Stockholder Dumbfounding

William Crapo Durant and Samuel Insull dumbfounded their stockholders last week.

Mr. Insull extended a courtesy to stockholders of his Commonwealth Edison Co. at Chicago. The annual meeting was scheduled, but stockholders were not expected to attend, for as is usual with great corporations, the shareholders express their votes through proxies. Yet many of Mr. Insull's people wished to know what would happen at this meeting. He let them know directly and immediately, as though they were actually present, by radio-broadcasting the entire proceedings of the meeting.

Mr. Durant blandly blamed his stockholders for his Durant Motors Inc. losing $3,618,649. Said he: "During the past few years, many of our stockholders have manifested a noticeable spirit of criticism because of the failure of your corporation to progress to the point of giving them a return upon their investment and for other reasons. This feeling of unfriendliness upon the part of stockholders has exerted a hampering influence in obtaining better distributors and dealers for our products. It has slowed up the sale of our cars, it has furnished the basis for the disparaging statements of outsiders."