Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-01-24
FACTS DON'T WAR
RANT STATEMENT

Geo. W. Paulus president of the
Wood County Telephone Co. in his
annual report made the following
statement:
1.-The plant has been allowed to run
down ever since the company was
organized and never were there proper
steps taken and provisions made for
keeping 1t in good repair and it has
been the aim of your directors TO do
something ins that line and we
sincerely hope that the new board
will pursue the same policy. When
stockholders were given residence
phones at the rate of % cents per
month it was at the eXpenes of the
plant and it is clearly to be seen that
it must be made up in the near future.
When the report was read at the
annual stockholders meeting we took
exceptions to this paragraph and we
now want to call attention to it and
say that we do not believe Mr.. Paulus
was warranted in saying ''the plant
has beer allowed to run down ever
since the company was organized and
never were there proper steps taken
or provisions made for keeping it in
good repair" For the purpose of
making this matter clearer we have
taken the pains to investigate the
matter as to how much has been paid
out each year, since the organization,
for repairs and augmenting the plant,
which will speak for itself. In the
first place the reader must under
stand that when the exchange was
first started there was only so phones
and at the close of 1908 there was
nearly 500 phones. In looking up
the annual reports we find that in
1898 the repair account amounted to
S190.S4, paid out for augmenting the
plant in extensions and new phones,
s1639S1 or a grand total of 1880. IS
for that year.
In 1899 the repair account was
S13l.60 augmenting the plant Sl32L.00
making grand total for 1899 of
S1452 60.
In the year 1900 the repair account
amounted to S71637, augmenting the
plant sl941 GA, makingia grand total
for the year 1900 of S266S.O1 In the
year 1901 there was paid out for
repairs S667.55, for augmentlng the
plant S904l.S4, making a total for
1901 of S9709.39. This Was the year
that the company borrowed $1,000 of
Mr.. Paulus and expended it in
making the telephone exchange
almost wholly metallic In 1902 the
repairs amounted to S1436.46, aug
menting the plant was Sl776.SS,
making grand total for 1902 of
$321334.
During the year 1903 repairs
amounted to Sl62.25 and augmenting
the plant S1676.97 making a grand
total of s1S39.22.
1t will be seen by the above figures
that during the past years the
company have paid in repairs alone
So, 305,O7 and in augmenting the
plant during the past six years they
have expended ST. 1893. IA or a grand
total in repairs and sincreasing the
plant of $40, 703.2l.
These figures taken from the
annual reports on file in the company's
Office will readily prove that the
above statement was cxtravigant and
was not warranted in being made.
We have taken the pains to correct
this statement simply because, as a
member of the board of directors for
period of four years we knew it was
wrong and in the defense of other
members of the preceding beard of
directors. We consider that this
paragraph in:the last report was
reflection upon every member that
has served on the telephone board
since it's organization. We don't
believe the president really intended
it as such, but we could not allow
this statement to 60 out unchal-
lopno6