The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-03-15

dIS independent OAhpdAAS III 0AAAAOS' 80 0O""
The principal towns and cities of this State are
connected by phone, and all that is necessary for
farmers to be connected and on speaking terms
with the outside world, so to speak, is to have a
line connected with a town or city exchange direct
or if the distance is over three or four miles, from
a neighborhood telephone company, put in a
switchboard, connect this with a town exchange
or with some others neighborhood exchange which
has connection with the town exchange-anyway
to get there the cheapest for good service.
"The cost of establishing the telephone system
in the country varies with conditions, but under
no conditions have we ever known a farmer in
this county (Union), after having had the use of
a phone in his house to entertain for a moment
any idea of abandoning it's use on account of the
expense, and even many renters, who do not own
the land they cultivate, have phones in their
houses and can talk to persons in any part of the
county or neighboring counties.
"The first thing needed to establish d neighbor-
hood exchange is to get a switchboard and locate
where all who are interested can reach it with the
least amount of wire. A switchboard of from
ten to twenty-five drops costs from $65 to 800,
according to style and make. Each line connected
with the board uses one drop, or number, but sew
eral phones can be operated on one line and if the
bridging phones are used a half dozen or a dozen
phones can be successfully used on a line. Party
lines are, however, more satisfactory if limited to
three phones. The cost of running a telephone
line, outside of the poles, is about $3.50. This in
cludes cost of No. - wire, insulators and brackets
or pins. Either cedar or oak poles can be used
and farmers can get these with their own labor.
They should be placed two and a half or three feet
in the ground. about sixty yards apart, and along
d road, or across felds-anyway to get to the
"central' the easiest and quickest way. Good tele-
phones cost about $40. Add this to the cost of
line per mile and you have an estimate of what
it will cost to establish the service. In this county
instead of forming neighborhood companies, some
farmer in a neighborhood buys a switchboard, con-
meets it with the town and then allows his neigh
bors to build lines to it and gives them connec-
ton at $1.OO per month for each line. So if
three farmers go in together and build a line they
get the service at 33 13 cents each per month. The
owner of the board furnishes the operator to give
connection and any bright child can attend to a
neighbOrhood exchange.
"You can do no better than to urge upon farm
ers the Importance of establishing the rural tele-
phone system. The telephone is an invention that
is destined to revolutionize things in favor of
farm life, rendering it less isolated and placing
it in touch with the busy world. 1t saves time
and money, affords social pleasure and protection
for the family. 1t protects them from a delayed
visit from the doctor in cases of emergency and it
protects, or will to an extent protect, them from
criminals. No sane man will commit a heinous
crime in a section or county where there is a
network of wires all over the country, making it
almost impossible to escape without being appre-
hended. But it is not the purpose of this article
to discuss the advantages of the system, but to
give some of the details as to plan of operation
and cost. All that is needed is to get farmers