The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-15
A Time SAVER.
How Telephones Prove a Boon
to Farmers.
Mack Shepard Talks About
Bennington Exchange.
300 PHONES THERE.
Nearly All Are from Homes In
Country.
Ten Are Usually Put on
Single Line.

The problem of the telephone in a
small town has been settled by Mack
Shepard, owner and manager of the
telephone line at Bennington, Ottawa
county, and settled exceedingly well,
too.
Bennington is a town of between
900 and 400 inhabitants. yet Mr..
Shepard has about 800 phones in his
exchange. He not only has phone in
practically every store, office and
residence in the town. but he has one
on nearly every farm in that part of
Ottawa county.
In the town of Bennington there
are IS phones. and in addition to that
Mr.. Shepard has thirteen farmers
lines running out from the Benning-
ton exchange into the country He
has lines also running to the little
stations of Verdi and Niles with a
few phones in each place. He has an
other farmers line running out from
Verdi and five running out from
Niles. On each of these farmers
lines are from one to ten phones,
making a total of about 500 connect
ed with the Bennington exchange.
Mr.. Shepard gives the farmers this
service for one dollar a month. but
they put up the poles for their own
line. He furnishes the wire and in
StrumentS and strings the wires.
II started in this farmres' line
business about three years ago" he
said in speaking of the subject THE
farm telephone business was just be
ginning then and it was a good deal
of an experiment. 1 had no idea of
branching out in this way when
started, but when I put in a little ex-
change there in Bennington some of
the farmers came to me and wanted
me to give them telephone service
too.
For my phones in Bennington 1
charged one dollar month and /
made an off-hand proposition to the
farmers that if they would put up
their own poles I would furnish the
wire and string it and give them the
same service 1 gave to subscribers in
town for the same price It worked
so well that I have just continued the
same sort Of an arrangement in ex-
tending the lines.
AT the start the farmers just cut
their own poles from the timber and
peeled the bark off, and most of the
lines are made from that kind OF
poles, so it has not been very expen-
sive.
Il never put more than ten phones
on one line as it is apt to get over
crowded and not give satisfactory ser
vice Too many are likely to want tc
/ talk at once if there are more than
ten The fartheSt lines run out about
six miles one farmer a mile or sc
out puts up poles and we run a line
out to his house. Then man a lit
/ tie farther wants phone ana ne
/ connects with the first man, and sc
the line grows
1.-THE telephone is a great conven-
! fence to the farmers. If a farmer Ou
five or six miles happens to want &
/ doctor on a stormy night ne nOtlnei
the doctor in two minutes, saving botl
time and a bad ride. In a case of tina
4 kind a farmer thinks he gets th'
worth of a whole years expense al
at once Those who live farther awaI
and have no phones don't come in an
more to get a doctor. They come L
the first telephone and call from
/ there.
| in harvest time or when the farmer
are busy the telephone is a great con
( Venfence, too. Many a time they Iele
phone in and have groceries or othc
1 things sent out by the rural mail carrier
Sometimes they see a neighbor driving ~
/ to go to town and they telephone in Z
| have things sent out by the neighbol
/ Then, too. they call up one another an
/ get harvest hands or arrange to chang
| work. They can search all the countr