Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-02-14

pany was held at the court house on
Tuesday evening. The report speaks
for itself and the PLoT gives it in full
to its readers, as follows
Wausau, Wis, Feb. z, 1905.
To the Stockholders Of the Wa,tsdu Tele-
phone Co.
GENTLEMEN:-We take pleasure in
submitting to you herewith our
tenth annual report:
The past year has been somewhat
trying one. In our report last year
we reviewed the telephone situation,
| calling attention 60 the fact that in
the beginning we had constructed a
pole line capable of carrying 400
wires, which IN our first annual re-
port we stated provided for the flu
ture growth of the business
of the company. We ex-
planned how this growth had so far
exceeded our anticipations that our
equipment was entirely inadequate
for the demands for service made
upon our company. We called your
| attention also to the fact that tele-
| phones and telephone appliances have
been continually changing, improve
ment after improvement has been de-
vised with bewildering rapidity, so
that the up-to-date system with
which we started little over nine
years ago, the manual switch board
| which we installed about seven years
ago, the multiple switch board which
speedily superseded that, and severa
other improvements in succession
since are now all out of date, and in
many places all have been thrown
away as wholly worthless. In view
of these rapid changes and improve
ments, we did not feel justified year
ago in recommending a radical
change that would mean practically
the throwing out of our central of
fee equipment aud our telephones
1t seemed to us too early to decide
what should take their place. We
did, however, recommend the re.
building of our outside construction
lines, with a large use of cables, which
should give US complete, first class,
metallic circuit. This construction
would be needed for any first class
telephone system.
We found this task difficult one
Our exchange was large, and because
of it's over-crowded condition it was
difficult to give even fair service,
and there was constant need of re-
pairs, and one or more of the lines
were continually in trouble. The
change from the common return to
metallic circuit system also required
skilled and experienced supervision,
and your board believed it would be
for your interests to employ skillful
manager who should devote his en-
tire time to the problems presented, |
and Mr. Howard |. Crawford was Sc
lected for that position, and he has |
had the supervision and man agement
of the company's business since the
first day of June last, when he en- |
tered our employ. We believe that |
be has given the company good and
Intelligent service.
During the summer the Wausau
Electric company practically rebuilt,
it's pole lines, and the city of Wausau
also erected electric light lines, and
this extension of electric lighting and |
power service very decidedly affected
the efficiency of our telephone SER
vice, and more than doubled our com
paints. The troubles from induction |
and cross talk were especially greatly |
increased. and your directors found |
that we must push the work of re-
constructing our lines vigorously and |
as speedily as possible install com
plete metallic circuit. This work |
has to be done without interruption |
of our exchange, which has increased |
the difficulty. 1t is now about one |
third completed, and we have ordered |
81, 900 feet additional cable, which we
believe will be sufficient to complete |
it. We shall run about one half of |
this cable into alleys, from which it |
will be distributed to users, and as |
far as possible we propose to place |
our pole lines in alleys rather than in /,
the streets of the city.
While the construction of metallic |
circuit lines will no doubt consider
ably improve our service, and will re
tluce the annoying cross talk, it will |
not entirely do away with it, Much |
of this cross talk originates in our
switch board, and no matter how |
good our outside construction may
be, in order to have any considerable |
improvement in the central Office |
work it will be necessary for US to |
make complete change in our cen
trail Office equipment. In the judg |
ment of your directors the time has |
now come when this should be done. |
1t is clearly established that there is
much better telephone equipment |
than we have. and that it results |
in much better service than we can
give. The citizens of Wausau have
been very patient and very reasona
BILE. They have known that your d.
rectors were doing the r best, |
and have been considerate in
their criticisms. The support they
have given US we very much appre
ciate. In the present condition of
the telephone business, however, we
believe complete charge should be
made. Our patrons not only know
that better service can be given, but
they feel, and have the right to feel
it is.our duty to furnish it, and we
believe we should low install the very
best system obtainable. While this
may cost our patrons little more,
we know they will be satisfied with
nothing short of the best, and the
difficulties we and tn have encoun-
tered the past year have convinced
them, as they have us, that further
delay should not be permitted. This
is especially true because the tele
phone has come ruere and more into
general use. 1t is not an occasional
call that comes from a home, but
every memoer of the family. big and
little, use the telephone freely, and
all enjoy and appreciate good ser