Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-31
SOMERSET FARMERS TELE'
PHONE CO.
TEL-E
Net Growth of Only Fourteen Tele-
phones Up to October Local
Managers the Present Need.

| telephones during the year The
! company must have lost almost as
many subscribers as it gained for the
year, as is shown by the following
| figures, taken from the quarterly as
sessment sheets, issued by Manager
Hobart:
January, to April, 1912, lo24 phones ..,,o ~
at $500 2125. Is
July to october, 1872, 1929 phones
at $500. 2li90J
phones at $500. 2149. rs
Hence, the company has barely
held its own for growth during the
year. The toll receipts. which in 1910
and before. regularly showed better
than 500 to $3.50 a month. have di-
minished to an average of about $50
month. Following are the figures
taken from the quarterly reports:
LIST quarter year. or three months, s263. 81
2nd quarter year, or three months, 25l y
3rd quarter year. or three months, 2tl.n
4th quarter Year, or three months $3.50
The report shows $3471.29 of uncol
lected bills, or $3.50 more uneolleeted
ledger accounts than one year ago
Manager Hobart admits in his report
that $330.37 cut of the $347l.29 are
poor accounts err about u 10 per cent,
loss. There ought to be no bad bills
at all. it would reasonably seem.
where each subscriber owns his
phone and share of stock in the
company.
BY sitting tight. and doing no new
work, Mr.. Hobart shows an apparent
gain in ledger assets of $1474.15 over
his ledger assets of one year ago.
new wire has been stretched
from Skowhegan TO Scion on old
poles and enough poles set and wire
strung on them to get a line, by a
new ronte, from Skowhegan to
Athens A little new work has been
done To make a clear line from East
New Portland to North Arson. Al
together, about A. miles of iron wire
have been bought during the year at
a cost of $26971 and about 1S6 poles
at a cost of $l03.5O. This means that
the new poles bought would reach
only about four miles. Upon the
same rate of growth during the first
seven years of the company's ex-
istence, il would have had only IS
miles of pole line. when Mr.. Hobart
became manager; and yet. Mr.. Ho-
bart was elected on the issue of Civ
ing his entire time to the business,
at increased pay.
To the pioneers of the company. the
past years growth is disappointing.
1t was claimed that a manager who
had no other business could collect
the service bills up closer, but Mr..
Hobart's first year. 1911, showed him
just as far behind on collections as
the former manager and this year he
is still more behind.
Here at Norridgewock, for example,
the central office has become a place
of frequent entertainment and a IL
year-old boy is often at the switch
board where six trunk, or toll lines
center. Frequently any one who
happens along, takes charge of the
switchboard while the operator goes
out on the street.
Now it is time for the company to
begin to change all it's line from
grounded to metallic circuits. It is no
time to try TO hoard up $1400 year
in ledger balances. These service
bills should be collected while small.
and a systematic cutting over to me-
tallic lines begun and pushed along.
The bonded debt of the company was
all paid up before Mr.. Hobart took
up the business and as grounded lines
are very much out of date, this COM
pany is able to take up the work and
should be required TO do SO, by the
stockholders.
1t is apparent that the manager
does not and cannot know what
troubles are arising in all the ex-
changes, so widely separated. Prompt
clearance of troubles are frequently
not made Switchboard offices need
to be under the care of a competent
local person, who could see that the
troubles were cleared and that Office
help was attending to business and
not wasting toll earnings by putting
incompetent substitutes in charge of
switchboardS.
l propose than, that in addition to
the general manager, the members of
each exchange choose a local man
ager, as soon as is convenient for
them to meet, after the annual meet
ing that the duties of the local man
ager in each exchange shall be:
1ot. 10 tilu Tie III tiiS
collection of bills.
I'd. To see that the office force at
tends to business.
Sd. To clear all troubles of lines
and switchboard Immediately or cause
the same to be done at once.
4th. To look up and secure new
business for his exchange.
This plan can be legally voted on
at the annual meeting on Jan. G. I'M
der article II of the warrant Under
this plan, local managers would have
| to be paid for some work, but no more
than is paid at present and the
troubles would not set on the lines
for a week and fortnight at time,
unattended to. The general clean up
in accounts and in good service
would be apparent in the interests of
the company.
If the subscribers come to the an
nual meeting at Norridgewock, next
Monday, prepared for this change and
the vote is carried, you can then go
home, call a meeting of the sub
scribers of your local exchange and
there choose a local manager. who
, shall be accountable to the general