Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-07
.on BUSINESS Manager

Inc following extracts from the
1 1i report given by Charles
rrehch smith of the Somerset Far
lhefs Cooperative Telephone Com
pahN at the annual meeting Monde !.
afternoon will be Of much Interest r.
many stock holders who We're NOT
present: The amount collected ami
Turned over to the treasurer $40 :
o5l09 which is S222.S6 more than 10 e.
year This money has been eynendad
Tor repairs of wire plant. repairs nj,
equipment, other maintenance av-
penSe, Operators wages gAnara1
once salaries, other general exnens-
es, central office equipment. station
equipment, exchange lines. general
equipment, undiStributed construc-
lon expenditures and taxes. Wages
pdiu 10 Hnenen is much less for the
iast Two years because Manager
smith has put in about SIS per cent
OF MS time doing line. There is an
increase in operators wages because
an extra operator is employed for
night work. On December Goth all
bills were paid and there was con-
siderable balance on hand.
The biggest job of the COMPANY the
past year was on the lines from
Caratunk 70 Durgin'a Corner at The
FORKS distance of about fourteen
miles where, due TO the State Road
work, the company had to set over
az poles and 50 other poles were
taken out and the wires fastened to
trees with porcelain splits which was
equivalent to about seven miles of
continuous p9e line This lob alone
cost the company from $500 to 5000
and there will be more expense there
next year. Eight new covered wires
from the street to the Caratunk
switchboard We're put in to replace
old wires
The next largest job of the COM
pany was changing over the lines in
the SkoWheGan business section. The
town voted to have all poles and
wires removed from Water street
from the bridge to the Opera. House
and on Madison from Water street
to Russell street. To do this 1900
feet of twisted pair wire were used
and We're run back of the stores or,
Madison avenue and Water, street.
This work was done by Mr.. Smith
and line man Arthur Savage in sew
$3.50.
A new switchboard has been IN
stalled at Norridgewock ana the.
office re-painted and papered. The
lines In Norridgewock have been
gone over and repaired where neces-
sary and eighteen new poles put in
between Norridgewock mad Skowhe-
gan.
The Athens Switchboard has been
moved from the home of the opera
tor Mrs. Skidmore on the Brighton
road above Athens village to Cass
Corner where the Skidmores now re-
side. The manner in which this
change was brought about shorten
ed the Athens Skowhegan trunk line
about three miles, giving a much
better service. It was necessary to
take down the company's wires in
Athens village near the bridge be-
cause of building p new bridge and
put up wire temporarily.
Considerable work has been done
at Bingham and portions of it re-
lteVed the company from giving a
I'VE year agreement with the Maine
central Railroad Company to pay
them a rental of $500 per year per
pole and forty cents per attachment
on telephone pole
b. In October the Fairfield Central
Office was discontinued and the sub
scrlbers connected with Norridge-
Wock, Skowhegan and Canaan ex-
changes. In Scion line No. . was
split and ten of the subscribers We're
put onto line No. 20 j new line giving
much better service. A large mum
Der of new telephones have been i'll