The Harrison times., 1915-04-24
BELL TELEPHONE CO. WILL
SPEND THAT SUM IN NEXT
FIVE YEARS.
FEW REALIZE AMOUNT NEEDED
Has Faith in Future Of This State
Already Has Invested over
Five Millions Here-ls
state Builder,


Arkansas in the next five years has
been prepared by the Southwestern
Telegraph and Telephone Company
according to an announcement Just
made here by s. A, Lane, commercial
superintendent for the company for
this state. And this estimate follows
the expenditure by the company OF
several millions in Arkansas in the
past few years. Besides the material
benefit that will result to the state at
large in direct way from the ex'
pendture of this large sum Of money
there is the even greater benefit OF
confidence in the certain growth and
development of the state that will re-
suit in a general way,
The Bell Telephone company does
not appropriate great sums for Inn
provement of its lines and exchanges
until its expert estimate engineers
and executive officials have analyzed
the situation from many angles and
have gone over the ground thorough
Iy and staked their reputation on the
certainty OF the development Of the
state where the service Is to be thus
improved and enlarged and the
growth OF the population and the add
cd volume OF all lines Of business,
Business men at home and finan'
ciers and investors and homeseekers
over the country will note this an.
nouncement OF the Bells confidence
In the growth and development Of Ar.
kansas. They will count It as more
certain index of the states great fu'
ture than any mere assertion not
backed by the Investment Of good
money in that assertion,
The Bell has been recognized for
years in all business and financial cir
cles as careful and successfully
managed concern, II plants It's eX'
penditures In fruitful soil and builds
constantly for the future
With a property value in Arkansas
al the present time Of S5,6O0OOO and
an annual pay roll OF 100000, the
Bell companys announcement that 1t
intends to spend four millions more
In this state, coming at this parlicu'
lar time, is most welcome to all loyal
Arkansas, folks who have faith and
confidence in the future Of their
state, They know that good and sound
business reasons dictate the policy Of
this great telephone company And
a. a la
illusions from the result Of careful
analysis OF their states future by the
experts who wound mp their work by
declaring that eour millions of dollars
would be necessary In the next five
years 10 meet the states growth and
pro oerity
The part played by the Bell com
pany In the development Of Arkansas
Is worth more than passing notice,
Few people realize the part played by
the telephone these days In the build
Ing up Of n state by the knitting Of It's
separate units or communities to-
gether
The Bell company has crossed
mountains and valleys and wild
streams and long stretches of forest
and uncultlyated and unsettled lands
in this state and spent hundreds of
thousands of dollars to connect the
business cenlcrs OF the state with all
the outlying towns and settlements,
II Is impossible TO suppose that these
lines crossing 80 many miles OF un'
settled country should pay at first
They are the forerunners Of business,
the pioneers af development the
builders OF u state They connect the
Rawmlll and the country store ana the
mine with the business world AZ rep
resented by Little Rock Fort smith,
Pine Bluff, Mena, or with Dallas,
Tex, or Oklahoma CITY, or ST. Louis,
or Memphis The telephone line, the
telegraph and the railroad como first
and after them come the small In
vestor and business man and worker
who build an isolated community into
a city or a community where all the
advantages of modern life can be
found
Few people realize the immense In
yeRtment necessary to knit the com
munItieB OF u state together by tele'
phone, II II true thai there are no ex'
pcnsiye grades to build and rails to
lay for trains, but the building and
maintenance Of u telephone line re'
aulres great sums of money aud II IA
often necessary 10 walt for years for
the returns TO bCsn to come In from
certain line, II IA not a Question
merely OF connecting Little Rock with
Pine nlurf by telephone. There IN
plenty Of business TO make this line
nay, Hut TO give the universal sery'
ice that ID It's ambition the bell must
build hundred lines, 80 that Little
Rock may be connected with all towns
big and little, In the state, switch
board equipment and copper wire run
into money like building ballleBhip
For instance, single seotl0n OF a
switchboard costs as much ~ hand
some cottage OF bungalow, The com