The purpose of this thesis is to furnish
a brief analysis of the economic, social and, to
a limited extent, technical aspects of the Elec-
:tricity Supply Industry in Great Britain and to
outline a history of its development as a public
utility service. Further, to trace the main
trends and changes in its administrative and
service structure; to present its economic and
financial achievements; to show its technical
progress since its birth up to its present phase
of development. I propose to discuss also the
political and legislative influences and forces,
which have played such an important part in its
natural growth. These political forces are still
a determining factor in shaping its future. For
this reason, I thought it necessary to consider
the development of the Electricity Supply Industry
within (a) wider framework of the National Economy,
A study of the development of this particular
{l l- Industry will, I believe, serve as a useful
illustration of the revolutionary and most
conspicuous growth of one of the New Industries
in our times. It will also be very interesting
to bring into the open those economic and
political views, which formed the basis of many
changes that the Electricity Supply Industry went
through within a comparatively short, but consist-
•
:ently progressive time. During this period
it became one of the most important of the public '
utility services. It is not a mistake to say
that the history of the Electricity Supply
Industry has, indeed, few parallels in the long
chain of epochal discoveries and inventions so
successfully made by man
