons. Flinn is chairman. The Rosewood avenue Circle, under the direction of Mrs. R. F. Feagans, the Skokie Circle, under Mrs. John Desmond and the Oak street Circle, Mrs. Charles S. Jewell chairman, are planning picnics, the dates of which have not as yet been confirmed. Arrangements have been made with the Chicago, North Shore and Mil- watukee railroad to have a special car to bring out the groups for these pic- nics. of Community fifty Miss Kathryn Lauds Winnetka Program for "Better Homes Week" The following letter was received by Dr. J. W. F. Davies" from Mr. James Ford, executive director, Better Homes in America, and will be of in- terest to those who helped to make Better Homes Week in Winnetka a success : "Your excellent report on the observance of Better Homes Week in Winnetka has just been re- ceived. We were much pleased to note the many admirable features of your program and feel certain that it will have lasting educational influence. Your album was most interesting and attractive. "Please extend to all members of your committee and to the co- operating agencies our deep appre- ciation of all that you have done. "Sincerely yours. "Tames Ford, "Executive Director, Better Homes in America." Cormunitv Nurserv School Closed With Field Events The Community Nursery school had its formal and permanent closing Saturday, June 9, with a lawn party for parents and children at the home of Mrs. E. T. Konsberg in Hubbard Woods. Field day events featured the program. The school has been discontinued and is not to be taken over by any other persons. The children in the nursery have been placed in different oroups in the community. Miss Corinne Fitzpatrick, the director, will take up her new work in Lake Forest. children | A Case in Point Proves Wisdom of Ban on Fireworks The wisdom of the warning sound- ed by President Henry F. Tenney last week in calling attention to the provision of a Village ordinance pro- hibiting the sale and use of fireworks in Winnetka, came the following Mon- day, when Betty Brown, the 12-year- old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Brown, of 419 Maple avenue, was injured by a torpedo. The incident occurred shortly after noon, while the girl was on her way to school. Some boys, in a passing automobile, threw a torpedo which struck her on the shoulder, as it ex- ploded. She went on to school, but by eve- ning, the wound had become so pain- ful that it was necessary to call a physician. The incident, the police feel, is more forceful than any words, in setting forth the danger in any of these noise making devices, and forcefully sub- stantiates the wisdom of President Tenney and the police in their efforts, to curb their use in the village. Beautiful Ritual Signalizes Close of Local Schools The ritual of graduation for the class of 1928 of the Winnetka Public schools was solemnized with all the pomp and ceremony attendant upon such events at the Jane Kuppenheimer Memorial hall in the Skokie school Wednesday night. Four of the chief figures in the ritual ceremony were Miss Nell Myers, head of the English department at Skokie school, H. P. Clarke, director of physical education, Miss Sally Kriebel, and John P. Barden. Mr. Clarke presented diplomas to 148 eighth grade graduates of the Win- netka schools. The names of the graduates were printed in a previous issue of WINNETKA TALK. Immediately following the close of the regular school term the summer classes will start. Next Monday, June 18, is the date for the opening. The summer session will run for four weeks at the Horace Mann school under the direction of Miss LaReina Bubbett. All Dutchmen Will Please Form in Line at the Right Two historically interesting books have just come to Winnetka, concering one of the West Indies Islands, St. Eustatius, but, alas, they are printed in Dutch and H. A. deWindt, of 205 Chestnut street, who got them from Boston, can't read Dutch. Conse- quently, he's "In Dutch" and requests that if there are any readers of WINNETKA TALK who can help him out, to get in touch with him at their earliest convenience. PLAN SUMMER ABROAD Mrs. Ernest S. Ballard of 811 Au- burn avenue, and her children will leave Winnetka shortly to go east, where they sail on the Carmania on June 22, to spend three months abroad. Mr. Ballard will meet his family in Europe about August 1. Mrs. Ballard and the children will sail directly to Paris, where they will spend about four weeks. From there they will go to southwest France, near the border. Mr. and Mrs. Ballard and the older children then hope to take a walking trip in French Switzerland and Switz- erland. The younger children will be left behind with a nurse. They will return on the DeGrasse, which sails on September 15. PLAN TRAINING CLASS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE Winnetka Congregational Church to Co-operate With University of Chicago The Winnetka Congregational church is planning to conduct in the fall a training class for volunteers who desire to be of real service in the so- cial work field. The University of Chicago and the social agencies are co- operating with the church to make this course practical. The course is intended to give the volunteer social worker (1) an under- standing of the methods, resources and principles of social service as practiced today and (2) a concept of the role of the volunteer social worker in the field of social work. : The suggested topics and discussion feaders are given below although both are subject to change. tline Program I. Forms of Social Work--W. W. Burke, University of Chicago. 11. History of the Philanthropic Movement--W. W. Burke, Uni- versity of Chicago. : III. Social Legislation and Social Work--Joel D. Hunter, United Charities. ; IV. Family Service Agency--Amelia Sears. United Charities. V. Pevchiatric Social Work--Helen Myrick, Illinois Society for Mental Hygiene. : VI. Social Service in Hospitals and Dispensaries--H elen Beckley. American Association Hospital Social Workers. . VII. Children's Agencies--Insti- tntional--Bertha Hosford, Joint Service Bureau. VIII Children's Aecencies--Non-In- stitutional--Tacob Kenecs, Jew- ich Home Finding society. IX. Corrective Agencies--Harry Hill, Tuvenile Court. : X. Settlements--Lea D. Tavlor, Chi- rago Commons association. XI. Recreational Agencies--W. Blackburn, University of cago. Xi. pith ation in Social Work-- Wilfred S. Reynolds, Chicago Council of Social Agencies. Include Field Work Field work, institutional visiting and bibliography will be included. This class is open to anyone in the village and a fee of $3 will be charged for the entire course to defray car- fares and incidental expenses as the lecturers are giving their time. The class will be limited to 25 and will not start with less than 10. It is therefore important for any interested to communicate either with the church office or with Mrs. Charles T. Moon, 838 Lincoln avenue, so that definite arrangements may be made with the lecturers. Reschke Gets Contract : for Wilmette Projects Contracts for various Wilmette alley paving projects were awarded to Paul Reschke of Winnetka by the Wilmette Village board this week. These, with the contract figures noted, include: first alley north of Washington ave- nue between 16th and 17th streets, $2,- 715; first alley north of Central ave- nue between 15th and 16th streets, $2,- 857.50; first alley north of Linden ave- nue between Fourth and Fifth streets, $2,751; first alley north of Lake ave- nue between 15th and 16th streets, $3,- 186; first alley north of Forest avenue between Main and 15th streets, $2,580.- 50; the "H" alley in the block bounded by Gregory avenue, Broadway, Isabella Chi- and Sixth streets, $7,341.80.