Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-01-13
THE RURAL
PHONE SYSTEM

having the system Of rural telephones
established in this and adjoining coun-
ties has met with much encourage
ment. and has bright assurance that
his efforts will prove successful.
The correspondence which he has
had with T. s. Pettijohn, of Flora,
ILL.,. the western promoter of the sys-
tenn. has led the latter to write the
following self explanatory letter con-
cerning the project and his intention /:
II had expected to be in Danville
about the first of the year 1905, to look
after the establishment of big system
of rural telephone lines in Montour
and adjoining counties. for from the
Information you have given me of that
region, think such system is great.
ly needed and that the people will CO.
operate with us in establishing it. On
account OF severe weather and for
necessary time to complete the pre-
liminary plaps,I will not now be there
for short time. When the plans are
completed we should secure few
good honest, farmers or other persons
whom the people can trust, to intro
duce the plans to the people of the
different sections where lines will be
erected and give them chance to sub
scribe for their stock. OF course we
do not want to contract for any ma
terial unless it is going to be go, and
the only way to find out about this is
to get those active solicitors right out
among the people and let them sub
scribe for the stock if they want the
system.
There are always some wide awake
people always on the alert for the bet
terment Of their conditions in life, and
they will see and take advantage of
the opportunity at glance; on the
other hand there are some no doubt,
who like the people oflA rkansas " ho
stiII ooveL Corn wtn aEhoe) may de-
eide to wait a few generations yet to
be sure that the new system is the
best. If there should be too many of
the latter sort we certainly would not
want to take up their time and ours
longer than to find it out, To have
the system of the most advantage to
the people and to warrant us in going
ahead upon small profits we must Sc.
! cure many subscribers.
In certain part of Illinois pro-
moter succeeded in establishing a sys-
tenn of about 600 subscribers in three
years and thought he had done wond-
erfully well; perhaps he had with
the plan he was working under His
price was about 500 per share while
the phones were only installed at in
tervals, so if a member was called up
by night messenger the only thing
he could do was to don his clothes and
scoot out, maybe through storm or mud
to the place where tho phoue was
located. But even this was an advant-
age over the old way and the patrons
seemed to appreciate it and planked
down their 500 as freely as the peo-
pie pay the price we make on stock in
our systems where we give every men,
ber phone of his own, and install it
for him in his home or place of busi-
| ness.
The above mentioned promoter prob
ably did the best he could we say not
| boastingly, but thankfully, that we be-
lieve we have succeeded in originating
better plan for working telephony
which is one of the most peculiar en-
terprises in the world today.
If we are able to give the people bet
ter value for less money than other
companies, we are glad to do SO and
think it will be appreciated. One of
| our main secrets is large sales and
small profits. If we can put in 5000
| phones in three years at SO per phone
profit, we are making as much as the
man who put in 900 phones only dur
ing the same time at $40 per phone
profit, and we prefer to make it by con-
ferring the greater benefit. If we do
not sell half as much stock in three
months as the above mentioned pro-
moter did in three years, we will not
consider that we are doing much busi-
| ness ,,