The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1920-04-14
TELEPHONE LINES
| NAY Be REBUILT
MORE THAN 100 MILES OF WIRE
AND 200 MILES OF POLE LINE
COMPRISE THE MUNICIPALITY
OWNED SYSTEM
system IS FAR REACHING
Movement Afoot to Improve the
County's Telephone System and
Make 1t Modern

The mem D0rs OF the Cnurcnlll
county commercial club may be the
leaven that will bring about better
telephone facilities for this county II
the Iso-s1snt launched Monday
evening meets with an afflrming
response on the part of the county's
taxpayers. The telephone situation
has been real fly in the local oint-
ment for several years. viewed from
several different angles. and correc-
tive measures are to be sought. The
commercial club body decided 1t
Monday evenings meeting to insti-
tute card voting campaign within
the near future, calculated to make
plain the desires of the county tele-
phone patrons. Should sentiment
be determined as favoring the ex-
pense necessary to bring the systom
fully up to requirements, present
and In prospect the county commits
sioners will feel free to proceed
along the lines suggested by the citi-
zens of the community, including
Manager H. c. Korn, of the tele-
phone system. who conferred with
the commercial club committees,
frankly admitted that the system
had .outgrown requirements and that
good service can only be had by
making a large money expenditure.
He recently advised the county COM
missioners that $4,000 would be
necessary as an initial outlay to be
followed up by additional sums II
the system is to be made adequate
to needs and it is understood that
the county commissioners favor the
innovations should proper sanction
be extended by their constituents. !
Churchill is the only county in the
United States that .owns its telephone
system. 1t is the outgrowth OF .
single line of wire that was strung
In the pioneer days here when Wads-
worth was the nearest railway sta
ton. saltwater was the county seat.
and no individual would make the
investment because manifestly 1t
would not pay. Yet physicians had
to be summoned at rare intervals
and other forms of urgent business
transacted, the taxpayers finally get
sing legislative authority and thus
secured outside talking communica-
tions paid for from the county treas
ury. Since that time the system has
grown In about the same ratio that
the population increased, few enter
tanning thought of turning 1t back
into private ownership or control.
Mr.. Korn proposes to install what
is termed a common battery" sys-
tenn to serve the urban subscribers.
although this departure would not
be practicable for the longer farmer
lines. To insure better service he
would divide the party lines, many
of which now carry a dozen or more
phones, and extend new lines into
the project districts now unserved.
He Is certain these departures will
result In increasing the exchange
subscribers to more than 1,000 and
bring greatly increased revenue
that would amply compensate for
the expense that would attend.
The county telephone plant has
grown at an amazing rate and but
few people understand its present
magnitude. Its equipment includes
fireproof central station building
that cost $500 and could not be
duplicated today for twice this sum,
210 miles of pole line and about 700
miles of wire. The central station
equipment was installed calculated
to care for 400 party and individual
lines. there now being $50 lines
leading into the station. Mr.. Korn
explains that in order to divide part.
lines as must be necessary II good
service is to be offered. additional
switchboard facilities must be in
io<a11oA