The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-02-01
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY l, 1928
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE.

The Wisconsin Telephone Company in an an
nouncement made by its president today said
that this company has set aside 100000 for
Improvements to the property in Kenosha in
the next five years. We are inclined to believe
that this is wonderful way for public utility
company to express it's hope in the future of a
city A half million dollars is considerable
money, and half million dollars appropriated
for Kenosha means that this company believes
that Kenosha is going to be worthy of the ap-
preparation. 1t is complimentary to Kefosha to
know that the second largest sum set aside by
the company was appropriated to Kenosha.
The business Of the telephone company is not
the largest public utility in Kenosha, but it has
grown to be big business. It has kept up a
steady growth from year to year, and there has
never been time since the company took over
the lines of the old Kenosha company that it's
annual report has not shown a very largely in
creased business. Every year brings the addi-
ton Of thousands of telephone stations in Keno
sha.
It's only fair to say that this increase in bust
mess is in part due to rapid growth of the city,
but lot of it, and probably the greater share, is
due to the fact that this company anticipates ra-
ther than waits for the coming of the needs of
the city 1t has in the years that it has been in
|Kenosha tried to keep just a little ahead of the
actual needs. No one ever thought Of making
an appeal to the railroad commission to secure
extension of phone lines. This company has
usually looked ahead of it's nose, and when it
saw chance for developing business it did it's
part to make the development certain and
speedy, 1t has extended lines where immediate
returns were not in sight it has added sections
to the switchboards when it did not appear to
be an immediate need. 1t has just naturally
looked ahead instead of behind. Its engineers
went to work years ago to figure out what Ke-
nosha would be in 1880, and the company has
been working on 1880 instead of 1900 plans.
This hasn't been altogether unproductive. Peo-
pie are not entirely unappreciative. They like
to see a utility company keep pace with city,
and they like to see one that has faith enough
in it to back it with big, round dollars.
This half million dollar appropriation will
mean a wonderful new plant for the Wisconsin
company in Kenosha, and the best bet is that it
twill be made big enough to take care of the de-
mands for service The company won't be say
iing in a couple of years eve made the mistake
lof having this too small" The engineers have
planned the, work so that it will be just little
bigger than big enough
1t is to be hoped that the rest of us will look
at Kenosha with equal vision. Kenosha needs
utilities and people with vision 1t wants to
Hook ahead and get ready for the big city plan
rather than to look behind and cry over the
mistakes of the past The Telephone Company
has made mistakes, too, but the mistakes that
at has made have proven their worth by point
ling the way to avoid them in the future.
Telephone stock does not drag at the bottom
Iof the market It's always at the top, and
somehow we cannot help but associate this top
of the market stock with the ideas and ideals of
the men who operate the company of practicing
bgide rather than narrow vision Usually, wide
Aasion pays in dollars and cents
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