The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-03-06
9{ood RIVER Glacier
FRIDAY, MARCH s, 1908.
Home Rnral TeIephone COmpany.

The meeting Of the citizens Of Hood
River in the X. OF P. Hall Saturday af-
ternoon to continue the investigation OF
home rural telephone system and the
the organization Of a company for the
construction and operation OF the same,
was called to order by the chairman,
Capt. j. p. Shaw,a Up. M, there being
about 50citizens present. After few preli-
minary remarks by the chairman, and the
reading Of the minutes of the previous
meeting the report OF the committee
on organization was read. This commit
tee reported that after careful consider
alton OF all the plans that came before
it the following plan seemed to offer
the least objection to the successful
carrying out OF the instructions OF the
people. That each one who is the head
Of family and desiring telephone be
required to subscribe for one share
in joint stock company, the capital OF
which should be $4,000 and the par
value OF each share to be $25, and that
no person be allowed to subscribe for more
than one share that this scommittee inor
der to gather all the information possi-
BILE authorized j. H. Shoemaker to pro-
ceed to Newberg to gather such facts as
might be of use to us in Hood River in
our efforts 10 put in our own phones.
1t was learned that the cost OF first class
phones was from sl3 to s14 and that the
cost OF a single wire and poles was IS
per mile, double wires, SIG per mile.
That it required 80 poles TO the mile to
carry the wires. That the cost to the
subscribers after the construction will
not exceed 80 cents per Ilonth. No
doubt it will be still less as more phones
are added, as the whole number OF
phones in the Newberg district was
about 250. Much other valuable infor-
nation was gathered but this would re-
quire more time and space than the
committee had at their disposal to in
corporate in this report. They reported
further that so far as the people OF New
berg are concerned, they are much
pleased with the system Of phones put
in and could not be induced to return
to the old private monopoly.
After the reading of this report, it
was moved the report be accepted and
the committee retainedfor further work.
1t was also found that out Of IA mem
bers OF the push committee who were
soliciting subscriptions only eight had
presented their reports, which aggregat-
ed 1872 shares subscribed. No action
was taken upon the report Of the push
committee, as full report was not
in, but near the close OF the meeting
G. r. Castner moved that the commit
tees go ahead and complete the organi-
zation and the securing of subscriptions
for stock until our next meeting, and
the motion carried.
The chairman then asked j. H. Shoe
maker to make more extended report
of his trip to Newberg. Mr.. Shoemaker
said in his Introductory remarks that he
did not know as there was much fur
ther information than had been given in
the report of the committee that he
could give them. He said the Newberg
system was composed Of several separate
systems or lines connected with the
Newberg central or exchange. That
there were four of these exchanges in the
valley. In the towns of Newbcrg, Day
ton and Yamhill they assessed the own
ers OF phones so cents per month for
running expenses; this kept both the
phones and lines in the towns in good
repair. In the country they charged the
farmers 25 cents per month to help de-
fray the expense of the exchange and
city lines, or in other words, for ter
minal facilities" Mr.. Shoemaker said
they were about TO extend line Is
miles southwest from Yamhill to Sheri-
dan, and to two other points that he
could not remember the names of, be-
sides running line across the river TO
Gervais by way Of Champoeg. The
present system has been running but
about six mouths. Mr.. Shoemaker
failed to find single man in Newberg
country who was dissatisfied with the
telephone service and whenever phone
was taken out it was Bell phone. he
says they are not allowed to connect
with the long distance telephone. @. E.
Markham asked what was the running
expenses of the system. Mr.. Shoema-
ker replied that he did not know, but
that 25 cents from country members
and so cents from the city people was
all they collected to cover expenses and
it must do so or they would charge
more. NJ. r.. Noble held letter from
the manager saying they paid $40 a
month for the day and night service at
Newberg. Mr.. Shoemaker explained
that all their night service cost them
was room rent for young man who
answered the calls at night, making the
$40 the pay for the day service. What
the other three exchanges were paying
he did not know, but if figured on the
the same basis it would amount to $50
for the four centrals. Mr.. Shoemaker
said he could think of nothing more, but
il the audience wished to ask him any
questions it might assist him and he
would try and answer them.
N. G. Evans-You do not know just
what their lines are doing by what they
charge their subscribers. Are they pay
ing expenses or running 5ehindP
]. II. Shoemaker-If they were not
paying expenses they would charge
more.
i. w. Angus-You say there are $50
phones in the system, that the highest
charge is so cents a month, this would
make but sl25 if charged on all the
phones. Does that pay all the ex-
penses?
J. II. Shoemaker guess it does.
q. r. Castner-How many phones
have they on the longest line?
j. II. Shoemaker-There are several
lines, one has IL, another 13,another 10,
another and so on. There are 40 in
Newberg and in the district he said
there were 75 connected in one central
G. r. Castner-How many wires did
they have to put on the poles to
connect themP
Some of them use the single wire sys-
tenn with ground wire at each end,
while others use the double wire com
plete circuit system and use two wires
on the poles.
G. r. Castner-Did you learn the
difference, il any, in the cost Of the two
systems2
j. H. Shoemaker-Well, the poles
would be the same in the two, but the
wires would be double in the two-wire
system, and he gave the figures IS in
one-wire system and SIC in the two
wire, this includes porcelain knobs,
screws, etc.