The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1920-01-08
ANNUAL BUSINESS
MEETING
Somerset Farmers Tele-
phone Co.
Important Matters of BUSINESS Taken
I'd at First Meeting For Two Years


erset Farmers Cooperative Tele-
phone Company was held in the
Grange Hall in Norridgewock on Mon
day, January S. The meeting was
called to order at 10 o'clock in the
forenoon by President Leslie Jacobs
and the reports of the clerk, direct
ors, business manager and treasur-
er were read and accepted. The re-
port OF the business manager, W. Z.
Hobart, was as follows:
You we'll know the reason for our
not holding an annual meeting last
year. Our notice of postponement
was mailed you (about public meet
ings after receiving a written notce
from the Norridgewock Board OF
Healthy under the direction OF Mr A
K. Butler as to whether it should be
postponed or adjourned. After the
postponement, you could do no bust-
ness except at Special Meeting that
could have been called any time dur
ing the year upon the petition of five
stockholders. | took such a petition
to YOUR president in February. He
advised waiting until the directors
met and at their meeting they voted
TO wait until June, unless some one
was dissatisfied and should petition
before that time. and when June
came. as you had stood us nearly one
half of the year it would incur Just
so much extra expense. we decided
tn hang on and now We come to you
to render some account OF our doings
of the two years. Your clerk. Mr..
Nagoon has given you the net in
ard 80 for 1919 or total in the two
years OF 10S and the treasurer. Mr.
Beal has given YOU the amount Of
cash handled each year and what he
has on hand at the present time,
January 3. 1920. s544S9.
Your cash has been expended as fol-
lows. 1919-Rppairs of wire plant or
nnemcn s294155; repairs of equip
ment s1S1 60: other maintenance nx-
penses. Spoil: operators wages,
s55o3 81: other traffic expenses. S1S2.-
90: general office salaries. S152965; {;
other general expenses s17S6.96; ma
terials and SUPPLIES, s135o20 war toll
tax and excess profit tax S103SO;
State tax s21S21.
1a1N-Repairs of wire plant,
S142145; repairs OF equipment. s1O2-
36: other maintenance expenses,
s105069. operators wages s636527;
other traffic expenses. $3232; gener-
al office salaries, s161O9O; other gen.
eral expenses. s21919S; exchange
lines. s1S75; materials and supplies
$209012; war toll tax $14505 State
tax s23sS7.
There will be charged off from the
materials and supplies, into other
traffic expenses. batteries used on
pole changers. pay stations and public
phones and other materials used in
the service. There is usually some
slight income. used to be, but not
much at the present time. from the
sale of these materials after taking
out what goes to other traffic expenses
and the stock left on hand. You
will notice that our greatest increase
In expenses is the wages paid to op-
orators. The past year it was
$636527. The previous year 1t was
s5593S7 ard in 1917. s4705.21 and
down to 1915 it was s4331.75 so that
at the present time, we are paying
little more than 100000 more for
practically the same number of op-
orators than we did in 1915. The in
crease has been mostly in the last
two wears. ayera ging a little better
than $4,000 year.
Your pay for linemen was The high
est in 1918. s2341.55. This has gone
from s671.56 in 1915 up to that figure
md thie vear If was S142145 The
rate of growth, or an average or hfty
a year is not equal to the expense as
YOU can readily see from the report
to the Public Utilities Commission
last year which gave your exchange
revenue. which is your assessments
as S11.03641. Toll revenues as
$1.213.54 and miscellaneous revenues
as s219.5O or total of $12,469.4 .45 for
the year 1918 as against expenditures
or operating expenses. for linemen
s2.341.55. Depreciation OF plant and
equipment (only four per cent OF the
valuation of the plant) $6S7.17. Other
maintenance expenses $1,079.02. OPP
orators wages S5.593S7 other traf-
fic EXPENSES s1S22O. General office
salaries (manager, bookkeeper, treas
urer. clerk and two directors) Sl'oZ9'-
65. Other general expenses $1.7S696
or a total of $1320042, leaving
deficit for the year of S73O.97 Whlch
could nave come from no btlci
source except your surplus. There
has been aided in the two years
line from Skowhegan to Hinckley on
the north side of the river; line
extended between Solon and Bingham
or the five line out OF Solon OF about
three miles and the 16 line out OF
Solon, about a mile and a half and
a line out of Starks OF about mile
and half about mile and a hall In
Canaan. We changed over the line
out Of Norridgewock. running straight
in on Madison road from F. Moores
place without crossing the river un-
til we get to the bridge. We built
over the lines from North Street to
the Eddy In Skowhegan, putting in
mostly new poles and cross arms and
lowering the corner of North street
80 to go under instead OF over the
light wires and from the Heselton
farm buildings, crossed the street so
to keep away from the New England
and all other lines and set poles and
strung wire from North street to Mad
ison street. On the line out of Nor
ridgewock for nearly mile we used
new poles coming from behind the
railroad track at Wasson's corner and
doing away with several crossings
A. <-oclr onH hawo ,, $O