Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1909 — A GOOD MEETING HELD SATURDAY [ARTICLE]

A GOOD MEETING HELD SATURDAY

And Pres. Sage of Brook Mutual Gave Splendid Talk. SHOWING OF THAT GOMPANY Backed By Official Figures That Can Not Be Disputed.—Damage to His Company’s Lines By Sleet Was Not Complete Loss By Any Means, As It Was Confined to Old Poles and Rotten Wires That Would Soon Have Required Replacing Anyway.—Another Meeting Will Be Held Here Next Saturday. At the telephone meeting here Saturday afternoon there was a very fair sized crowd out considering the busy season and the fact that this was the first public meeting held in the interests of organizing a mutual telephone company in Jasper county. There was about 35 present when the meeting opened, and this had increased to about 75 at the close. •Mr. R. J. Yeoman of Newton tp., was asked to open the meeting, fchlch he did in a very able manner, stating the object of the meeting and giving the experience of himself and several neighbors on a small mutual line of their own construction some seven years ago, and which is still in service, though some of the poles, which were native oak, are beginning to rot off. The expense of keeping up this line was very little, perhaps 50 cents per phone a year, and he said he had never talked over any line that worked better or gave better service than this one. Mr. Yeoman was made permanent chairman of the meeting and Mr. Harvey Davisson of Union tp., secretary.

Mr. John W. Sage, President of the “Newton and Jasper Telephone C 0.," commonly called the Brook mutual, was then introduced and he spoke for an hour or more- and told of the experience his compatay had had in getting started and of the success that had crowned their efforts in securing better telephone service in that locality. They were quite a long time in working it up, he said, held several public meetings and canvassed the entire territory for the sale of stock. Even then they could get only about half the men into it they wanted, and those who had subscribed doubled their subscriptions to make the thing a go. It’was a new undertaking to most of their people, and they hesitated. Now they vire sorry they did—that is, those who hesitated too long and did not get in at all. They incorporated and started in. A franchise was secured in Brook and three carloads of poles were ordered. Then the company operating there came to them and offered to sell out. The new company was new at the business but a price was finally agreed upon of SB,OOO. For this sum they received 231 phone subscribers, all the paraphernalia of the Brook exchange, switchboard, stock and supplies on hand, etc., a Complete sworn inventory of which was furnished with the bill of sale. This was $34.63 per ’phone tfor the subscribers the exchange then had. They soon found that they had bought a lot of junk. The switchboard was used up, the phones many of them old and worn, the poles and wires far from what they ought to be to give good service. This was three years ago last April. The Company went to work. A new and up-to-date switchboard was put in, the lines reconstructed, new phdnes replaced the old ones, and to-day the company has 472 subscribers, practically all new poles, wires and phones, and Mr. Sage, who has traveled over several states during the past two years and examined other telephone plants, defies anyone to find anywhere a better or more up-to-date plant than theirs. Based on the price per phone paid for the junk they bought, their system to-day is worth $16,343.36. But now it is practically all new and up-to-date, instead of being old and worn out. If what they bought was worth $34.63 per phone, what they have to-day is worth about double that sum, which would make it over $32,000. All that has ever been put into the plant outside the earnings wad about $7,000, and the 98 stockholders have had their phones free for three years. Mr. Sage figures the net profit to the stockholders—who put in between $67 and S6B

to be $68.83 for the three years, exclusive pt their own phone rent. All, this transformation was not accomplished at once. But ft has been going steadely on, and the splendid service given has created such a demand for phones that all the earnings have been put back in extending the lines, Which could not keep pace with the demand.

The plant took in last year about $9,000, and while it cost them some $1,200 to repair sleet damage, they did not consider that a total, loss by any means, as the damage was confined almost exclusively to the old poles and wire, that had not yet been replaced but would have had to be soon even though there had been no sleet.

Mr. Sage’s talk was complete and comprehensive and he was fortified with . official reports and figures from the company’s books that could not be disputed. He invited any questions, and replied to several that were asked him, including that about the sleet damage not being considered a complete loss, as given above. Asked about the toll rates charged he stated that subscribers had free service to Foresman, Ade, several of the elevator stations, etc., but to all the neighboring outside points the rate was 10 cents, except to Rensselaer. To Rensselaer it was 15 cents.

The reason for the 15 cent rate to Rensselaer the Brook exchange had a contract (with the Rensselaer exchange, we presume) to make not less than that charge, and when they bought the exchange they had to assume that contract. Otherwise the rate would be 10 cents to Rensselaer.

(It is the same distance from Rensselaer to Brook that it is from Brook to Rensselaer, but we have to pay 25 cents to reach there while the Brook man can talk to us for 15 cents. Editor.) What they had accomplished at Brook could be accomplished at other places, but the stockholders and those interested must take hold and not be afraid of putting forth a little effort and doing a little work gratuitously toward making the movement a success.

After listening to Mr. Sage’s interesting talk and partly on his advice, it was decided to get incorporated first and organize afterward. Or, at least, get our incorporation papers prepared, and to this end the chair appointed a committee to prepare articles of incorporation, consisting of F. E. Babcock of Rensselaer, Francis M. Welsh of Jordan, and Harvey Davisson of Union, and have them ready to submit at an adjourned meeting to be held in the west court room in Rensselaer next Saturday at 2 p. m-, sharp. A vote of thanks was given Mr. Sage for his presence at the meeting and for the valuable information he had given us, after which the meetting adjourned until next Saturday at 2 p. m., when it is hoped there will be a large attendance out and many who have not already done so will subscribe for stock in the new company.