The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-03-23

will awaken the interests of parents
and lead them to economies. In the
homes of those of limited means, as
Mrs. McCue said in her recent paper
to the Madison WOman's club: This
penny saving gives an opportunity to
many who would not be able to depOs-
! it even one dollar at time and who
have made SO many efforts to fill up
. the tin bank on the mantel piece or
| have the iron elephant swallow the
penny, only in the hour Of dire need to
break open the tin bank or unscreW
the iron monster usually for a nickel
loaf Of bread or 5 cents worth of kerO-
sene. Children have q right to an ed
ucation which embraces the requisites
necessary to meet the emergencies Of
their future career. And, certainly,
industry, sobriety and thrift are as es-
sential as the three RS"
1t brings the school and home to-
gether on a common basis, securing a
cooperation between parent and teach
err Many children know nothing Of
the handling of money except for some
fancy; and the bright-cOlored stamps
are often a counter attraction to the
toy and candy stores. In the seventy
four towns where the work is estab-
lished in the schools the savings Of
the children have amounted to $780,
900, and there is a balance on deposit
of $1SO,OO0. Principal Morse Of the
Hayes school, Chicago, says: I'm my
own school l have found the habit to
be very helpful and useful" William
II. Harris, United States commission
er Of education, says: "Such instruc-
ton as the penny provident fund ne
cessistateS will strive to save larger
percentage of children for higher life
of direct power to diminish that dis
NAL swarm of drudges that hang as a
dead weight on the neck Of the COM
munity. The habit of saving fosters
every virtue, teaches self-control, cul-
tivates the sense Of order, trains to
forethought, and so brOadens the
mind"
Over 1000 Telephones for $4,000 People.
We have in Madison a remarkably
successful local telephone exchange,
whose success shows what hard work,
fair dealing, moderate charges and cit
izen cooperation can do. The late Sam
uel A. Harper was one Of the prime
movers in the enterprise, and, since his
OCuIn y. 11d1 pSI, LIS OIOluCl, dAiu
a leading attorney has proved equal
to the large responsibility and makes
an efficient and popular president
The franchise to the Dane County
Telephone company was granted by
the council of this city in August,
1896 and the construction of the plant
undertaken immediately thereafter.
The central office was established in
ncit hn a
hotel, which, in view Of it's central To-
cation, is happily free from noise from
the streets. 1t was the policy Of the
company from the beginning to give
no free telephone service, nor to grant
reduced rates to any one, but rather to
make the telephone rates for all as low
as possible.
The company began giving exchange
service in January, 1896, with about
300 subscribers. The service proved
so efficient and popular that before the
end of the year the number of sub
scribers was more than doubled. The
company has certainly succeeded in
popularizing the telephone, for orders
for new telephones have never been
lacking, and what was once an eXpen-
sive luxury has now become a neces-
sity which is within the reach of all.
The growth Of the plant has surpassed
all expectations and the subscribers
now number about 1,O3O. For some
time past the number of new phones
put in have averaged twenty-five per
month"; and since the first Of January,
1900, the applications for new phones
has been greater than for any other
equal period Of time for the last two
years, and the company is now adding
a new subscriber every day. The Mad
ison exchange is now the largest in
the state outside Of Milwaukee, and
figuring the population of Madison at
10000, we find that there is one tele-
phone for every eighteen persons, con-
nected with one exchange.
A significant fact which is of credit
to the Dane County Telephone com
pany, and one, which indicates the
quality of the service rendered, is that
it has fully twice the number of tele-
phones per capita as any city in the
state the size of Madison, or larger
The company has increased its toll
line connections until it reaches TWEEN
ty-six posuoffices and villages in Dane
county,, anu Ill COuucCllOu Will OLl1CA
companies give service to about eighty
cities and towns in the southern and
southwestern part Of the state, among
which are such as GAINESVILLE, Beloit,
Monroe, Dodgeville, Mineral Point and
Lancaster.
There are fifteen girls employed at
the central office, besides six men at
all times, which number frequently
reaches as high as ten or more, de-
pending upon the construction work to
be done. The instruments used by the
Dane County Telephone company are
manufactured by the Standard Tele-
phone and Electric company, one Of
Madison's largest industries.
Ball Out of Politics.
Hon. A r. Hall, the reform member
of Dunn county, announced after the
passage Of the anti-pass bill in the leg
islature of 1899 that he would retire
from public life with the close Of that
session. But men so often say this
and mean it at the time and straight
way forget it, that not much attention
was paid to the declaration.
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