The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1906-01-19
TELEPHONE MEETING.
Stockholders Attend TeIc
phone Meeting Last Friday.


stockholders of the Grant Coun-
ty Telephone company were in
attendance of the stockholder' S
meeting held in this city last
Friday the 18th.
The meeting was called to Or.
der 1T the court house, at ten
O'Clock, by President H. Gun
ningham.
The forenoon session was de-
voted mostly to discus sion re-
garding the construction of the
line, and what plans should be
followed up in the future.
Manager Mooar was called on
to address the mem mbers of the
company, explaining the best
plans to be followed to perfect
the work already started.
He said that the work so far,
with a few minor exceptions, was
all right. In explaining the su-
periority of metallic system
over the ground circuit, he said
for short lines the latter answer
ed every purpose, but for such
system as was being put up by
this company, the metallic Cir
cult was the only thing. He re-
ferred to cities and towns that
had been compelled to put in the
metallic system after having
built the other lines. Especially
was it necessary where there
were electric light wires and
other similar appliances, to have
the metallic system, and that un-
der the ABOVE mentioned condi-
tions the grouno circuit was ab-
solutely worthless,
When asked regarding the
cost per mile, to construct tele
phone lines, he replied that tele
phone line constructors estimat-
ed the cost per mile including one
phone, from $50 to 500. That
if the members of this company
had only paid $40 a share they
had got out of it easy and very
economically. Mr.. F. B. Roberts
here spoke up and said that he
had interviewed one or two tele-
phone men and that they had
made an estimate of from $50 to
800 per mile. Mr.. Mooar
further added that in order to
make this system a success
every mem Der must join in and
help; that Ghey must each help to
make the talking over the vari-
Gus lines easier by not allowing
anyone to use their phones for
eavesdropping; as when there
were many receivers down
others were bothered, and it
thus hinders the successful run
ming of the system.
The one mistake the company
had made was in putting up any
twenty loot poles. They were
too low, and it was almost i'm
possible for a threshing rig to
go under the wires and that the
owners would not stop at break
ing a few wires. The extra ex.
pense caused would pay for the
difference in cost between that
size and the twenty five foot
poles. Another place was the
using of oak pins instead of locust
wood, the latter lasting much
longer aud only costing a trifle
more.
Mr.. Mooar also thought that
in order to make the system a
success it would be necessary to
establish a rule to make mem
bers pay small toll of ten cents
to talk from one town to another
This in turn would all come back,
to the stockholders in dividends.
It would put the man who only
used his phone occasionally on a
basis with the man who used the
phones several times day-each
would pay for what he gets. For
instance: A farmerin the country
would have the free use of the
service in the country about him,
and into the town where his cen
trail station was located. TIC
talk to other towns than this
would mean a fee of ten cents
additional to his rent.
To complete the construction
of the system would cost about
$4,000 for Milbank and various
other amounts which he could
not at that time estimate, as he
had not been oyer the entire
system since coming to Milbank
After some further discussion
on minor subjects the meeting
adjourned to meet at one o'clock,
At this juncture one of the stock
holders announced that L. H
Bentley had einvited the stock
holders to hold the afternoon
1