Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-01-09
WHAT OTHERS THINK OF OUR
CITY.

Last week the PILOT made mention
OF the visit of s. G. 1hayer, of Roches-
teT. Pa, to our city, and that he came
10 inspect our telephone plant, not
Especially the automatic, but the plan
OF organization, as his people were in
fight wit1 the Bell monopoly and he
was satisfied that our plan was the only
one by which they could win Mr..
Thayer, when he reached home, i'm
mediatly issued pamphlet to those
interested, one OF which has been re-
ceived at this office. He tells of his
visit to Grand Rapids and enters extern
sively into the manner in which the
telephone company of that city is
organized and how it has been success
fully conducted; shows how to avoid
making the same mistakes it did. The
Wausau Telephone Co. is organized on
the same plan and also Merrill. OF his
visit to Wausau Mr.. Thayer says:
Leaving Grand Rapids at 5:3S p. m.
Dec Goth, | arrived at Wausau, Mara
| thon Co., Wis, some 40miles north, at
500 p. m, was conducted to the Hotel
Bells, hotel, by-the-way, which would
do honor to town of much greater
proportions. A new house, with large
commodious, rooms, elegantly fur
nished, telephone in each room and
every convenience that you might ex-
pect to find in the Great Northern, at
Chicago. A landlord whose greeting
smile and kind word might make you
feel you had arrived at home on holi-
day visit with your family. l Thorough
ly enjoyed my short stay at that house.
'Wausau reminds one much of some
of the more progressive towns of its
size on the western reserves in Ohio.
The court house, centrally located on a
square surrounded with beautiful trees
and shrubbery, interviewer with walks
and passageways, altogether picture
of beauty. The city itself, containing,
| was informed, about 5000 souls, like
Grand Rapids, is built on a level
plateau of land so well adapted to the
building of large town. The building
blocks are large and commodious with
modern up-to-date architectural design,
impressing one at first sight of the pro-
gressive and up-to-date spirit of the in
habitants
What have said of Grand Rapids in
regard to the organization, manage
ment and development of the indepen-
dent system and the utter routing of
the Bell monopoly, found to apply in
almost every detail in this beautiful
city. The work done here was done
simultaneously with that of the other
towns; in fact, / was informed that
while in my pamphlet descriptive of
these systems, | had given Judge John
A. Gaynor of Grand Rapids, credit of
being the real author of the idea, yet
there were a number of business men
in Wausau, who, if not first to grasp
the idea, were very close seconds. Be
that as it may, all are worthy of great
credit in establishing so pefect a sys-
tenn. | said while the experiences of
Grand Rapids, in every detail, were the
experiences of the other towns adopting
the same plans, yet, at this date, Wau-
Sau has set pace for all other towns
which will cause them to brush up their
old clothes very strenuously if they
catch up. Here in this little city, one
of the brightest stars of the Northwest,
the citizens company wiped the slate
clean, not only of Bell Co s apparatus
but all old time apparatus, and are to-
day enjoying the most wonderful more
than up-to-date automatic service, and
the significant point to be remembered
is, that it belongs to them; and if any
person should feel inclined, or desire
to get into trouble with the citizens, it
would be only necessary for him to
speak i'll of the system In fact,
twenty-four hours visit with the various
business men and residents of that city,
would put one in a frame of mind so
that he would not feel inclined to
speak any words, except words of praise
for them and their telephone saystem,
unless, perhaps, he were interested in
the manufacture of manual equipment,
or the Bell Tel Co.
so found, visited and parted with
the Wisconsin valley towns, and their
progressive and happy people and as
parted company, l did so with the full
determination to do all in my power to
give this monopoly ridden Beaver val
ley telephone system second to none
in point of equipment and construction;
and that if possible it shall be organized
and operated on the lines herein des-
cribed"