Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-01-17

| WHO WdQU Cuedp TeuuS Willie tI6y are
| Users, which is for a short time
Again there are other stockholders
who feel at times that they can make
| more than IL per cent, draw out the
money and put it in again at intervals
Such persons are very undesirable
stockholders in any cooperative con.
cern. During the past year we have
reduced our Indebtedness S40O 90. We
now owe 100000. We paid this year
s297 SO interest and have charged of
s151 &c interest which has accrued to
January l, making total interest foI
this year s449.2l. The state tax this
year amounts to about $1,000. We
have also taken that amount out of
! the years earnings. We were also
compelled to take out $52.7S because
our estimate on taxes last January
was too low by that amount.
Our books also show that S217. 50
has been charged off for tools. This
would seem to be great loss on tools
for one year. But this is not a fact.
We have taken the "wind" out of the
''tOol account" The list of tools for
the last year and this year is
practically the same, but all of them
are second hand and some about worn
out. Last year the tools were put in
at their cost value, and this year we
put them in at second hand values.
Last year the tools were put in at
1868 80 this year S94.7O and our list
this year includes some new tools We
have also taken the wind out of the
office furniture and fixtures. Last
year they were put in at S13S 56 and
this year we put in the same furniture
at $4,000; this difference Iof S7S.56
comes out of this years earnings.
During the year we purchased $3.50. IA
| worth of materials and sold 1924 As
| showing loss on materials 1920. 4S.
All of this material has gone for
repairs and in keeping up our Ex-
change, This does not include Sl35. Is
of material on hand. The Office and
operating expenses for the year were
| SS7640; this includes such items as:
Rent, lights, insurance, unpaid taxes,
accrued interest and unpaid, hard
ware, stationery. postage, etc. The
livery expense for the year was 5O.5O
the labor expense S4,l3l.02, freight
and drayage sl22.1l, printing s35.4S.
During the year the rentals lnclud.
ing dividends were S9,O432O, the
earnings on tolls and toll connections
were S167.17. The total earnings were
| 9,210.37, the total expenses were
| SS, ,40O.38 making net gain for the
year Of SS09.99. This amount does
| not take into account unpaid rentals
ledger on double entry but do appear
in the statement of resources anC
liabilities.
The plant as it stands on our books
this year. is the same as it was yeal
ago or SIT, ,346.SO. You will see from
| this that our extensive repair
especially during this fall has all beer
charged off, and nothing has beer
added to the value of the plant. The
reason for doing this is that some
repairs have been made this yeal
| which should have been done five OF
six years ago. We did repair work
this year on some of the leads which
| is the accumulation of five to eight
years neglect.
Although much has been done dur.
| ing this year to get the Exchange in
good shape yet there is some very
important work that ought to be
done, which your directors belle We
ought to be begun in the spring not
by hiring big crew but should be
done gradually.
At several of our meetings the
matter of building another trunk line
to Nekoosa has come up. 1t is fact
that must be recognized that an extra
line would be very good thing The
| line between Port Edwards and
| Nekoosa has to be fixed up during the
coming season. 1t would be a good
time to put in the new trunk line
then for it could be done at a con.
siderable saving.
a capacity of the cable from the
Central office up towards the Green
Bay depot is filed and we cannot
supply the new subscribers in that
neighborhood. The preSenJ cable
will have to be supplanted by larger
cable and the present one used ir
other places.
The pole-line up Oak street is 81
heavily loaded with wires that the
whole lead ought to be rebuilt and a
cable put in it's stead. The cable
across the bridge is also giving us
some trouble and just now soon it
will have to be replaced, no one OF
course can know. The constant
vibration of the bridge has crystalizer
the lead and caused it to crack allow
ing the water to get inside; this ha: