Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1904-02-12
FARMERS ARE PROGRESSIVE
Many Rural Telephone Lines Are
Being Built in Polk County.

DCtuk DuuL E-OAA OOuULYs
The all-absorbing topic Of interest
among the farmers in Polk county
just now is rural telephones. New
lines are being ltevery few months,
and it will not be long until the whole
county will be covered with a network
of wires. The south end of the county
has the greater number of rural tele-
phones, but the farmers in the north
end have line reaching from Balls
ton to Dallas, and are extending the
system in every direction.
AS to the usefulness of a telephone
in farmhouse, there is no question,
and farmers who have once enjoyed
the convenience Of this comparatively
modern invention declare they would
not part with their phone at any price
The only difference of opinion seems
to be as to the comparative merits of
the service and expense Of the mutual
companies and that of the Pacific
States Telephone & Telegraph Com
pany. In conversation with farmers
from all parts of the county, we find
some who are radically opposed to any
but mutual phone, while others de-
clare that the service Of the Pacific
States company is cheaper and more
satisfactory in every way than that
afforded by the mutual lines.
The Pacific States system is in oper-
alton in all the towns of Polk county,
and farmer desiring to reach any
great number Of business firms in
Dallas, Monmouth or Independence,
is obliged to install one of these in
struments in his home. A large
number of farmers living north and
south of Independence, and across the
river in Marion county, have Pacific
States phones and are given free con-
nection with the city systems of both
Independence and Monmouth. The
subscribers Of the two rural lines
leading out from Dallas also enjoy
similar privileges with the 140 sub
scribers in this city. The farmers on
these lines are given the same rates
on long distance connections that are
given to the town subscribers they
pay from one-half to two-thirds less
per month for the use of their phones
than do the people in town they have
an all-night service; their instru
ments are put in free of cost, and they
do not have to pay any running ex-
penses, such as repairs, taxes, interest
on money invested, salary of en-
ployes, etc. They have direct con-
nection with Portland, San Francisco,
Seattle and all other cities and towns
of the Pacific Coast at tariff rates.
They save an outlay of from $14 to
SIS for Instruments and an additional
outlay where these instruments fail to
work. All the farmer has to do in re-
turn for these benefits is to set the
poles and string the wire, and then
pay the nominal sum of so cents per
month for the use Of the phone.
The OBSERVER has no interest in this
matter further than that it would like
to see the instruments in every farm
house, town home, business house and
office in Polk county connected in one
system. The convenience and benefit
Of such an arrangement can be seen
In an instant, and we are firmly of the
opinion that time will prove that such
a system would have been better and
cheaper from the beginning than the
cost of building and maintaining the
great number of independent lines
that are in operation in the county to-
lay. The mutual farmers lines are
inexpensive and satisfactory,
when considered strictly as farmer
ines, but judging from recent events
in Portland and elsewhere, it is safe
20 say that it will be many years be-
fore any independent company will be
able to give it's subscribers direct con-
lection with the important business
,enters Of the Northwest.